This case study explores the co-creation of a Digital Capabilities Framework, a joint initiative of the Pro Vice Chancellor (Student Learning) and the University Library at the University of Adelaide. It explores the impact of the broad membership of the Project Working Group, which incorporated academic and professional staff, a student, and a UK digital capabilities expert to act as a critical friend. The strategic context which led to the development of this collaborative model is discussed, and its benefits and challenges are explored. The authors suggest that the inclusion of a wide range of stakeholders, including significant participation from students, ultimately strengthened the framework.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on research that uncovered myths about HIV and AIDS held by serodiscordant couples in Malawi, and the sources of these myths. The paper reflects on how the myths affect serodiscordant couples’ engagement with HIV and AIDS information. Design/methodology/approach Van Manen’s (1997) approach to analysis of phenomenological data was used to analyse data from in-depth interviews conducted in Malawi with 21 serodiscordant couples and three individuals who had separated from their partners because of serodiscordance. Findings Serodiscordant couples in Malawi believe and hold on to some inaccurate HIV and AIDS information that can be seen as “myths”. Some of these myths are perpetuated by official HIV and AIDS information when it is translated into the local languages. Other myths derive from social norms of the societies where the couples live. Practical implications The findings of this paper have practical implications for how HIV and AIDS information providers should engage with target audiences to understand the origins of the myths they hold. The findings also imply that some myths have technical, religious, moral and cultural bases which need to be addressed before challenging the myth itself. Originality/value Using real-life descriptions of experiences of HIV and AIDS information provided by serodiscordant couples, the authors reveal how myths can affect engagement with the information. The authors make recommendations on how to address myths in ways that contribute to a positive experience of HIV and AIDS information by serodiscordant couples.

This chapter explores the role of digital technology in supporting higher education teachers to design for inquiry-based learning (IBL). It begins by introducing the idea of 'design for learning' and by summarising key features of IBL pedagogy. A pedagogic planner tool is appended to highlight considerations for IBL design. The chapter then moves on to review the findings of a research project that investigated university teachers' approaches to design for learning and their use of a computer-based design tool, the learning activity management system (LAMS) to create IBL learning designs. Using a qualitative research approach, the project identified variation in teachers' conceptions of IBL pedagogy and in their approaches to design for learning. LAMS, in the version used, was found to offer design affordances that are especially consistent with teacher-led, rather than student-led, approaches to IBL pedagogy. The issues arising from this research are of relevance to academic developers in higher education and to the further development and use of digital design tools for IBL.

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is becoming firmly embedded into library work through the use of electronic mail, and it is likely that computer-supported collaborative working, using e-mail and other forms of computer-conferencing and groupware products, will have a key role to play in the development of integrated digital libraries across sectoral, national and international boundaries. This review paper draws on a literature survey which was undertaken as parr of British Library funded research into the use of e-mail in academic libraries between 1995-1997. It aims to provide a digest of some influential perspectives from the literature which are likely to be of relevance to managers, team leaders and systems staff in information services who are interested in optimising the use of text-based CMC across and between library organisations and within teams.

This chapter discusses themes from a five-year institutional development program for inquiry-guided learning (IGL) at The University of Sheffield. It presents a conceptual framework for IGL instructional design, gives examples of IGL courses, and highlights features of the program's approach to the facilitation of educational change.

This paper reports findings from a phenomenographic investigation into blended university teaching using virtual learning environments (VLEs). Interviews with 25 Computer Science teachers in Greek universities illuminated a spectrum of teachers' conceptions and approaches from 'teacher-focused and content-oriented', through 'student-focused and content-oriented', to 'student-focused and process-oriented'. Using VLEs was described as a means of supporting: A—information transfer; B—application and clarification of concepts; C—exchange and development of ideas, and resource exploration and sharing; D—collaborative knowledge-creation, and development of process awareness and skills. The study suggests that pedagogical beliefs and circumstances underpinning face-to-face teaching are more influential in shaping approaches to blended VLE use than VLE system features. The authors propose that the findings could be used to inform educational enhancement initiatives and that there is a need for further discipline-focused research on blended teaching.

First-year undergraduates on degree programmes in the arts, humanities and social sciences were found by this qualitative study to experience inquiry and research in four distinct ways. Research as ‘gathering information’ and ‘exploring others' ideas’ was associated with learning by engaging independently with a knowledge base. Research as ‘evidencing and developing students' own ideas’ and ‘making discoveries’ was associated with an emergent sense of participation in knowledge-building, understood as the potential to bring something personal or new to an area of study. Students described opportunities to frame their own lines of inquiry, and inquiry experiences with an open-ended, knowledge-building orientation, as especially empowering in their intellectual and personal development. They also highlighted their need for support in carrying out research and inquiry. The authors present a conceptual framework for inquiry-based learning that was developed on the basis of this study, and that has been found useful for pedagogical design and research/evaluation.

