How can universities improve the student experience with ... · A research report by Eduserv. ......

The quest for student satisfactionHow can universities improve the student experience with superior learning resources?

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Acknowledgements

Eduserv would like to thank the following academic and professional staff in HE institutions who were interviewed for this report in August 2015:

• Professor Lesley Dobree, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Anglia Ruskin University

• Marcus Woolley, Deputy Director, Learning Resources and Student Services, University of Bedfordshire

• Emma Sansby, Head of Library Services, Bishop Grosseteste University

• Professor Neil Ward, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic), University of East Anglia

• Nick Goodfellow, Director of Library and Learning Resources, Leeds Trinity University

• Professor Robert Allison, Vice-Chancellor, Loughborough University

• Professor Nick Petford, Vice-Chancellor, University of Northampton

• Professor Sarah O’Hara, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience), University of Nottingham

• Professor Neil Witt, Head of Academic Support, Technology and Innovation, Plymouth University

• Elizabeth Traynor, Assistant Director (Library Services), Queen’s University Belfast

• Professor Helen Marshall, Vice-Chancellor, University of Salford

We would also like to thank the 100 professional staff (those with responsibility for IT and Library Resources in universities across the UK) who responded to our survey, Student Learning Experience in HE, in July 2015.

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Contents

1. Executive summary 4

2. What do modern-day students expect? 7

3. How significant are ‘digital’ resources? 10

4. Can universities keep up with demand? 13

5. What support is needed? 15

6. Conclusion 18

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In July 2015 the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) announced that the teaching grant for universities would be cut by £150 million. This followed Chancellor George Osborne’s directive that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills would need to save £450 million from its 2015-16 budget.

It is therefore a challenging time for universities – with the cap on tuition fees until 2017 and rising staff costs (pensions and National Insurance) adding to the financial burden. At the same time, students are demanding more ‘bang for their buck’, and the onus is on universities to invest in resources to meet expectations.

Exective summary

This report, commissioned by Eduserv, investigates the ‘live’ issues facing universities around the provision of IT and library resources against the backdrop of pressures to improve the overall student experience.

It highlights:

• The changing expectations of the modern-day student around the availability and application of key learning resources.

• The biggest challenges facing universities in the delivery of student learning resources.

• The significance of digital innovations versus traditional forms of learning in delivery.

It investigates what more needs to be done to support universities (internally and externally) to improve the student experience by providing superior learning resources, and ultimately helping institutions in their quest for student satisfaction.

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The key findings are:

• Students expect to access learning resources 24/7. Managing expectations around access and availability is a major challenge. The key priorities for universities are increasing the range of learning resources and discontinuing resources which are not used. In turn, aligning the provision of resources to meet student expectations is an imperative and ‘personalisation’ is critical.

• Digital learning resources should run alongside traditional methods of learning. Students still want both ‘hard copies’ and ‘eBooks’. Blended learning is increasingly the norm in universities. Current research into the ‘impact’ of digital resources on student learning outcomes is limited, but anecdotal evidence suggest there are pitfalls with leaning too much towards online delivery.

• Just 6% of universities can afford all the IT and library resources they need – and one in five is facing a budget cut in 2015-16. Universities are grappling with a reduction in funding and increasing overheads, yet investment in digital resources can support greater student numbers through online and distance-learning programmes.

• Internally, there is a need to improve dialogue between academics and IT/library professionals about the acquisition of the ‘right’ learning resources for students. Further training and development is a must for those involved in buying and managing learning resources.

• Externally, more cross-sector, or cross-region, university purchasing of learning resources should be explored. Rising supplier costs are deemed unsustainable and universities are seeking more help. There is a link between investment in learning resources and improved student satisfaction.

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Source: Student learning experience in HE, July 2015

• Just 6% of respondents say their university can afford all the IT and library resources needed to support teaching and learning.

• One in five university respondents claim that their budget for such resources is decreasing for the 2015-16 academic year, and 48% say their budget is staying the same despite rising costs and inflation.

