Change andEmerging Technologies

The Library’s Role in SupportingTeaching and Learning in a 2.0 Environment

Jeff Trzeciak, University Librarian

Cathy Moulder, Director of Library Services, Maps, Data & GIS

Olga Perkovic, Liaison Librarian, Anthropology & History

Transforming Libraries

From traditional “service-provider” to a new understanding of how students learn and how faculty discover new knowledge

About McMaster

McMaster University Top 100 Universities

worldwide Canada’s most

research intensive Recognized as

“Canada’s most innovative”

Problem-based learning

McMaster University Library

Challenges Library in state of decline

1991: Ranked 86th among Association of Research Libraries

2006: Ranked 109th

Significant Challenges

Lowest funded research library in Canada Lowest # of librarians in ARL Biggest challenges:

Library as silo Library as “book warehouse”

Other Significant Challenge: University in Transition

3 Provosts in 18 months Structural budget problems Changes at VP and Dean levels

Library Transformation Library Vision

McMaster University Library will be recognized as Canada's most innovative, user-centred, academic library

Library TransformationMission

The University Library advances teaching, learning and research at McMaster by: teaching students to be successful, ethical

information seekers facilitating access to information resources providing welcoming spaces for intellectual

discovery, and promoting the innovative adoption of

emerging learning technologies

Library Transformation

Two significant accomplishments Library Liaison Program Learning 2.0

Wikis in the Libraries

Primary purpose: Connecting the libraries to our faculty and our

students Secondary:

Emerging technology

Collaborative Partnership I

Geo 4G03 + Library Canadian Glacier Inventory Project (CGIP) Data gathering as 4th year class assignment Traditional impediment = Security

Wiki to the Rescue

Wikis require: No access to University servers No html coding or file uploads by TAs No effort to setup (library-mediated) No big learning curve

Collaborative Partnership II

Geo 3HZ3 + Library Major assignment for 3rd year class on

segregation in world cities Assignment needed to be:

Research-based Group work (not homogenous students) Capstone to previous learning

Wiki Encore

Wikis offer: Collaborative student experience WYSIWYG interface and cool web functions Integration of research, maps, graphs,

illustrations, links Creative potential Element of surprise and innovation

Wiki Selection Criteria

1. Remotely hosted2. Free3. WYSIWYG4. Minimal learning curve5. Functions: edit history, page comparison, user

reports, revert to previous version6. Discussion and comment areas7. Minimal advertisements

http://www.wikimatrix.org/

Wiki Start-up Library staff:

Created wikis, created pages for info resources, created “page stubs”

Invited faculty and teaching assistants as moderators

Teaching staff: Created pages for introduction and student

instructions Invited students as writers

Geo 4G03 wiki

Geo 3HZ3 wiki

Assessment Wikis replaced traditional outcomes Marking criteria:

Standard essay-writing skills (including completeness, analysis of content)

Artistic elements (creativity, originality,

graphic design) Participation (number of

comments, evidence of

collaboration)

Results

Public visibility and writing for a diverse audience = motivating factors

Good quality writing and editing Web writing has to be more “interesting”

Students engaged

Students Artistic

Students Artistic (cont.)

Students using New Technologies

Unexpected Results

Collaboration Technical difficulties Difficulties capturing or destroying the content

afterwards Repeat experience not as positive

Collaborative Partnership III

History 2P03 + Library Inquiry model; small class setting Research Skills set (1 component of 4) Wiki purpose

Wiki Start-up Librarian:

Created wiki, 5 section pages and research resources pages, student instructions

Invited faculty as administrators Faculty:

Added content and exemplars Admin staff invited students as writers

Historical inquiry wiki

Section 5 wiki

Results

Slow start; modifications sparked activity Wiki as a research resource Wiki as a communication tool

Unexpected Results

Faculty feedback Student feedback Face to face sharing

What Did We Learn?

Be selective: Work with early innovators Choose assignment tasks carefully Know your students Consider overlapping technologies Wikis have limitations

Collaboration is the Reward

Faculty and Librarians working together on learning objectives, assignment creation, marking

Strengthening the Liaison program Writing papers and funding requests together Extending the CGIP wiki to include an American

class on remote sensing

Emerging TechnologiesOpen Doors

Is It Working?

Library offering Social Toolbox 2.0 software (blogs, wikis) for campus

community Campus understands in the context of

“access” and “preservation”

Inherited Classroom Audio Visual Services Staff of 10 Budget of $1m (approx) Responsible for all classroom technologies

Opportunity to integrate instructional technologies, academic resources, and support services

Broader Context: Library asPartner in Teaching and Learning

Campus Leadership

Innovative Learning campaign item Task Force on Teaching and Learning Burlington campus learning space design iSci, Honours research science

Libraries as Academic Computing Mills

State-of-the-art classroom Videoconferencing facilities Text-analysis centre?

Thode Learning Commons Grid computing? Visualization facilities?

Collaboratory

Future

Central part of a CFI proposal 3D Web research Augmented reality Simulation

Thank you