Faculty – Librarian collaboration on

Blackboard

By Zanele Mathe – Senior Librarian

and Philomina Aziakpono - Lecturer

Why this collaboration……

Response to CPUT e-learning policy requirement

Framework for the second cycle of Quality Assurance 2012 – 2017

Generally seeks to respond to the changing needs of our users

Increase collaboration with the Faculty & e-learning department

Blackboard collaboration trial : Aim

Develop and test CPUT libraries position in the area of Blackboard as e-learning platform

Trial project team…. 3 Librarians

- Siviwe Bangani (Communication105)- Nomambulu Dolo (Communication 101)- Nyameka Mila (Consumer Behaviour)

3 Lecturers- Philomina Aziakpono- Ken Barris- Kevin Ncube

E-learning coordinator - Sheila Kumalo Library IT technician - Claude Meyer

Developments on Blackboard…

Ask your librarian page…..

Ask your librarian page cont….

Searching the library catalogue…

Library catalogue search results…..

Some of the challenges….

Time consuming exercise

Technical support

Crossing traditional boundaries

Successes - Few highlights…From the library side: - Relationships strengthened between the

library and the Faculty of Engineering Library invited to the Faculty of engineering

sharing of practices, Regularly attend Departmental meetings,

Faculty Board meetings Faculty – Librarian collaboration visible at

Senate library Committee level Dialogue improved

Lecturer’s view point….Why interest in the collaboration?

When students have to do the search for information on their own they sometimes encounter difficulties , hence, they use Google to search for materials

They copy from only wikipedia or other sources that are not good academic materials

The good materials on Google - not be free (students’ complaint – only abstract)

Few sessions of library orientation are not enough◦ Post-library orientation struggles

What we did…. Active involvement in all the stages of

my students’ information literacy and research essay assignments

◦ Regular discussions with students and librarian

◦ Checked first drafts of assignments

◦ Identified the challenges students faced

◦ Felt the need for a self explanatory guide which will assist the students to search for information more effectively

What we did (continued)……

◦ Discussions with librarian for more support

◦ Initially direct support was given to each student

The demand from students was overwhelming

◦ This gave rise to the design of the “How to search for information guide”

Available on Blackboard and N-Drive

Benefits……. Effective use of library tools instead of just

copying from wikipedia because of the support they received from the librarian

There was great improvement in the quality of the essays written by students this semester

The information they obtained from books and journals helped them to do accurate in-text referencing – author’s surname, date and page numbers

Improved understanding of the topics they wrote on, compared to the previous year where many of them copied from only one source

Helped to reduce plagiarism

Way forward…. Need to strengthen this collaboration at

CPUT

Every lecturer should be encouraged to work closely with the librarian

Thank You!

Questions?