Electronic Resources in the Virtual Learning

particular course) was dependent on how clear the links to readings
were. Additionally, one of the biggest complaints from students
regarding electronic readings were dead links, links that did not work
off-campus and links that required a password. To overcome some of the
problems students experienced, the CLT designed an online reading list
template in HTML to incorporate reading materials that staff wished to
distribute to students (see Figure 6.2). Course designers were
automatically provided with a copy of the template in their WebCT
designer file store. The template was designed to be used for:
■
links to electronic journals;
■
online sources;
■
electronic coursepack readings;
■
free electronic resources (websites) available on the Internet.
The template helped students to distinguish between electronic resources
that require a subscription and are only available on the LSE campus and
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those resources that are freely available on the Internet. Two icons were
devised to help to give a consistent look to electronic resources pages,
which was particularly useful for students studying more than one
course that uses WebCT. CLT also recommended that the template be
placed in an obvious part of the course website, such as on the course
home page, or within the ‘content module’ that often contains all the
lecture material.
Several icons were developed as part of the template, as Figure 6.3
shows. An LSE icon was developed for readings that are only accessible
on the LSE campus. This is used for e-journal links that are not available
off campus. The globe icon is used for readings that are accessible on and
off campus with or without a password, so it could be used for web
links, electronic coursepacks or readings that have Athens authentication
off campus.
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Figure 6.2
Online reading list template being used to link to 
e-journals and electronic coursepacks

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Case studies and practical examples
Evaluation
Each year, as part of the student WebCT survey that is distributed by the
CLT, feedback is obtained about the value of the electronic coursepack
service. In 2003 focus groups were also held with students to further
establish the value of online readings. The feedback has been
overwhelmingly positive, with students maintaining that electronic
coursepacks save them time hunting for material, make them more likely
to carry out preparatory reading and solve the problem of providing
large numbers of students with access to a core reading. Problems with
the service usually arise when a reading cannot be made available for
copyright reasons or when the link of the reading list is broken. Some
students also complain about the costs associated with printing the
material from the LSE campus printers, although the standard charge (5
pence per page) is levied for e-coursepacks and the readings can be
printed for free from a home computer.
Problems and current issues
The major problems facing the service have been:
■
high costs associated with digitisation with publishers charging per
page, per student;
■
the transactional nature of the CLA licence that requires all readings
to be copyright cleared;
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Figure 6.3
The e-coursepack template in detail

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Electronic Resources in the Virtual Learning Environment
■
the time taken to obtain copyright clearance;
■
the need to renew licences for most material every year.
However, as discussed in Chapter 4, the Copyright Licensing Agency are
reviewing the digitisation licence offered to the higher education
community and moving towards a blanket licence that will cover both
photocopying and scanning. This licence will be based on student
numbers and, for an institution such as the LSE that is undertaking a
large amount of digitisation, is likely to be highly cost effective. It will
also reduce the administrative burden of the current system. Therefore
the service is currently operating with the same budget as 2003/04 and
will be reviewed following the launch of a new licence.
A second issue that will impact on the service is the launch of a reading
list management system at the LSE. Following the DELIVER Project,
Sentient Discover was purchased with the plan to roll it out over the next
two years. This system has many advantages over the HTML-based
templates that have been previously used.
Conclusion
It is clear that the electronic coursepack service is highly rated by both
staff and students. It is, however, unclear how this service will operate in
the future and much will depend on the terms of the UK digitisation
licence that is currently being negotiated between the universities and the
CLA. What is clear is that the ability to include full-text readings in
online courses is attractive both to staff and students but is a complex
service that needs adequate resources and staff to function effectively.
Case study 2: Online resource lists at the
University of Sheffield
This second case study comes from the University of Sheffield Library
and examines the introduction of an online reading list (or resource list)
management system, which is integrated with the virtual learning
environment. Sheffield has launched a number of projects to integrate
library resources and e-learning initiatives and these are also briefly
examined. Resource list management systems are a relatively new
development, but there has been considerable interest in them in the UK
recently. This is discussed in Chapter 1 in more detail. Two commercial
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systems exist: Sentient Discover
2
(formerly Reading Lists Direct) and
TalisList, an independent module for the Talis Library Management
System, which is also available separately as an integral unit in its own
right.
3
At Sheffield, the Library started to explore the feasibility of
introducing such a system in 2001 and they chose TalisList for a number
of reasons. TalisList is an additional module of the Talis Library
Management System which is used at Sheffield, but additionally TalisList
has the ability to link with WebCT, which is the institutional VLE. This
means that a reading list can be ‘plugged in’ to a WebCT course so that
changes made in the reading list are reflected in WebCT.
Introduction and background
The University of Sheffield was founded in 1905 and is part of the
Russell Group, which are established research-led universities in the UK.
Teaching covers a broad range of subjects and the University has seven
faculties, including: Architectural Studies, Arts, Engineering, Law,
Medicine, Pure Science and Social Sciences. As of 2003 there are over
23,000 students, from over 120 countries, and approximately 5,500
members of staff. The University’s mission is to teach students in a
research-led environment. Almost half the students are using the VLE
WebCT and Sheffield is delivering ‘blended learning’ so that campus-
based students can access course resources to support their face-to-face
teaching. As of September 2003 there were just over 200 modules
available online. The project is directly in line with the Library’s Strategic
Plan for 2003–06, which is looking to improve book availability for
students through initiatives such as coursepacks and electronic off-
prints.
4
The Strategic Plan also emphasises the need to build a ‘new