Greek and Spanish University Community Perspective of Challenges Affecting Library Integration in Learning Analytics Initiatives

Sant-Geronikolou, Stavroula Greek and Spanish University Community Perspective of Challenges Affecting Library Integration in Learning Analytics Initiatives., 2018 . In 10th Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2018), Chania (Greece), 22 - 25 May 2018. [Conference poster]

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English abstract

Purpose: Seen Learning Analytics as a way to break barriers to intra-institutional collaboration, Higher Education administrators and LIS researchers argue on the purpose of connecting in-library user activity data to student information and learning management systems and on their relevance and potential contribution to library strategic alignment with broader institutional goals. In this realm and framed within a PhD research, this poster provides an overview of preliminary findings relevant to the exploration of the potential of Spanish and Greek Academic Libraries to becoming involved in Learning Analytics initiatives. Library use data integration in Learning Analytics (LLA) systems is nowadays considered by many experts an important part of the contextual integrity maintenance as it could contribute to building more complete learner profiles and marking the beginning of the process of realignment and reorganization toward a structure that supports the university’s academic plan. Based on the assumption that libraries should soon assume their role in the imminent LA related campus-wide transformational change, we collected feedback from the very stakeholders in order to provide a more realistic understanding of the public university library ecosystem’s pain points with a mindset towards the LLA (Library in Learning Analytics) scenario that is already becoming mainstream in North America. Design/Methodology: Providing an overview of semi-structured interview findings, taking place at five (5) academic libraries, relevant to the exploration of the potential of Spanish and Greek Information Commons to becoming involved in learning analytics initiatives, this study attempts bringing, in a Straussian grounded theory approach, part of these perspectives together to the discussion. By recording librarian and student understanding of organizational forces and operational issues that pervade the context they share, work, study in, in view of the forthcoming developments, it aims generating a conceptual model that could further facilitate the formulation of context specific recommendations. Through a rich set of graphs and illustrations, the researcher envisions offering visitors a blueprint to factors conducive or non-supportive to Greek and Spanish academic library use data integration in learning analytics programs. Value/Research Limitations: Despite study limitations associated with the relatively short amount of time spent in the interview process and the narrow range of interviewees, interview transcripts, analysed under a macro-evaluation and micro-evaluation lens—the first juxtaposing intercountry differences and the latter comparing participant inter-groupal perspectives—will hopefully contribute in a bottom-up approach to raising the university community’s awareness on the topic, hoping these insights will be useful to both (1) library practitioners working in a time of profound change and to (2) Library policy makers envisioning sustainable development in a way that it could truly adequately and effectively support the learning and teaching process.

Spanish abstract

Considerando las Analíticas de Aprendizaje como un medio para eliminar barreras a la colaboración intra-institucional, administradores de educación superior y investigadores de biblioteconomía han empezado abogar (1) por la utilidad de conectar datos de uso de servicios bibliotecarios con información estudiantil y sistemas de gestión de aprendizaje y (2) por su relevancia y posible contribución al alineamiento estratégico de los CRAI con metas institucionales más amplias. En este ámbito, el presente póster, producto de una investigación doctoral, proporciona una perspectiva general de hallazgos preliminares relevantes a la exploración del potencial de bibliotecas académicas españolas y griegas para contribuir datos en iniciativas de Analiticas de Aprendizaje, un proceso considerado por muchos expertos como factor decisivo en el mantenimiento de la integridad contextual, ya que podría contribuir a obtener perfiles de estudiantes más completos marcando el inicio de un proceso de realineación y reorganización hacia una estructura más eficiente al apoyo del plan académico. Basándose en el supuesto de que las bibliotecas deben asumir cuanto antes su papel en el inminente cambio transformacional de educación superior, se han recopilado los comentarios de los actores clave con vistas a proporcionar una visión realista de los puntos débiles del ecosistema de bibliotecas universitarias públicas y con la mente puesta en este escenario educativo innovador que se está conviertiendo en la tendencia dominante en América del Norte. A través de una serie de entrevistas semiestructuradas, que tienen lugar en cinco (5) bibliotecas académicas, este estudio intenta aportar a debate parte de las perspectivas de los bibliotecarios y alumnos sobre fuerzas organizativas y problemas operacionales que gobiernan el contexto que comparten, vislumbrando la articulación de un modelo conceptual que facilite aún más la formulación de recomendaciones específicas al respecto. A pesar de limitaciones inherentes en entrevistas “one-shot” de corta duración y muestra limitada, el amplio conjunto de visualizaciones del análisis de transcripciones desde un punto de vista micro y macro evaluador, el primero yuxtaponiendo diferencias entre países y el segundo divergencias intergrupales, se espera sensibilizar a la comunidad universitaria sobre la problemática que rodea la capitalización de datos de uso de servicios, productos y espacios bibliotecarios por su integración en sistemas de analiticas de aprendizaje, con la aspiración de influir a los profesionales de la información en la toma de decisiones normativas y operacionales al apoyo más dinámico del proceso de aprendizaje.

Item type: Conference poster
Keywords: Learning Analytics, in-library use, qualitative research, South European university libraries
Subjects: C. Users, literacy and reading. > CB. User studies.
D. Libraries as physical collections. > DD. Academic libraries.
F. Management. > FJ. Knowledge management
L. Information technology and library technology
Depositing user: Stavroula Sant-Geronikolou
Date deposited: 26 Jul 2018 07:57
Last modified: 26 Jul 2018 07:57
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/32914

References

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