the avans' rich learning environment: the new role of the librarian

Association des Directeurs de Bibliothèques Universitaires, 41e Congrès annuel, Vanne

16 septembre 2011 1

The Avans rich learning-environment:

the new role of the librarian

Ellen Simons (Learning and Innovation Centre)

Leer- en Innovatiecentrum

Association des Directeurs de Bibliothèques Universitaires, 41e Congrès annuel, Vanne 16 septembre 2011 2

Avans University of Applied Sciences

• 3 locations• 25.000 students• 80 bachelor’s programs• 7 master’s programs• 22 research groups• 2.000 staff• 1 Learning and

Innovation CentreBreda Den Bosch

Tilburg


Association des Directeurs de Bibliothèques Universitaires, 41e Congrès annuel, Vanne 16 septembre 2011

Avans University of Applied Sciences

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Executive board

19 Schools- Engineering & ICT- Business- Law- Health- Education- Social studies- Art

Learning & Innovation

Centre

4 Support Units- ICT & Facility management- Finance & Student administration- Human Resources- PR & Communication

Staff



Organizational chart Learning and Innovation Centre

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Management

Educational policy advisors (13 fte)

Researchers on Avans topics (5 fte)

Policy advisors on quality management (6 fte)

Multimedia staff and online training support staff (9 fte)

Assistant librarians and librarians (27 fte)

Administrative staff (11,5 fte)

Information specialists (8 fte)

90 fte’s 120 staff working in

Breda, Den Bosch and Tilburg



Traditional education

• Teacher-centered

• Passive role for the student

in the classroom

• Subject-oriented learning

• Limited use of information resources (one or two textbooks)

• Learning happens at home/outside the classroom /the institution



Modern education

• Student-centered

• Active role of the student in the classroom

• Students formulate their own learning goals

• Students select their own learning resources

• Learning also happens inside the institution



Consequences for Library

• The traditional library must change into a rich learning environment

• Library staff takes part in the educational process



From library to learning centre:

• Xplora provides social spaces, student services and study support,

information resources, access to IT, and different kinds of working

environments, from comfortable seating for collaborative group work, to 'board

rooms' for practice presentations.

• Xplora is the social and

academic hub of the campus



Partner to education

• Strong contacts with school faculty to ensure adequate connection between service (supply) and users' wishes (demand)

• To meet school faculty needs working-relations between Learning Centre and schools must be built and maintained



The New Way

• Fixed, recognizable contact persons within Learning Centre for each school

• Information Specialist (new function) : primary tasks are translating schools' wishes towards Learning Centre, advising school faculty on possibilities of Learning Centre in offering support to education

• A team of subject librarians and information specialists is allocated, specialised on knowledge area of that particular school

• Cooperation with educational officers in education-development teams within schools, thus improving quality of information supply



Consequences for Xplora Staff

• Relationship to student changes

• Relationship to teacher changes

• Different competences needed



Training programme 2006-2011

• 2006

Major training programme with Avans library school

• 2006-2010 : Short courses on various topics

• 2010/2011:

Training programme based on Web 2.0: The 21 (23) things



Training programme 2006:

• FOBID* document as a starting point

• Styled like conventional modern education

• Includes the use of electronic learning products

• Train the trainer concept

• Two modules:– Customized Information – Digital Collection development

* FOBID Netherlands Library Forum : national umbrella organisation and forum for co-operation between the national library organisations



Training programme 2006: Approach

• The competences of the learner/librarian are central

• Assignment very important tool in acquiring the skills

• Assignment is leitmotiv for training and lectures



Training programme 2006 Module 1 : Customized Information

• Individual assignment: – Perform a literature survey of Internet resources on a self

chosen topic and make a report with a clear justification of the choices.

• 7 sessions

• Training in formulating questions, interviewing, reporting and information retrieval

• Personal coaching throughout training process



Training programme 2006:Module 2: Digital Collection development

• Group assignment: – Develop a collection of free accessible information for an academy with a

group of fellow students– Evaluate outcome and make a preliminary project plan– Complete with a presentation of evaluation

• Training in: – Project management, collaboration skills, meeting skills, presentation

techniques, feedback techniques, – Identifying customer needs, digital collection development, copyright,

etc.

• 10 sessions

• Group coaching throughout training process



Training programme 2006-2010 : Short courses on various topics

• Educational knowledge;• Culture shift from control-directed to student-directed;• result-oriented and customer-directed;• E-learning;• Advisory skills and negotiating techniques;• Broader knowledge of the learning environment;• English;• Didactics;• Presentation techniques.

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Training programme 2010/2011 Web 2.0 training

• ‘The 23 Learning 2.0 Things’ of Helene Blowers* – a discovery learning program designed to encourage staff

to explore new technologies and reward them for doing 23 Things.

• Application to field of higher education in the Netherlands: ‘21 web 2.0 things for ICTO staff and teachers from Higher Education

institutions’ **

• Internal Avans coaches

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* Learning 2.0 / 23 things Helene Blowers / http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com

• ** 21e eDingen / Surfacademie http://www.21edingen.nl/

http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com/

http://www.21edingen.nl/



Training programme 2010/2011 The 23 Learning 2.0 Things for librarians

• Weblog• RSS• Copyright and plagiarism• Online photos editing and

sharing• Social bookmarking• Safety and privacy on the

internet• Social networks• LibraryThing• Webtools

• Microblogging (Twitter), office tools and chat

• Podcasting• Vodcasting• Screencasting • Instant Messaging• Media literacy• Education 2.0• Make and share Online

documents• Wiki's

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Training programme 2010/2011 Example 23 Learning 2.0 Things*

Week 2: Blogging

• Set up your own blog & add your first post.