• An overwhelming majority of respondents agree that students want to access resources 24/7 (90%); that students expect their university to provide all the resources they need to complete their studies (83%); that the availability of learning resources is a key concern for students (83%) and academic teaching staff (78%); and that the availability of learning resources influences perceptions of the institution as a good place to study (78%).

• The three biggest priorities around the student learning experience in the 2015-16 academic year are: increasing the range of learning resources (70%); identifying and discontinuing the provision of resources which are not used or are no longer relevant (70%); and aligning the provision of resources to meet student expectations (69%).

• Nearly half of respondents (46%) believe that the availability of the ‘right’ learning resources is critical to the successful delivery of student learning outcomes. However, only 37% say that students prefer to access all the resources they need either online or by download to their own devices.

• The majority of budgets for learning resources are managed centrally by library or computer services teams (74%) with little budget control for learning resources at faculty/school (7%) or departmental level (6%).

• Less than half of respondents (46%) know what their future cost commitments are for learning resources and over a third (38%) do not know precisely which learning resources they buy.

• Training and development needs cited are:

• best practice/policy for managing learning resources (75%)

• negotiation for online learning resources such as eJournals and eBooks (66%)

• reducing costs (60%)

• managing budgets (43%)

• software licence negotiation (43%)

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According to Eduserv’s Student Learning Experience in HE survey two thirds of respondents feel that current learning resources meet student expectations. This is lower than the statistic taken from the 2015 National Student Satisfaction (NSS) survey, where 86% of students reported that resources meet their needs. Many remain unconvinced that expectations are met – additionally only 54% say they fulfil staff expectations – and in-depth interviews with sector leaders have highlighted a ‘tipping point’ in student attitudes to the provision of learning resources.

An overwhelming majority of respondents to the survey of 100 Heads of IT and Library Services agreed with the statements that students want to access resources 24/7 (90%); students expect their university to provide all the resources they need to complete their studies (83%); the availability of learning resources is a key concern for students (83%) and academic teaching staff (78%); and the availability of learning resources influences perceptions of an institution as a good place to study (78%).

The 24/7 ‘hunger’ for access to IT and library resources is the single biggest challenge facing universities, according to senior university academics and professional staff interviewed for this report in August 2015.

“We are expanding and investing in our physical and digital library resources, as there is an expectation from students that they will be able to book an appointment with a librarian, discuss their needs online, or make use of our services on a 24/7 basis,” said Professor Lesley Dobree, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Anglia Ruskin University. “There are higher expectations from students around university services and what they will achieve as a result. They don’t expect to ‘buy’ a degree, but there is an expectation (in the case of IT and library services) that there will be greater availability and that learning resources will be much more accessible.”

Marcus Woolley, Deputy Director of Learning Resources and Student Services at the University of Bedfordshire, concurred: “Student expectations of learning resources differ considerably between cohorts. In common the library is a joint and independent assignment and work space. This function is more limited for students on lab-based or performance-based courses. If you like, many students see these spaces as their daily office and they want to access to all the learning materials 24/7, and to be able to print materials to study later.”

“Students expect to be able to get seamless access to learning resources whenever and wherever they need them,” agreed Emma Sansby, Head of Library Services at Bishop Grosseteste University. “At my (small) institution the related challenges we specifically face are around user education – getting the message across about what is available and how to access it – and managing student expectations around limited access to eBooks and the numbers of copies of physical resources available.”

What do modern-day students expect?

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Elizabeth Traynor, Assistant Director (Library Services) at Queen’s University Belfast, said that students demand 24/7 access and increasingly ‘ready access’ to support. “Students expect everything online with Google-like ease; lecture slides and notes (in advance) and their own copy of reading materials at the level of granularity they require. They have no sympathy with reducing book budgets and the difficulty of providing enough library copies for a large class and they only want the relevant chapter if that is what is being recommended. They don’t appreciate that every textbook is not available electronically and that there are licensing limitations on simultaneous access.”

Professor Helen Marshall, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Salford, echoed the requirement for “improving the availability of learning resources at a time, place and on a device of our students’ choice”. However, she also pointed to the need for developing the systems and infrastructure required to support a ‘digital first’ learning environment. “As our students are increasingly digital natives, their expectations are of an any time, any place, anywhere, any device environment, yet they may come to us with (only) a subset of the skills necessary to succeed in a digital first HE context. Developing the technological skills and pedagogical knowledge that will enable our staff to operate effectively in a digital first learning environment is also a key priority for the University.”

