Fashion Brand Retailing course for S6 pupils at Glasgow Caledonian University

A video featuring GCU’s Department of Fashion, Marketing and Retailing Fashion Brand Retailing course for S6 pupils, is now live on the Learning and Teaching Scotland website. The video, was produced as part of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education’s Journey to Excellence project. HMIe singled out the department’s work as an example of how universities should interact with other agencies and the community and for developing a culture of ambition and achievement in its students.

The video features the department’s work with school pupils, with pupil and staff interviews. It also includes input from the university’s Effective Learning Services on aspects of information literacy for the course research assignment, referencing, critical thinking / Literacy and Study Skills (Academic Literacies).

GCU Effective Learning Services works closely with the library and has a range of online guides for improving course work including:

• Note taking
• Essay writing
• Academic writing 
• Effective reading including skimming and scanning plus SQ3R (speed reading)
• Citing & referencing
• Report writing
• Dissertations
• Research glossary
• Case study analysis
• Oral presentations
• Motivation
• Time management
• Plagiarism

Other support offered by Effective Learning Services are ‘ Vidcasts for the self directed  learner’ by Angela Shapiro, Lecturer & Aidan Johnston, Learning Technologist, Academic Support and Employability, PASS).

• Essay Planning
• Final Year Technical Projects
• Preparing the Literature Section

A Vidcast or vodcast, contains audio and images, either moving or fixed. The impetus was research on students’ attitudes towards workshops by the ELS. The majority of responses rated the workshops high/very relevant. Nevertheless, it is impractical to expect that every student can attend the workshops or meet with ELS staff face to face and many students access the ELS materials on line (4,595 used support guides on line 2008/2009). Moreover, many students commented that they wanted to access workshop material at a later date.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Podcasting appeals to auditory learners and with the addition of visual prompts the vidcast can also support dyslexic students in retaining information. Alternatively, users with visual impairments will be able to select to listen solely to the audio element and can download the material on to their mobile device. Students can also choose when and where they wish to engage with the vidcasts and this approach enables students to revisit the material at their own pace, all contributing to self – directed learning opportunities. The PowerPoint slides are in chapters, supported by further links to specific areas of the ELS website to give additional information. Two formats were used: one for on line access embedded within a webpage using a flash based video player and one for students to download for use with their iPod/mobile video device.

Originally posted: 25/01/2010 Exported: 01/06/2012

Scottish Further Education Colleges Service Development and Self-Evaluation Framework

The Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) launched on 3 December 2009 a new service development and self-evaluation framework for library and information services in Scottish Further Education (FE) colleges, to replace the previously published toolkit Resources and Services to Support Learners. 

The framework includes a message of thanks to John and I from Charles Sweeney, Chair, SLIC Working Party on FE Libraries

Thanks are also due to Christine Irving and John Crawford of Glasgow Caledonian University’s Scottish Information Literacy Framework project who ably demonstrated to the Working Party the importance of information literacy as a core competence enabling independent learning in a vocational context.

The framework  has been produced in “consultation with colleagues from SFC, HMIe, JISC, the professional library community in colleges across Scotland and external expertise from Strathclyde University on quality library services”.  Included in the introduction are the following key statements

SLIC recognises that college library and information services are key strategic business assets, whose staff have a major contribution to make in supporting flexible, responsive, high quality learning and teaching programmes and in promoting learner engagement.

Together with changes to the strategic and policy context of further education Scotland has recently introduced the biggest education reform for a generation. The Curriculum for Excellence brings the key role of the library into sharp focus in supporting the development of successful learners and confident individuals. The library provides staff and students with the opportunity to exercise their entitlement to access information and develop comprehensive literacies in a supportive environment.

College library services offer:

• Access to a wide range of information in a range of formats
• Support for attainment across the college community
• Support for the development of information literacy
• Assistance with effective utilisation of ICT in learning and teaching
• Knowledge and skills in promoting reading for enjoyment
• Support for personal and social development and citizenship skills
• The type of flexible learning environment which can encourage independent learning
• Access to structured information skills programmes to develop critical thinking skills.

As a core curriculum support service, the quality of the library service  reflects the professionalism of the institution as a whole.

Hopefully library services and staff can use the above to support / demonstrated the work they do and their relevance to the college as a whole.

Within the different Elements of the framework Information literacy is specifically mentioned in the following: 

Element 2: Impact on learners and other users of college services 2.1; 2.2

Quality indicator and key prompt

An appropriate range and balance of learning resources and services is offered to support learners and curricular needs

In what ways do service staff work closely with curricular staff to embed and support the delivery of information literacy and research skills?

Suggested evidence sources

• Information literacy embedded in learning and teaching strategy
• Examples of integrated information resources in teaching packs
• Cross-curricular information skills programmes

Element 5: Education, training and lifelong learning 5.1Quality indicator and key prompt

Element 8: Partnership and resources 8.2

The service participates in, and contributes to, programmes and services to meet the needs of all learners

Suggested evidence sources

Information literacy sessions and support

Originally posted: 08/12/2009 Exported: 01/06/2012

Information Literacy in Public Libraries – the lifelong learning agenda

At a recent event at the Mitchel Library, Glasgow I was asked about examples of public libraries offering information literacy courses. Although there is some activity in this area we tend not to hear about it so whilst the following is not taking place in Scotland but Wales (one of our Celtic cousins) I thought it was worth a mention.