• Register your blog and begin your Learning

2.0 journey.

Week 3: Photos & Images

• Explore Flickr and learn about this popular image hosting site.

• Have some Flickr fun and discover some Flickr mashups & 3rd party

sites.

• Create a blog post about anything technology related that interests you

this week.

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* Learning 2.0 / 23 things Helene Blowers http://plcmcl2-things.blogspot.com



Training programme 2010/201121 eThings: for ICTO staff, teachers and librarians!

• Creative Commons• Digital learning environments• Collaboration Environments• Chat• Social networks• Social bookmarking• Google Apps• Twitter and other

microblogging tools• Reference Programs• Plagiarism

• Weblog• RSS• Voting tools• Searching and using videos• Making videos• Calls via internet • Wiki’s• Web lectures• Screen casting• Repositories• Information literacy• Video communication



Training programme 2010/2011 Example 21 eThings

Week 8 Weblectures

• Find a Web lecture in your professional field.

• Discuss on your blog: – What you see and how the technique works. How you navigate the web

lecture? – What you like and dislike about the lecture and what your own approach

would be.

• Consider an assignment at the web lecture so students will want to look and describe it.

• Explain why you would or not would make web lecture of your own lecture. Are you going to just use them if there are reasons not to do this?

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Profile librarian/information specialist(1)

• Friendly and customer-oriented

• Accessible, professional, curious, proactive, quality-oriented, flexible,

good listener, networker, cooperative, analytic skills, creativity

• Innovative

• Initiates collaboration with colleagues from other teams

• Develops through training, keeps up with literature and attends relevant

conferences / symposia and shares knowledge

• Participates in various knowledge-sharing sessions

• Able to self-reflect and cope with criticism

• Able to think out-of-the box

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Profile librarian/information specialist (2)

• Can translate theory into practice in collaboration with colleagues, teachers

and students

• Builds and maintains contacts with schools and works closely with teachers

in e.g. course–development of instructions

• Is familiar with content of curricula of schools through attending classes

• Has communication and marketing skills for the public relations to schools

concerning current developments within Xplora

• Works closely with colleagues from different teams to offer students /

teachers within Avans the best possible service as to collection, instruction,

workshops

• Is familiar with Web 2.0 applications like social media and advises on their

practical application in education

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• Is active in working groups in the area of collection-development,

information literacy, teacher and student support, developing new

services Xplora, etc

• Is ‘business card’ for Xplora/Learning and Innovation Centre

• Has a natural attitude of sharing

knowledge with others

• Operates in relevant networks;

• Support educational innovation;

• Instructs students, staff and colleagues’

• Identifies relevant internal and external developments and if necessary

translate them into new products of services

• Is curious about new technical possibilities

• About new technical possibilities

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• Look at it from a team standpoint:

– Your team needs an adequate mixture of the assets just listed

– Each individual team member will have his and her own talents and abilities, this is only to the good

– Optimally your team is a functioning unit where the qualities of individual members work together to cover the whole profile of assets: the whole is larger than the sum of its parts

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Input for profile (thank you!): Carla, Marijke, Sandra and Linda

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So what does the Learning and Innovation Centre do? (Goals)

1. We advise Avans University on relevant developments;

2. We encourage and support innovation in learning and teaching;

3. We promote excellence in learning and teaching;

4. We provide a powerful learning and working environment.



1. Advise – Host Group Decision Room (GDR) sessions: electronic meeting support system– Attend national and international conferences

2. Innovate– Support innovation projects in faculties– Provide training for the ‘Master plan Virtualization’ for engineering faculties

3. Excel– Organize annual Avans educational conference and several mini conferences

for Avans university faculty and staff – Organize study days for Avans schools – Provide individual lecturer consultations– Provide information literacy workshops – Host visits from domestic and foreign guests – Present at national and international conferences

Activities by librarians/information specialists (2010)



Activities by librarians/information specialists (2010)

4. Learn– Host 1.4 million visitors/year in Xplora– Add books, subscriptions and databases to collection of

educational resources– Lend out resources – Provide guided tours in Xplora– Provide introductions to Xplora– Provide publishing dissertation of students in the national repository



Conclusion

• Staff Xplora can now better meet the needs of the schools

• Staff Xplora now has improved understanding of each other's work and of educational needs

• Profile librarian/information specialist very different in 2011 compared to 2005

• Important: use experienced team members (experts) as trainers for colleagues

• Important: train and re-train continuously

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New developments Xplora

• Teacher’s centre including new technology experimental zone

• Student Centre

• Mobile Learning Support Pit

• Redesign of the Xplora buildings in Breda and ‘s-Hertogenbosch



Redesign of the Xplora buildings

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"Makeover" requires

investment in training and,

above all, dedicated staff!



Further Information: Ellen Simons

E-mail: [email protected]

Article : The New Learning Environment: Impact on Staff and Students / Ellen SimonsLiber Quarterly, october 2010 http://liber.library.uu.nl/publish/articles/000507/article.pdf

Slidesharehttp://www.slideshare.net/pmgsimons

Website Learning and Innovation Centre http://lic.avans.nl/

Video “Xplora, Discover it yourself”:

http://www.surfmedia.nl/app/video/QV1wz15xVfVrqwzfstEEcDNT/play?format_id=6pyORf6BDHfvNVuLSXWGI4Cj&mode=url

mailto:[email protected]



http://liber.library.uu.nl/publish/articles/000507/article.pdf

http://www.slideshare.net/pmgsimons



http://lic.avans.nl/