There is at present considerable international interest in strengthening the role of inquiry and research in the undergraduate experience. Against this background, the term ‘inquiry-based learning’ (IBL) is in increasing usage, to describe a range of pedagogical approaches in which student inquiry drives the learning experience. The conceptualisation of IBL is contested but often it is described as an ‘umbrella term’ encompassing approaches such as case- and problem-based learning. Digital technologies play an important role in IBL pedagogy and arguably there is a close affinity between the ethos and practices of networked learning, IBL and Web 2.0. However, the evidence-base that focuses specifically on the use of technology in IBL, although relatively small, is highly fragmented. Therefore, for this in-progress project, funded by the UK Higher Education Academy, we are drawing together material from disparate disciplinary and specialist/practitioner fields to offer a critical review and synthesis of research evidence on the use and potential of digital technologies to support IBL. As part of this, we are mapping conceptualisations and practices of technology-enhanced IBL according to a number of dimensions of IBL design and facilitation including: knowledge-orientation; inquiry-framing; process support strategy; technology-strategy. Our poster offers a preliminary analysis, identifies a number of questions that arise, and suggests areas in which further research is needed.

This paper explores the relationship between practitioners' pedagogical purposes, values and practices in designing for inquiry-based learning in higher education, and the affordances of the Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) as a tool for creating learning designs in this context. Using a qualitative research methodology, variation was identified in participants' conceptions of inquiry-based learning pedagogy and in their approaches to inquiry-based learning design. LAMS was found to offer design affordances that are compatible with more strongly teacher-led conceptions of, and approaches to, inquiry-based learning pedagogy. The paper draws some implications for the further development and use of design tools for inquiry-based learning. The authors suggest that, in addition to tools created for teachers, there may be a valuable role for tools that explicitly support students as designers of their own inquiry processes and activities.

This paper describes and evaluates Inquiry in Information Management, a first year undergraduate module designed on inquiry-based learning (IBL) principles at the University of Sheffield. In the module, students undertake a small scale, group research project, choosing a research question, conducting the research and reporting their results in poster form to invited staff and their peers, while also maintaining a group blog. The paper begins by explaining the context in which the module was developed and summarising the concept of IBL. It continues by describing the design of the module, highlighting some workshop activities designed to ‘scaffold’ students’ inquiries. The quality of student work was high, and there was an enthusiastic response to the freedom offered by IBL. Involving students in designing assessment criteria for the posters helped them understand the assessment better. Overall, students’ engagement with Information Management seemed to have deepened. Future developments are discussed and the authors reflect on the new demands IBL makes on both students and staff, and on how the application of IBL in this context is shaped by the fluidity of Information Management as a discipline and ambiguities regarding the place of research in this context.

This paper reports a sub-set of findings from an in-depth study of Greek university teachers' conceptions of, and approaches to, the use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in teaching. A central strand of the study is an exploration of factors influencing the development of networked learning in Greek higher education (HE) through a qualitative examination of the pedagogical perspectives that teachers bring to bear on their use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs: in this case, specifically VLEs such as WebCT, Blackboard or Moodle). The project is investigating the relationship between Greek university teachers' conceptions of teaching using VLEs and current theoretical perspectives of relevance to the e-learning field, in particular those perspectives that are associated with the principles and practices of networked learning as a distinctive form of e-learning. The paper presents preliminary findings from this strand in the light of previous research into teachers' conceptions of teaching and use of VLEs. A phenomenographic research approach has been adopted for this study. Phenomenography is an interpretive approach that seeks to identify the range of variation in ways of perceiving or experiencing a phenomenon of interest in this case the way in which Greek university teachers understand the educational use of VLEs. For the pilot study, the sample included five computer science academics from three universities in Greece. The interviews concentrated on seeking variations in pedagogical purposes in using VLEs for teaching and learning, and in approaches to their use Analysis of the open-ended interviews revealed three qualitatively different conceptions of teaching using VLEs, and different pedagogical approaches associated with them. The 'information transfer' conception was associated with information- (or content) - oriented pedagogical approaches to using VLEs. 'Understanding concepts' and 'developing concepts' conceptions were associated with more activity- (or process-) oriented approaches. The data suggest that there may be a relationship between the subject being taught (within the broad discipline of computer science) and different conceptions and approaches to using VLEs. Although based on a very small sample, the pilot study also suggests that pedagogical conceptions and approaches associated with networked learning may not be widely prevalent in computer science teaching in Greece

This paper reports some of the findings of a project which, using a qualitative research/evaluation methodology, investigated the fit between practitioners’ pedagogical purposes, values and practices in designing for inquiry-based learning, and the features and functionality of the Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) as a tool for creating learning designs. The research identified variation in participants’ conceptions of inquiry-based learning pedagogy, and in their approaches to inquiry-based learning design. LAMS was found to offer affordances that are compatible with more strongly teacher-led conceptions of, and approaches to, inquiry-based learning pedagogy. The paper draws some implications for the further development and use of design tools for inquiry-based learning. The authors suggest that, in addition to tools created for teachers, there may be a valuable role for tools that explicitly support networked learners as designers of their own learning processes and activities.