At the begining of December 2009  John attended An Information Literacy Framework for Wales event  to share the project’s experience in Scotland. One of the speakers was Gareth Evans, Senior Manager – Libraries, Caerphilly County Borough Council and he has allowed us to share his presentation – Information Literacy – a public view and the accompanying documents:

• Junior Introduction To The Internet Booklet
• Glo Gs Os Linked To Activity
• Student Progression Record
• OCN Topics To Date

Gareth’s contact details are EVANSG1@CAERPHILLY.GOV.UK

Originally posted: 08/12/2009 Exported: 01/06/2012

Literacy across learning in East Lothian

In East Lothian Anne Johnston, School Librarian / Field Officer at Dunbar Grammar School has been working with the Senior Librarian Young People’s Services, Agnes Guyon, from the public library service to look at information literacy for young people in East Lothian. They are hoping to

establish a consistent approach across all libraries – public branch libraries, primary school libraries and secondary school libraries.

To this end Anne is currently using the national information literacy framework to map skills for levels / ages and linking these to literacy outcomes and experiences. Their next step is to find out what is actually being delivered where. They realise they

can provide materials, training etc for primary and secondary schools and then it is up to individual schools.

In secondaries there are professional librarians who are already doing a lot of good work, as you know, who will be very happy to have a clear set of activities, curriculum links etc. We will be working together organising / providing materials, activities, suggestions. As Field Officer, I will be co-ordinating the secondary part. We are intending to include our links to QMU in this section.

We are using existing provision as the starting point for primary aged children too. The Young People’ s Services section of the library service is responsible for providing services to primary schools. They provide term loans of topic boxes to support investigations / projects and fiction boxes to each primary. They also help schools to maintain appropriate stock in their own school libraries and provide advice and professional support when requested. Agnes has also already met our NQTs this year. She and Susan Boylan, the Librarian Young People’s Services, gave a presentation to new teachers. Additionally, all branch libraries in East Lothian actively encourage classes from local primaries to take part in class visits on a regular basis. Activities during these visits are designed to develop information literacy skills as well as encourage children to visit their local libraries in their leisure time. We have already mapped these activites against CfE outcomes and experiences.

I’m sure that I will not be the only one who will be eager to see the outcomes of this work and will be catching up with Anne hopefully sometime in the near future. Anne’s contact details are ajohnston@dunbargrammar.elcschool.org.uk

Originally posted: 08/12/2009 Exported: 01/06/2012

Assessment for Curriculum for Excellence

The Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced the publication of the strategic vision and key principles for assessment in Curriculum for Excellence  at the Scottish Learning Festival on 23 September 2009.

According to the document:

The main differences from the existing assessment arrangements are that:

• Assessment practices will follow and support the new curriculum.  This will promote higher quality learning and teaching and give more autonomy and professional responsibility to teachers.
• Standards and expectations will be defined in a way that reflects the principles of Curriculum for Excellence.  This will support greater breadth and depth of learning and a greater focus on skills development including higher order skills.
• A national system of quality assurance and moderation for 3 – 18 will be developed to support teachers in achieving greater consistency and confidence in their professional judgements.
• A National Assessment Resource will help teachers to achieve greater consistency and understanding in their professional judgements.  There will also be a major focus on CPD to help teachers develop the skills required.

The document also contains information about the National Literacy qualifications being developed at

SCQF levels 3, 4, or 5. They will be available from S3 onwards and build on development of literacy and numeracy skills from earlier stages. Most young people will be presented for these qualifications before they leave school. The qualifications will be awarded on the basis of a portfolio of a learner’s work collected across a number of curriculum areas and  a range of contexts of learning, life and work and will involve external marking by SQA. The qualifications will be flexible to meet the needs of all learners including adult learners in colleges and other settings.

Something to look out for and hopefully influence.

According to the Assessment for Curriculum for Excellence website where there is a link to the Strategic Vision

Later this year, the Scottish Government will publish a Framework for Assessment as part of the Building the Curriculum series which will provide guidance and support to ensure that arrangements for assessment, at all levels of the educational community, support the values, purposes and principles of Curriculum for Excellence and build on the Assessment is for Learning programme.  The Scottish Survey of Achievement will also be redesigned to provide more information about young people’s literacy and numeracy skills.

The website also has a link to an Assessment strategy questions and answers PDF which contains 55 questions and answers. Including information that that they are “expecting schools and local authorities to develop their thinking about how they will work with the new standards and expectations over the course of this year” and that the “expectation is that from August 2010 assessment will be elated to the standards and expectations within the assesment framework”.

The Strategic vision document says that

The Framework for Assessment from 3 to 18 aims to create: 

• a more effective assessment system which supports greater breadth and depth of learning and a greater focus on skills development
• through collaborative working, a better-connected assessment system with better links between pre-school, primary and secondary schools, colleges and other settings to promote smooth transitions in learning 
• better understanding of effective assessment practice and sharing of standards and expectations as well as more consistent assessment
• more autonomy and professional responsibility for teachers.

Originally posted: 07/10/2009 Exported: 01/06/2012