Bedfordshire’s Woolley said the caveat for universities, in his experience, was in proactively managing students’ expectations around the availability of learning resources. “Expectations are an interesting measure for both students and staff,” he explained. “Recently we found that expectations are often based on a belief that we do not have the resources when often those resources are provided. Our own research also shows that expectations do not necessarily equate with provision. There are other universities with a lower unit of resources and fewer learning materials where students rank the access to materials more highly. We conclude that expectations are best managed by positive advocacy and clear guidance rather than just extra purchases.”

The Eduserv survey revealed that the three biggest priorities for Heads of IT and Library Services around the student learning experience in the 2015-16 academic year are: increasing the range of learning resources (70%); identifying and discontinuing the provision of resources which are not used or are no longer relevant (70%); and aligning the provision of resources to meet student expectations (69%).

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University of Northampton Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford, said that ‘personalisation’ was a critical objective. “Modern-day students expect a significant level of personalisation of their learning experience in HE through:• generous amounts of tutor and peer contact

time for teaching and support (face-to-face or online, one-to-one or small group basis);

• the use of appropriate, fit-for-purpose, blended learning methods that enable them to take full ownership of their own learning process;

• outstanding levels of feedback, in terms of quantity, quality and timeliness;

• the availability of highly usable learning resources, in a variety of formats, fully integrated into the University’s provision.

Technology permeates all these expectations.”

As our students are increasingly digital natives, their expectations are of an any time, any place, anywhere, any device environment.Professor Helen Marshall, University of Salford

At a glance… • Students expect to access

learning resources 24/7.

• Managing these expectations around access and availability is a major challenge.

• Key priorities for universities in 2015-16 are increasing the range of learning resources and discontinuing resources which are not used.

• Aligning the provision of resources to meet student expectations is an imperative.

• ‘Personalisation’ of the learning experience is critical.

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online. But will they replace traditional methods of learning? No. Students want a balance. Human interaction is important and students will always want to engage with lecturers and access traditional resources.”

For many universities, blended learning is increasingly important so ‘digital’ is not an either/or question. “A blended approach is advocated and appreciated by the students,” said Marcus Woolley, Deputy Director of Learning Resources and Student Services at the University of Bedfordshire. “Great efforts have been made to introduce a personal tutor system as personal one-to-one expertise and guidance are the areas they most wanted to see improved. Our Learning Resources Department ensures that learning materials are available via the VLE. Digital guidance material and study skills material is made readily available for independent study, but equally workshops, drop-ins and on-course teaching are valued throughout the student body as adding to the educational experience.”

“At Northampton, blended learning is not something we do in addition to our normal teaching,” revealed Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Petford. “It is our normal teaching method. It implies taking the best elements of face-to-face and online teaching, and designing programmes of study that capitalise on both for an outstanding learning experience. Northampton will not become an online university. We will, however, capitalise on the benefits of flexible, blended and technology-enhanced learning, for our staff and students.”

Eduserv’s Student Learning Experience in HE survey found that just 37% of respondents viewed the transition to digital online learning as a priority for the 2015-16 academic year – the lowest ranking of six statements tested.

Nearly half of respondents (46%) believe the availability of the ‘right’ learning resources is critical to the successful delivery of student learning outcomes – but only 37% say students prefer to access all the resources they need either online or to download to their own devices. So does that mean that ‘digital’ isn’t a priority?

“There is a transition,” suggested Professor Sarah O’Hara, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) at the University of Nottingham. “We have undertaken surveys on library provision and there is definitely a tipping point. Many students say they still want to ‘feel’ a book but they also want resources online. There is a 50-50 split right now, but within five years I think more and more will favour electronic resources. We need to offer students the whole package. Online materials cannot ever substitute traditional methods of learning.”

Anglia Ruskin University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lesley Dobree, said that digital resources were on the increase in her institution: “This impacts on teaching and learning, online assessment and ultimately what we invest in,” she explained. “Virtually all resources and administrative processes are online now and many of these are accessed through our university app. Students expect greater efficiency

How significant are ‘digital’ resources?

