Meeting the needs of distance learners: The creation of an interactive resource pack for library inductions

Abstract

Within the UK, higher education is increasingly becoming more competitive, particularly with the arrival of increased fees from 2012. As a result, over the past few years the University of Chester has ran programmes in other countries including Dublin and Mumbai to raise its research profile and meet the needs of the market. Students on these distance learner programmes have the same rights with regards to online library resources as those studying at Chester. One of the main problems that has arisen from this has been how to induct the students and show them the wealth of online library resources available to them. The presentation will focus on an initiative at the University of Chester that looked at developing a new approach to inducting students at a distance. In September 2011, the Applied Sciences and Social Science library subject team at the University created a resource pack for students on distance learner programmes in other countries with an aim to improve the student experience during induction. The resources pack consisted of an interactive tutorial DVD and a resource CD containing information on how to access the library resources the students would need for their course. This pack replaced previous methods of induction such as printed hand-outs and workbooks. It was hoped it would be a more personable and accessible method of inducting the students into the library at a distance. The presentation will examine the rationale behind creating the resource pack and will look at the benefits and challenges involved in creating the content including compatibility issues with the format of the DVD. It will consider the feedback received from students regarding the resources pack and areas for potentially developing the project in the future.