J. Adam Edwards | Middlesex University (original) (raw)

Papers by J. Adam Edwards

Template to print out and/or make your own version of the game.<br>

Resources (e.g. Cite them Right Online, Lynda.com) cards used to encourage exploration of resourc... more Resources (e.g. Cite them Right Online, Lynda.com) cards used to encourage exploration of resources useful to foundation year students. See instructions via link for full details.

Does it really improve their marks? A brief foray into measuring the impact of Information Litera... more Does it really improve their marks? A brief foray into measuring the impact of Information Literacy training

Instructions on how to use our games.<br>

Information and advice for students needing extra support Links to information on support for stu... more Information and advice for students needing extra support Links to information on support for students with a disability or a health condition

Education for Information, 2016

The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated.

The paper is a brief report on a survey of second year computer science students to see what if a... more The paper is a brief report on a survey of second year computer science students to see what if any impact library information literacy training had on the linked coursework. The results show evidence of higher marks, better use of research tools and better understanding of evaluation criteria by those attending the training unlike those who did not attend.

This statement explores the potential role of librarians in the development of information litera... more This statement explores the potential role of librarians in the development of information literacy and research integrity in higher education. We contextualise this in a critical reflection of our own professional careers and practice, within continually changing information, social and political landscapes. We illustrate our development through a critique of our core public work, Enhanced pedagogy for improved information literacy, and a number of other smaller but significant previous public works. We also examine some of the narratives which surround the ‘Google Generation’, academia and librarianship and demythologise the context in which we operate. To inform the future development of our professional role we investigate information literacy concepts and models, the obstacles to the wider adoption of information literacy in higher education curricula, the skills and attributes that the librarian of the future can bring to its achievement and how the public works are a continuo...

The article offers information on the observations made on the Society of College, National and U... more The article offers information on the observations made on the Society of College, National and University Libraries' visit to the University of Glasgow Library and Glasgow Caledonian University Saltire Centre in Scotland in December 2006. A number of discussions were held prior to the actual visit with a focus on the principles for design and functionality of the buildings. It was reported that Glasgow University Library is 12 stories tall built in 1968 and suffers from a number of problems including a leakage in exterior cladding. Saltire Centre in Glasgow Caledonian University wielded a non-traditional outlook with a lot of flexibility in space usage and prominent use of wood in interior design were among the key features of the building.

Game based learning is receiving increased attention, including from the New Media Corporation’s ... more Game based learning is receiving increased attention, including from the New Media Corporation’s 2012 Horizon Report, who detail it as one of their important trends in Higher Education, with a time to adoption of two to three years. Games are ideally suited to the development of skills, often requiring players to problem solve, plan, and critically consider strategies to win the game, and as such are suited to the development of information literacy skills we try to help our library users develop. This workshop will explore how librarians at Middlesex and Huddersfield Universities have changed their pedagogical practice to incorporate games and activities, and the key success factors in their design and use. The majority of the workshop will be hands on exploration of the games and activities we have developed. We will then have a discussion of their use as tools for information literacy teaching and how participants might be able to use them in their own teaching. References Johnso...

ABSTRACT The article looks at the ways college librarians can inform the uninformed about the wor... more ABSTRACT The article looks at the ways college librarians can inform the uninformed about the work of the library/information science profession. Particular attention is focussed on the national press as a channel for communication with the outside world.

UK Libraries Plus, a reciprocal borrowing program offered to distance learning students, part tim... more UK Libraries Plus, a reciprocal borrowing program offered to distance learning students, part time students and students on teaching practice, is evaluated. Survey results assessing student satisfaction are presented, with emphasis on data representing education student ...

In 1999, The Coalition of Modern Universities in the United Kingdom met and launched a consortial... more In 1999, The Coalition of Modern Universities in the United Kingdom met and launched a consortial agreement to allow access among member libraries for students of participating institutions. The author describes the set up of the UK Libraries Plus scheme along with the growth that ...

The paper describes the creation of online learning materials for information skills and academic... more The paper describes the creation of online learning materials for information skills and academic writing to support teaching in the Business School at Middlesex University. It includes discussion of the origins of the project, the materials created (illustrated) and how a number of problems were solved during the project.

ABSTRACT Over the past two years the Liaison Librarian team supporting Computing and Design Engin... more ABSTRACT Over the past two years the Liaison Librarian team supporting Computing and Design Engineering at Middlesex University have been changing their pedagogical practice to base their teaching on games and activities rather than ‘follow me’ demonstrations. This paper discusses the broader issues that prompted these changes to our information literacy training, the ideas and inspiration that underpin our new approach, the games and activities we have developed, the role of Summon as enabling technology, and the results of a survey undertaken to measure the impact of our teaching. It concludes with a brief look at future developments.

Template to print out and/or make your own version of the game.<br>

Instructions on how to use our games.<br>

Education for Information, 2016

The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated.

Our aim in developing these activities and games is to encourage deeper learning of information l... more Our aim in developing these activities and games is to encourage deeper learning of information literacy skills through:
• engagement with the learning process
• interaction with peers and librarian
• reflection on what is already known and what has been learnt in class
• discussion around topics
• peer learning amongst the class

We believe it is better to cover a small number of topics in detail than to try and cram too much in to a workshop. We do not use on screen demonstrations, as this does not encourage users to experiment or think about what they are doing.