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But is there any evidence that the digital ‘transition’ leads to superior learning outcomes? “This isn’t a transition to digital; we are there in the middle of it,” said the University of Salford’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Helen Marshall. “Thinking about learning rather than the teaching/delivery/coverage of the curriculum – putting the student digital learning experience at the centre rather than bolting on after the fact.”

She continued: “We believe there is a positive relationship between student engagement with online learning resources and student achievement. We haven’t systematically evaluated the impact of all of our online learning resources on student learning outcomes but our recent Library Impact Data Project successfully demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between library resource use and level of degree result. However, any conclusions drawn are not indicators that library usage and student attainment have a causal relationship.”

It is clear that more research is needed. “We can’t definitively prove that appropriate learning resources have a definite effect on outcomes (although common sense suggests that this must be the case), but research done at the University of Huddersfield and other places shows a strong correlation between degree classifications and resource use,” added Leeds Trinity University’s Goodfellow. “I’m not convinced that a ‘digital first’ learning experience will necessarily provide superior learning outcomes – good teaching and support for the learner, whether face-to-face or online, is surely the key. However, a digitally impoverished learning experience would clearly be detrimental.”

There are similar trends at the University of East Anglia and Plymouth University. “Historically we have probably been a bit behind the curve on digital and online learning provision, but becoming the first university to launch a MOOC through FutureLearn has been pivotal to our digital approaches,” said Professor Neil Ward, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of East Anglia. “Digital content is being blended into our more traditional courses which means all students are benefitting.” Plymouth’s Head of Academic Support, Technology and Innovation, Professor Neil Witt, added: “My role is very much to see how technology-enhanced learning (TEL) can support the delivery of the University-wide teaching and learning strategies. TEL is embedded in everything we do.”

Nick Goodfellow, Director of Library and Learning Resources at Leeds Trinity University, explained that his institution’s new Learning and Teaching Strategy stressed the importance of blended learning, with traditional lectures at least in part replaced by online learning materials. “Most students now expect easy access to online resources,” he said. “Many students are still resistant to eBooks, and prefer access to hard copies, but still want e-access if away from campus or all hard copies are unavailable.”

Students expect greater efficiency online. But will they replace traditional methods of learning? No. Students want a balance.


Queen’s University Belfast’s Assistant Director (Library Services), Elizabeth Traynor, agreed. “The growth of a ‘digital first’ learning experience has opened up a whole world of learning resources to students and there is no doubt that their experience is much richer if they take advantage of what is available to them. Learning outcomes are ultimately about a lot more than access to resources so it would be very difficult to say that a ‘digital first’ learning experience provides superior learning outcomes.”

“Having appropriate learning resources available makes for a positive learning environment, which can only be of benefit to students,” said Loughborough University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robert Allison. “I don’t think a ‘digital first’ learning experience does provide a superior learning outcome; but blended learning remains incredibly important here.”

That said, there are potential pitfalls. “Although digital is critical, ‘digital first’ is not necessarily what students want or what is best for them in terms of achieving learning outcomes, particularly in campus-based universities,” said Northampton’s Petford. “Research suggests that digital blends, adequately supported by high-quality digital resources, can work very well for effective learning and teaching: designing and delivering the optimal blend in each context is the challenge. Additionally, the over-population of, and ease of access to, digital content of varying quality can make it hard for tutors to identify and evaluate appropriate resources for subsequent adaptation and use in their courses. Similarly, students can make the wrong choices in terms of their own selections.”

O’Hara cited a specific example at the University of Nottingham. “We have invested a lot of resource in ‘Lecture Capture’, like many other institutions, but we are still analysing whether such initiatives deliver the benefits we and the students want. We have some evidence from one of our schools which has used ‘Lecture Capture’ for some time that students who aren’t doing so well tend not to come to lectures and often rely on the online lecture capture to catch up. It would appear that the experience isn’t the same as when they attend the lecture – and that learning is more than just hearing a lecture but everything that goes with it. For example, the pre- and post-lecture discussions with peers when students can talk about what they have just learned and check their own understanding. We are producing more online materials – but these are adding to, not replacing, traditional materials.”

