University Of Central England Research Articles

Does education in library and information studies in the United Kingdom have a future?

The last decade has seen a decline in the fortunes of the Library and Information Science (LIS) sector in the UK, both in professional practice and in higher education. This paper sets out to assess the health and wellbeing of LIS teaching and research, and to identify key strategies for its future survival. Over the past decade, many schools of LIS have ceased to exist, for example in the University of Central England, Brighton University and Loughborough. Many have become subdivisions of other schools, as in Northumbria University, Strathclyde and the Robert Gordon University, spread indiscriminately around a variety of disciplines like business management, computing and communications. Arguably, there remains only one autonomous school and two autonomous departments of LIS in the UK today, in Sheffield University, and UCL and City University - a very significant decline from fifteen examples in the 1980s (Elkin and Wilson, 1997). From 2018 to 2019, we undertook a series of interviews with colleagues in information and library science education across the UK, both current academics with responsibility for the subject, and also retired heads of school, department or subject. The aim of the interviews was to gather the views of these experienced and knowledgeable individuals about how the discipline has fared in the last thiry years, its current status and where it might go in the future. What emerged from these interviews was a sense of isolation, threat and uncertainty amongst participants about their future and that of the discipline. The authors were of the view that we are currently at something of a crossroads for the subject, as taught in universities in the UK, and that a study such as the present one would help to focus minds on the areas where most impact might be made in creating a legacy for the subject into the future.

Enabling Curriculum Re-design Through Asynchronous Learning Networks

This paper considers existing processes in Higher Education and the opportunity for using Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs) to re-design the curriculum. A curriculum model based upon experiential learning, that explicitly links theory and practice, is promoted as the basis for considering the application of technology. The Computer Supported Experiential Learning project at the University of Central England is explained, and appropriate technologies considered at each stage of the learning cycle. Fundamental to this paper is the view that technology should be used to add value to the learning process, and not to simply automate existing processes. The opportunities for experiential learning to take place are considered a priority in the curriculum design process, and the starting point in deciding upon the use of technology.

Interpreting biography in the History of Education: past and present

Epigraph At the time I began work in university, I entered a world which was leisured, privileged and patriarchal, in the United Kingdom at least…. I came from a world in which only 3% of the population aspired to university. I belonged to a world in which, having got where I was through the eleven-plus and ‘A’ levels, there was almost a sense that society owed us a living. (Roy Lowe, 20021) 1Roy Lowe, ‘Do We Still Need History of Education: Is it Central or Peripheral?’ History of Education 31, no. 6 (2002): 492–3. Women were not obviously on the outside when I attended my first conference – a day conference in 1976 at what was then the Birmingham Polytechnic, now University of Central England. Many women attended although in the first years few were keynote speakers. More importantly there was little about women in the history itself except in the meetings of the Women’s Education Study Group where Carol Dyhouse, June Purvis, Penny Summerfield and Gaby Weiner were all dominant. (Ruth Watts, 20052) 2Ruth Watts, ‘Gendering the Story: Change in the History of Education’, History of Education 34, no. 3 (2005): 226. In 1967, aged 11, I moved on from my primary school in south London, and was selected to enter the local grammar school. I left most of my friends behind and began a daily routine of walking nervously through the council housing estates in my school uniform. By the time I left this school, seven years later, it had moved to one of the more prosperous suburbs of London to avoid being turned into a comprehensive. In the early twenty-first century, it is one of the leading academic secondary schools in the country, which it certainly was not in 1967. (Gary McCulloch, 20073) 3Gary McCulloch, ‘Forty Years On: Presidential Address to the History of Education Society, London 4 November 2006’, History of Education 36, no. 1 (2007): 6.

