Presented at LILAC 2016

1. Teaching and learning development for
Academic Support Librarians at the University
of the Arts London
Leo Appleton, Associate Director of Library Services
Elizabeth Staddon, Senior Educational Developer, Teaching and Learning Exchange
LILAC, 21st – 23rd march 2016

2. Background and context
• Library Services and Academic Support
• The role of the Academic Support Librarian
• Teaching and Learning Exchange
• Academic development at UAL
• PGCert/MA in Academic Practice

3. Teaching and learning in art and design

4. How the programme came about
• Response to demand from curriculum areas
• Response to staff development requirements for Academic Support
Librarians
• Collaboration between Library Services and Teaching and Learning
Exchange

5. Librarians’ Teaching and Learning Programme
Overall aim of the programme
To introduce librarians involved in teaching to some of the main features of art and design
pedagogy within a context of providing library based academic support
Objectives
• Introduce librarians to learning theories and enable them to contextualise theory into practice
• Raise awareness of the development and design of curriculum within an art and design
context
• Expose librarians to different techniques and styles of teaching
• Increase librarians’ confidence in teaching and presentation skills
• Introduce a range of technology enhanced learning methods and strategies
• Develop librarians as reflective practitioners

6. Librarians’ Teaching and Learning Programme
Session 1 – Introduction to teaching and learning in the arts
Session 2 – Approaches to teaching and learning
Session 3 - Presentation skills
Session 4 – Educational technology
Session five – Using reflection for professional development and
evaluation

7. Epiphany moments
• Permission to experiment – Can we really use our initiative?
• What librarians teach – But how can we make our type of teaching
interesting?
• Teacher identity – I really am a teacher!

8. Feedback I thoroughly enjoyed the training, and I’m glad you encouraged me
to attend although I’ll be studying on the PG Cert this coming year.
I found that the sessions in the CDP Programme gave me a really
good idea of what to expect from the actual PG course.
It was excellent to have the opportunity to
talk to librarians across the department,
sharing good practice, challenges and
anxieties. There are a number of practical
things I hope to explore further: using
games, screen recording, using learning
outcomes more formally, using
observations, increasing interactivity and
fun especially in lecture based sessions
Sharing the sessions with so many
colleagues from CSM and other sites
has given me the confidence and
reassurance that I can now approach
other academic support librarians to
discuss the planning and delivery of
information skills sessions. Sharing
ideas and discussing our role in
teaching and learning was the most
valuable part for me.

9. Impact
• Increased variety in information skills sessions
• Games integrated into sessions
• Overall creative approach to providing information literacy skills
• Empowered Academic Support librarians
• Increased confidence
• Collaboration and partnership across colleges and departments
• Status and recognition within academic teams

10. Future developments
• Refining programme content and format
• Attaining professional recognition
• Progression
• Working as whole course teams
• PGCert/MA Academic Practice