At a glance… • Digital learning resources

should run alongside traditional methods of learning.

• Students want ‘hard copies’ and ‘eBooks’.

• Blended learning is increasingly the norm.

• Research into the ‘impact’ of digital resources on student learning outcomes is limited.

• Over-emphasis on digital can be problematic.

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Just 6% of respondents to Eduserv’s Student Learning Experience in HE survey say their university can afford all the IT and library resources needed to support teaching and learning.Worryingly, one in five university respondents (20%) claim that their budget for such resources is decreasing for the 2015-16 academic year – and a further 48% say their budget is staying the same despite rising costs and inflation. “Funding is the single biggest challenge,” admits Elizabeth Traynor, Assistant Director (Library Services) at Queen’s University Belfast. “Our budgets have been frozen for several years so are decreasing in real terms. Add to that the costs and non-availability of textbooks in eBook format, and the complexity of licensing and access issues, and budget has become a major issue.” Emma Sansby, Head of Library Services at Bishop Grosseteste University, agreed. “Budget is a significant issue and value for money is really important. I usually am limited to acquiring multidisciplinary resources that I know will serve more than one programme in order to make best use of budgets.”

But it isn’t just those at the ‘coalface’ who are feeling the pinch. Professor Robert Allison, Vice-Chancellor at Loughborough University, said: “There’s not enough money to support the provision of all the student learning resources we would ideally want to provide. Budget is a very significant issue. I think the cap on tuition fees needs to be raised or removed to support institutions’ provision of learning resources.”

The ‘limitations’ on how much universities can charge for their courses was acknowledged by other university leaders. Yet it was also felt that budgets for learning resources should be the last area to be cut.

“We would stop doing 101 other things before cutting back on learning resources,” insisted Professor Neil Ward, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of East Anglia. “Universities are generally looking to relieve the financial pressure they face. We have not been able to raise tuition fees beyond £9,000 but staff pay is going up by 2% and we have related increases in pensions and National Insurance. It’s a difficult situation but our budget for IT and library services falls under one director, and this is extremely well managed.”

The point was echoed by Professor Lesley Dobree, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Anglia Ruskin University. “We are able to invest in resources and areas that will benefit learning. Our strategy is to reduce spend where we can but invest in academics and the learning resources that we need. There is a cake, which we cut up into slices, and our objective is to the make the chunk that we invest in academic staff and learning resources even bigger. We are dependent on student recruitment and tuition fees for our income. There is no capital funding right now or much support from the funding council for teaching and learning resources. So the money we raise ourselves has to be invested appropriately.”

Yet there are wider opportunities for universities in expanding digital learning resources. The University of East Anglia’s Ward explained: “Students like to use our library,

Can universities keep up with demand

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The survey also suggests there is disconnect between central procurement teams and subject-specific requirements. The majority of budgets for learning resources are managed centrally by library or computer services teams (74%) – with little budget control at either faculty/school (7%) or departmental level (6%).

it’s always heaving, and it scores really well in the National Student Survey (NSS). In fact, UEA came second out of all mainstream universities for overall student satisfaction in this year’s survey. However, we are currently faced with the issue of study space versus having rows and rows of books in the library. We are therefore expanding study space in the library with less emphasis on physical resources. More and more study materials are going electronic, and a related priority for the University in the next academic year is digitising our reading lists.”

Meanwhile, Belfast’s Traynor said that “technology-facilitated learning is key to increasing student numbers without proportionately impacting on physical resources”. It would also help with targeting the distance-learning market, she added. Bedfordshire’s Woolley concluded: “Digital first’ also offers opportunities for access, scalability and repurposing that simply did not exist before. However, this does not on its own determine the quality of the outcomes.”

An additional headache facing universities is that less than half of respondents (46%) know what their future cost commitments are for learning resources, and over a third (38%) said they do not know precisely which learning resources their university buys as a whole. It appears challenging for many individual decision-makers to get a clear picture of all the learning resources that are bought by an entire institution.

At a glance… • Just 6% of respondents can afford all

the IT and library resources they need.

