Excellence Gateway
This case study was produced by JISC RSC (Regional Support Centres) Eastern on behalf of the Excellence Gateway.
Sector relevance: Further education abd Sixth Form colleges
Keywords: Improving responsiveness to learners, improving institutional effectiveness, interactive whiteboards, induction, ice-breaker sessions, planning and resources, assessment, reflective practice, equality and diversity, access to education, Child Development and Well Being, Building and Construction, Sport, Leisure and Recreation
‘Library+' staff at Peterborough Regional College have developed an innovative approach to help students get to grips with using the Dewey Decimal system. Inspired by staff development training using interactive whiteboards, they have designed an activity-based interactive pairs game which is fun, engaging and effective in helping students search for course-relevant resources in the library.
Peterborough Regional College helps thousands of adults and young people every year to change their lives through learning. Their courses and qualifications are taught by inspirational tutors in first class facilities and lead to real career success.
The College is committed to helping Peterborough and the region to thrive by providing a well-qualified, skilled workforce, who can meet future challenges head on.
The world is full of opportunities for skilled, confident and well-qualified people. These opportunities are made a reality through:
At Peterborough Regional College, there is a comprehensive learning resource centre (Library+) with rows and rows of shelving that store thousands of books. Naturally, the books are arranged and sorted by category, each with an appropriate Dewey Decimal class number.
However, learners who are unaware of how the Dewey system works will often struggle to find exactly what they are looking for. Knowing this was the case, staff within Library+ began to explore more ways in which they could run engaging workshops as part of the students' learning programme.
In order to convey the concept of the hierarchical nature of the Dewey system, Claire Chinnery, Library+ Manager, used the example of shopping for a product, working from a broad category to a specific item. For example, from cosmetics to black mascara. This approach was then related to the functioning of the Dewey system (see image 1 below).
Image 1: Diagram of the 'shopping for a product' approach that was applied to the functioning of the Dewey system
Although this was an effective way of understanding the system, the staff wanted to ensure that students would put this theory into practice to find what they needed. After an insightful staff development session using interactive whiteboards combined with some creative ideas gained from another staff training day, Claire and her colleague, Anna Wildman, began exploring ways in which they could use these ideas to make the Library+ training sessions more fun and engaging for the learners.
The intention was to create an activity that would help students become familiar with and remember the Dewey class numbers relevant to their subject area. With the help of the team's ILT Facilitator, Richard Wildman, they developed a Dewey pairs game to use with their interactive whiteboard (IWB). This was written using Microsoft Visual Basic - a piece of programming software which is easy to both learn and use.
The concept
In a grid there is a random assortment of Dewey class numbers mixed with their relevant subject areas. The aim of the game is for students to try and pair the two using the IWB. The group is divided into two teams and each team has to compete against the clock, and is scored on the basis of how many they match correctly. The winners are then rewarded with a small prize (see image 2 below).
Image 2: Screenshot of the Library+ interactive Dewey card game
Although the concept is simple, the competitive and challenging elements have made Library+ training sessions fun, and the students come away with more information on how to effectively search for course relevant resources.
Claire comments on the success they have had with their interactive sessions:
"We really enjoy delivering these sessions and it was all made worthwhile as, when asked to describe the session, a student said, “it was wicked”. What more can a librarian ask for?"
Initially, the game was designed for students enrolled on Childcare courses but, due to its popularity, Claire and Anna have adapted it for other courses including Hospitality and Business Administration.
Breakfast sessions are also arranged where curriculum practitioners are encouraged to come and see how they can make best use of Library+ and the pairs game. Richard has customised the game for practitioners from Hairdressing, Sports, Hospitality and Brickwork for use in their curriculum delivery (see image 3 below).
Image 3: Screenshot of the interactive pairs game produced by Richard Wildman
This innovative approach has enabled Library+ to become a more integrated part of the learner's journey. Claire explains the noticeable difference in how students now use the library:
"The sessions have firstly helped us to further develop our interaction with the students and now more of them come and ask us about books rather than browsing aimlessly. Additionally, they are more confident with the Dewey Decimal system and searching for what they need."
It has proved to be a very positive PR exercise for the Library+ team. The fun and inventive approach has helped them to develop a rapport with the students, which in turn has helped to boost the popularity of the library amongst both students and staff.
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You can find this page and download any referenced resources from the Excellence Gateway at http://excellence.org.uk/228547.
