Delivering E‐learning for Information Services in Higher Education

Citation

Marlborough, H.S. (2005), "Delivering E‐learning for Information Services in Higher Education", Library Review, Vol. 54 No. 9, pp. 531-532. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530510629551

This book provides a useful, practical and comprehensive overview of the “emerging world of e‐learning, virtual learning environments and related technology” for academic staff and members of the information services team involved in supporting the technology. This is a practical technical guide in the tradition of the bench book: useful to have to hand to guide the unfamiliar user through a new technology, and practical advice is given throughout. For instance the chapter Other online learning tools provide a useful discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of scanning and other authoring tools, web‐based multimedia and how best to provide access to Powerpoint programmes. The book will be of greatest value to users of WebCT and Blackboard: there is little specific mention of Moodle.

Written for a UK audience, the book sets out the Higher Education context, drivers for the development of e‐learning (widening access, student isolation and the need for self‐directed learning) and provides a general overview of the issues surrounding and the standards necessary to successful implementation. The scope of the study ranges from the pedagogical (online, interactive, distributive) to the practical and includes sections on the inevitable requirement for audit, accreditation and external review.

Topics covered include the advantages of e‐learning systems vs traditional web publishing, selection criteria (including a description of each system according to pre‐defined criteria, although sadly there is no Moodle case study), roles, rights and functions (and the distinction between them), reusability of e‐learning materials and global access, accessibility (issues regarding suitable file types, size and format for publication on the VLE and the need for corresponding applications to view e‐learning objects) and other legal issues including copyright and data protection, the expertise required, the importance of managing the project, the necessary steps from selection through deployment (including guidelines for management of online courses), and the need for training and support for users, educators and support staff. The author emphasises the need for policies and procedures and the corresponding issues: standards, evaluation, review, accreditation, quality assurance and external audit, highlighting key issues to be taken into account by the implementation group.

The conclusion's references to m‐learning, the role of laptops, PDAs, WAPs and WiLANs (the appendices include a glossary) and reflection on what e‐learning is and what it may become, is a useful orientation guide.

For library professionals there is a paragraph on Library Management Systems, specifically library system records and the potential to create reading lists in the context of System Integration; mention of educational resources such as reading lists, electronic journals, study information or direct links to the library catalogue and subject‐based resources, such as links to relevant academic websites in the section on Templates; a section on VLEs and the electronic library in the chapter on Managing the virtual learning environment; a section on Learning objects and VLEs in the chapter Other online learning tools and mention is made of user tracking to record usage of uploaded resources in the chapter on Quality assurance and monitoring. However, the book is disappointingly short on information and vision for library staff and no mention is made of the integration of information skills in online courses. In this respect an opportunity to enable library staff to engage effectively with e‐learning has been missed.