• One in five is facing a budget cut in 2015-16.

• Universities are grappling with a reduction in funding and increasing overheads.

• Investment in digital resources can support increasing student numbers through online and distance-learning programmes.

• It appears challenging for individuals to get a clear picture of all the learning resources that are bought by an entire university.

4We are currently faced with the issue of study space versus having rows and rows of books in the library. We are therefore expanding study space in the library with less emphasis on physical resources.Professor Neil Ward, University of East Anglia


of support and self-refer,” revealed the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Lesley Dobree.

Respondents to Eduserv’s Student Learning Experience in HE survey said that further training and development was a must for IT and library services staff involved in buying and managing learning resources. 75% of respondents agreed that upskilling around best practice/policy for managing learning resources was a priority. Negotiation for online learning resources such as eJournals and eBooks (66%); reducing costs (60%); managing budgets (43%); and software licence negotiation (43%) were also referenced.

For Professor Sarah O’Hara, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) at the University of Nottingham, increased collaboration is key. “Speak to any Head of IT or Library Resources and they will say they need more budget to support resources – and there are so many products on the market it’s hard to keep up,” she explained. “Universities should get together more to purchase learning resources. It happens in the US with the California universities, for example. Maybe the Russell Group (of which we are part) universities should come together in a similar way, or via regional collaborations. Historically there’s been silo working in HE. As we move towards online there is an opportunity for universities to each have their own physical library but supported by group purchasing of electronic resources. Universities have to work together to get the best deal.”

So what more should be done to support universities in improving the student experience by providing superior learning resources, and ultimately helping institutions in their quest for student satisfaction (and the influential NSS scores)?

For some – there is a need for universities to ‘join up’ more, internally and externally. “Acquisitions staff and subject librarians are aware of the funding environment and put a lot of effort into getting the best deals possible through our membership of an HE purchasing consortium,” said Queen’s University Belfast’s Assistant Director (Library Services), Elizabeth Traynor. “Better, more timely information from our own academic staff would help us to meet requirements in a more cost-effective way so that fewer urgent items are ordered.” Leeds Trinity University’s Director of Library and Learning Resources, Nick Goodfellow, admitted: “Ensuring that resources are used to maximum effect by integrating their use in teaching and learning requires effective partnership between academics and librarians, which is often patchy.”

Some universities are putting more emphasis back on their own staff and students to recommend the learning resources they require. Anglia Ruskin University is one example: “We proactively encourage suggestions from module leaders and personal tutors on resources that will help students’ development, but we also have a highly effective programme called Study Skills Plus whereby students identify areas

What support is needed?5


Professor Helen Marshall, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Salford, also laid down a challenge to suppliers. “The publishers who provide the online resources licensed by the library are raising their prices by approximately 7% each year and this is unsustainable in the longer term. We are challenging the publishers on this issue but so far there has been no sign that they intend to change their pricing policies. Some publishers are also marketing their online resources direct to academic schools, missing out central services such as IT departments, the Library and Learning Technology teams who would traditionally have negotiated on behalf of the University. This disjointed approach could potentially lead to a situation where a university is unable to negotiate the discounted prices one would expect from a

vendor as the level of spend increases.”There was also a ‘call to action’ around contractual complexities. “The issue with electronic books is you only own them whilst you have a contract with a particular company,” said Nottingham’s O’Hara. “With a hard copy, once you have bought it, that’s it. So universities are currently faced with a decision about whether to bulk up and commit to longer term contracts with commercial providers. There is a need for such suppliers to change the nature of these contracts and who actually owns the books.”

For others – taking fuller advantage of arrangements with third-party suppliers is a must. “What is killing HE is building its own platforms, which then require updates and new versions and leave you with a millstone around your neck,” explained Professor Neil Witt, Head of Academic Support, Technology and Innovation at Plymouth University. “We therefore look for the best external services available, and there is nothing to stop us switching to a different platform if something better comes along. Most of our platforms are sourced from third-party suppliers who we can phone to say what we want. In the main, these relationships work well, especially with suppliers where there is a strong customer focus and we are part of the roadmap. Institutionally it is also important for the IT support desk to integrate with the third-party supplier and therefore culture change is key.”