All our sessions include a range of varied activities and games to cover the core components of:
• Thinking about resources
• Constructing keywords (Search terms)
• Exploring resources
• Evaluation of information

Our use of games was inspired by Susan Boyle’s (Librarian: UCD) presentation at LILAC 2011 .

Our teaching and learning principles were inspired by Sharon Markless (Senior Lecturer Higher Education, Kings College London), in particular ‘Teaching information literacy in HE: What? Where? How’ which she presented at CILIP Dec 2010.

Other people have also inspired and influenced us including library colleagues from Middlesex University, Phil Bradley (Information Specialist and Internet Consultant), Amanda Clossen (Librarian: Penn State University) and Alan Turner (Librarian: Art University Bournemouth).

This document describes how we provide information skills training for two of our subject areas: Computing and Product Design.

Templates for all our games and activities plus worksheets are available alongside this document in JORUM and the relevant game, activity or worksheet is noted at the end of each section below.

If you would like more information, please email:
Dr Adam Edwards (School Liaison Manager) a.edwards@mdx.ac.uk or
Dr Vanessa Hill (Service Development Liaison Librarian) v.hill@mdx.ac.uk

A presentation on how we were inspired to change our pedagogical practice and how in turn our wor... more A presentation on how we were inspired to change our pedagogical practice and how in turn our work and our DProf has provided inspiration for peer professionals.

Presented at: Inspiring staff: M25 2017 Annual Conference, 03 May 2017, Royal Society of Chemistry, London.

Librarians are practice based professionals and so practitioner research, grounded as it is in wo... more Librarians are practice based professionals and so practitioner research, grounded as it is in work based learning may provide an appealing route to higher study and self-development. Practitioner research enables us to explore our professionalism through reflection, using the creative-interpretive model championed by Lester (2015) and others. Reflection enables us to validate our past practice, explore the cumulative effect of professional and organisational change and to gain insight from this for future action, working, as we do, in uncertain contexts, as libraries keep changing and developing. In doing so, we become creative "artistic" professionals, learning from others and not afraid of cross fertilization from collaborative relationship s with professionals from other spheres. (Schön, 1990, Vieira, 2014)

Following a recent joint Doctorate in Professional Studies (DProf) by Public Works, Demythologising librarianship: future librarians in a changing literacy landscape, Adam Edwards and Vanessa Hill (2016), both librarians at Middlesex University, will reflect on their experience of undertaking this practitioner research, the outcomes from it and the impact on their professional work as information literacy practitioners. Their doctoral research was based on changes to their pedagogy, previously presented at LILAC 2012 and 2013 (Smith and Edwards 2012, Edwards, Hill and Walsh, 2013) which was inspired by CPD undertaken at CILIP in 2010 and LILAC 2011. Adam and Vanessa believe that delegates attending LILAC may be inspired to undertake work based research at either Masters or Doctoral level. Indeed given that sharing of innovative thinking and practice at professional conferences is an excellent means to demonstrate public works, it may be that many delegates are already well on the way towards a DProf of their own.

References

Edwards, J.A. and Hill, V. (2016) Demythologising librarianship: future librarians in a changing literacy landscape. DProf. Middlesex University. Edwards, J. A., Hill, V. and Walsh, A. (2013). Games and gamification for information literacy. Presented at LILAC 2013. University of Manchester, UK. 25th-27th March 2013. Available at http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/11230/ [Accessed 4th May 2015]
Lester, S. (2015) On professions and being professional. Taunton, Stan Lester Developments. Available at http://devmts.org.uk/profnal.pdf [Accessed 3rd October 2016]
Schön, D. A. (1990). Educating the reflective practitioner. Jossey Bass, San Francisco.
Smith, S. and Edwards, J.A. (2012). Embedding information literacy skills as employability attributes. Presented at: LILAC 2012. Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK. 11th-13th April 2012. Available at http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/11231/ [Accessed 4th May 2015]
Vieira, R. (2014) Life stories, cultural metissage, and personal identities, SAGE Open, 4 (1). Pp.5-6

Adam Edwards and Vanessa Hill will present on their work changing their teaching methods over the... more Adam Edwards and Vanessa Hill will present on their work changing their teaching methods over the past two years and will alllow delegates to try out some of the games and activities they have developed. The presentation will cover the issues they faced in changing their pedagogy and their collaboration with academic and academic writing colleagues to facilitate the changes made. They will then discuss the inspiration they gained from the work of others such as Markless and Boyle and how this influenced their choices of teaching methods. The solutions they have come up with which will include practical demonstration of these games and activities and finally the impact this has had on the students they have taught, presenting the results of a survey they undertook in 2012. They will then reflect on the lessons learned and their plans for the future.

To inform the future development of our professional role we investigate information literacy concepts and models, the obstacles to the wider adoption of information literacy in higher education curricula, the skills and attributes that the librarian of the future can bring to its achievement and how the public works are a continuous response to change. Our insight and understanding are further informed by the opinions of academic colleagues following a series of in-depth interviews. We consider their views and the implications these have for our own learning and the development of our professional identity, within both higher education and our own university.

Throughout this statement we show how our previous and core public works have influenced and informed our thinking, our practice and the recommendations that we make.