PRESENTER:
Dr. COX, Andrew (The University of Sheffield)
The Department of Information Studies (http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/), University of Sheffield has been ranked first or joint first in every UK government Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) since 1986. In August the Department officially becomes an iSchool. Dr Andrew Cox (http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/is/staff/cox.html) is a lecturer in the department and amongst his responsibilities is the coordination of Sheffield’s new MSc in Electronic and Digital Library Management. His research interests are in online community and Web2.0 and the teaching of information. He recently won a University of Sheffield senate award for teaching
LOCATION:
Auditorium 1
1st floor
CONTENT:
Lecturers and academic libraries share the joint challenge of enhancing student engagement in learning. This paper explores some of the current opportunities and dilemmas arising from such factors as social and technical change, internationalisation, changing educational theory, and employability agendas. The paper synthesises results from a number of research studies motivated by the desire to explore student engagement, including explorations of Inquiry Based Learning techniques; experiments in changing assessment methods; a study of student use of communication technologies; investigations of students’ communication and social networks and use of space (Sheffield opened an award winning Information Commons building in 2007). Through an in-depth exploration of factors shaping staff/student engagement in learning, debates around the changing role of the library service are opened up.