Yet universities are seeking more from suppliers – and driving down costs remains an overwhelming bone of contention. The University of Bedfordshire’s Deputy Director of Learning Resources and Student Services, Marcus Woolley, warned that journal, database and digital textbook inflation was “not sustainable and heading for the situation we had with journals in the early 1980s”. He said: “In all these formats the cost of production and supply is in decline while the cost to the library is on the increase. There should be a campaign to end acceptance of publishers’ prices being the last word and inform every publisher that we will try to source an alternative for all titles with price rises that are more than inflation plus 1%.”

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The publishers … are raising their prices by approximately 7% each year and this is unsustainable in the longer term.


Professor Nick Petford, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Northampton and also Chair of Procurement UK, added: “Publishers are not yet coming to a consensus on the changing nature of the information world. Thirty years ago we purchased a printed book under the net book agreement and put it on a shelf for people to read. Now we provide access under the terms of a mass of licences each seemingly offering different models, digital rights management and pricing. This makes sourcing, negotiating and delivering (authentication especially) resources much more complex and costly.”

Professor Petford maintained that current HE purchasing consortia are effective in “obtaining the best value” for books and journals and said that “there is a reasonably well-established correlation between spend per full-time equivalent student on information resources and NSS score for Question 16 (library resources and services). To some extent excellent services can mitigate this, but it is especially noticeable in the top and bottom quartiles.” Another interviewee suggested that having a single online source to research all supplier deals would be a welcome additional development for universities.

At a glance… • There is a need for greater

integration between academics and IT/library professionals.

• Further training will help those involved in buying and managing learning resources.

• More cross-sector, or cross-region, joint university purchasing should be explored.

• Rising supplier costs are unsustainable – and universities are seeking more help.

• There is a link between investment in learning resources and student satisfaction.

Publishers are not yet coming to a consensus on the changing nature of the information world.Professor Nick Petford, University of Northampton


However, there are some (simple) practical steps that should be explored within the sector:

Streamlining buying processes

• Universities should ensure that if they are planning to increase learning resources then there is an effective dialogue between IT/Library Managers and academics so that the resources being purchased are the ‘right’ ones. Equally, frequently reviewing and ultimately cutting spend on resources which are no longer appropriate for the course/institution is a must.

Training and development

• Universities should ensure that decisions around purchasing are made centrally and are undertaken by experienced IT/Library professionals. That experience should be developed further by investing in training and development for those at the ‘coalface’ of buying and managing learning resources. For example, negotiation skills are cited as a particular priority.

It is clear from this report that the expectations of modern-day students around what they are being taught, and how they will engage as learners, are changing almost year on-year. It is perhaps no surprise that students’ want 24/7 access to learning resources, and to be able to download everything to a device of their choice, but for the traditional university this involves change – and perhaps at a faster pace than they are used to. Yes, the traditional lecture remains intact (for now at least), but more and more learning is taking place via alternative means. Many universities are struggling to keep up.

It is apparent that universities are not being helped. Cuts to core HE funding, the current cap on tuition fees and rising staff costs mean that many IT and library services departments are faced with the challenge of ‘doing more with less’. At the same time students are becoming more discerning around the availability and accessibility of learning resources, in line with what they are experiencing earlier in the education system (in secondary, and even primary schools).

Conclusion6


Collaborations/partnerships

• Universities should investigate cross-sector, or cross-region, purchasing of learning resources. Rising supplier costs are deemed unsustainable – and universities are seeking more help given the link between investment in learning resources and the bigger agenda around student satisfaction – so it makes sense to share the cost where possible. Traditionally UK universities work in silos but there is a need for greater collaboration going forward.

Not-for-profit organisations such as Eduserv, a leading supplier of reduced price agreements for software licenses, online resources and access to publications for the Higher Education sector, can play an important role as a ‘partner’ to universities in tackling the issues and challenges highlighted in this report. More information on our services, and who we work with, is available at www.eduserv.org.uk/chestagreements

Get in touchTel: +44(0)1225 470523Email: [email protected] www.eduserv.org.uk/agreements

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