This paper focuses on learners’ experiences of text-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a means of self-expression, dialogue and debate. A detailed case study narrative and a reflective commentary are presented, drawn from a personal, practice-based inquiry into the design and facilitation of a professional development course for which a networked learning approach was adopted. Learners’ perspectives and experiences relating to both asynchronous (bulletin board) and synchronous (MOO-based) conferencing are explored, and the case narrative traces in particular the acclimatization experiences and perspectives of newcomers to networked learning. Implications are highlighted in relation to four dimensions of design and facilitation practice for networked learning: task design, socio-technical design, information design, and tutoring strategy. It is also suggested that case narratives such as the one presented in the paper may have value as learning resources to support experiential approaches to ‘learning to learn’ in networked environments.

PurposeA common criticism of research into information seeking on the internet is that information seekers are restricted by the demands of the researcher. Another criticism is that the search topics, are often imposed by the researcher, and; particularly when working with children, domain knowledge could be as important as information‐seeking skills. The research reported here attempts to address both these problems.Design/methodology/approachA total of 15 children, aged 11 to 16, were each set three “think aloud” internet searches. In the first, they were asked to recall the last time they had sought information on the internet, and to repeat the search. For the second, they were given a word, asked to interpret it, then asked to search for their interpretation. For the third, they were asked to recall the last time they had been unsuccessful in a search, and to repeat the search. While performing each task, the children were encouraged to explain their actions.FindingsThe paper finds that the factors that determined a child's ability to search successfully appeared to be: the amount of experience the child had of using the internet; the amount of guidance, both from adults and from peers; and the child's ability to explore the virtual environment, and to use the tools available for so doing.Originality/valueMany of the searches performed by participants in this paper were not related to schoolwork, and so some of the search approaches differed from those taught by teachers. Instead, they evolved through exploration and exchange of ideas. Further studies of this sort could provide insights of value to designers of web environments.

The Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences (CILASS) is a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) based at the University of Sheffield. CETL funding was awarded by HEFCE to the University in April 2005 for a period of five years, in recognition of existing excellence in inquiry-based learning (IBL) in the Faculties of Arts, Social Sciences and Law. CILASS is committed to supporting further development and innovation in IBL both locally within the University and more widely across higher education (HE) nationally and internationally. In particular, CILASS promotes approaches to IBL that involve students in collaborative discipline-based and inter-disciplinary inquiries, develop their information literacy capabilities, and use information and communications technologies imaginatively to enhance the learning experience.

PURPOSE To present a formative evaluation of the impact of a multimedia case study as a component of a masters course in health informatics delivered by distance learning. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS/RESOURCES First and second year health informatics students undertaking four core modules of a masters programme at the University of Sheffield. METHODOLOGY Individual qualitative user surveys and interviews. RESULTS/OUTCOMES Formative evaluation has played a significant role in refining the case study through its text-based, intermediate and CD-ROM based stages. Feedback from students has resulted in clarification of case study tasks, clearer definition of teaching roles and a revised approach to assessment. At the same time it has highlighted the importance of ongoing revision and maintenance in keeping the scenarios realistic and current. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION The multimedia case study has met many of its original aims in providing greater cohesion for core modules and encouraging greater levels of interaction and multidisciplinary collaboration.

A questionnaire was generated from the results of a series of interviews at The City School one of the 27 state secondary schools in Sheffield. In October 2002, it was sent out to 499 Heads of Department at the remaining 26 state secondary schools. Responses were received from 188 teachers, ranging in age from 24 to 60 years old. The purpose of the questionnaire was to gain information about teachers' views of the Internet and its usefulness as an educational tool.Nearly 85% of teachers acquired their Internet skills informally (self-taught, learned from friends/colleagues, etc), rather than on a taught course. Despite this, most of the respondents were confident of their ability to use the Internet, with the most confident users being young teachers of technical subjects. However, there was a widespread perception (particularly amongst women teachers) that students are more competent users of the Internet than are teachers. Older teachers were more likely to feel under pressure to use the Internet than their younger colleagues.Only about a third of teachers agreed with the statement "I often use the Internet with classes." Responses varied significantly according to school and subject. There was strong support, however, for the suggestion that the Internet is a valuable source of learning and teaching materials.

This qualitative study aimed to identify UK health visitors’ management of information, with particular reference to their public health and community development activities. Widely recognized concepts, such as information audit to assess information need and process models of information management, were applied at operational level to represent health visitors’ information environment. The naturalistic methodology included interviews and observation, the use of NUD.IST to aid qualitative data analysis, and the code and retrieve method to develop theory. The results highlight information flows, categories of information need, and key issues relating to health visitors’ information management practice. It is concluded that the community development work of health visitors can be seen as information work, and that health visitors can be viewed as ‘information processors’ and ‘information facilitators’. It is suggested that health visiting requires an information policy that will inform the development of local information strategies and effective information management practices.