Computer-supported experiential learning (Phase One - staff development)

In recent years the University of Central England in Birmingham has made considerable investments in developing computer networks. Developments have been technology-led, and the major use of the network has been for administration. The Computer-Supported Experiential Learning Project has been designed to refocus upon the curriculum, and to encourage academic staff to use the network technologies for teaching and learning. The broad aim of the project is to investigate and systematically evaluate the appropriate use of technology to improve the quality of learning.DOI:10.1080/0968776990070107

Leadership, Education and Partnership: Project LEAP — Developing Regional Educational Leadership Capacity in Higher Education and Health Services through Collaborative Leadership and Partnership Working

In 2007, Birmingham City University (formerly the University of Central England) and the West Midlands NHS Strategic Health Authority developed and implemented the LEAP (Leadership, Education and Partnership) project. The project extended and developed further a successful leadership development programme, which had run in the West Midlands for healthcare educators working in both higher education (HE) and NHS organisations.The LEAP project aimed to develop genuine partnership and collaborative working among health and social care education providers from a range of HE and NHS organisations in the West Midlands. This paper describes the leadership programme approaches and activities, the underpinning leadership and management theories and concepts, and the way in which these were woven together in the leadership development programme. Examples of some of the theoretical models and frameworks used in the programme, and reflections on how these helped to develop participants' knowledge, skills and approaches to collaboration and partnership working are also detailed.

(In)Visible Barriers: The Experience of Asian Employees in the Probation Service

Abstract: This article is based on a small piece of research, which was prompted by the National Association of Asian Probation Staff (NAAPS). They wanted to investigate the experience of Asian employees in the probation service in England and Wales and consider wider issues of attitudes toward Asians from staff. The research was conducted jointly with the University of Central England in Birmingham (now Birmingham City University), with a focus on recruitment, retention and progression within the probation service. Key findings include a lack of confidence amongst Asian staff with regard to how management addresses diversity issues; a perception of change in attitudes towards Asian staff directly related to the events of 9/11; a lack of understanding from other black and minority ethnic (BME) and white staff regarding Asian culture, and concern about promotion chances and job security. There has been little research on the culture of the probation service, specifically with regard to how management implements policy and how much attention is paid to diversity issues. This research highlights the need for further exploration of these issues, on a wider scale, especially in light of more recent events impacting on attitudes towards Asians, particularly from the south and east of Asia, namely, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China.

Educating a new profession: Developing the communication and information management skills of health information specialists

Health information specialists are an expanding workforce in the UK, based in a range of settings, including voluntary sector organisations, hospitals and community services. The backgrounds of health information specialists are very varied: some will have strong clinical skills, while others may be librarians or customer care managers. They are expected to be able to develop strategic plans, promote services, manage information services and help individuals to cope with the personal consequences of information. The following paper outlines findings from research into the educational needs of health information specialists. This research suggests that a multi-faceted view of the communication skills used in different tasks by health information specialists is needed and that skills are needed to develop information management systems and resources that complement the communication process. Macmillan Cancer Support and the University of Central England developed a postgraduate programme in partnership, based on this research, to meet the educational needs of health information specialists. The paper reports on the students' views on the content and the impact of the course up to two years after completing the programme. The initial research and students' experience demonstrate the commonality of skills needed by health information specialists, regardless of professional background. This may lead the health information specialist workforce to become a professional group in its own right.

Fear of social isolation: results of a survey of older adults in Gloucestershire

A lifestyle survey of older adults living in Gloucestershire was carried out by Birmingham City University (formerly The University of Central England) and Age Concern Gloucestershire last year. Participants were asked to identify three main areas of concern for their retirement and while fears about health topped the list, fear of social isolation was cited by 11 per cent of participants, forced through events such as lack of mobility, loss of their partner and closure of community facilities such as post offices. Public involvement and inclusion schemes, such as befriending, may provide some solutions to this problem, but healthcare professionals need to be aware of these issues and to work towards community-focused solutions to avoid greater demands on health and social care resources.

Electronic Resource Measurement: Linking Research to Practice

Previous articleNext article No AccessElectronic Resource Measurement: Linking Research to PracticeAngela Conyers and Peter DaltonAngela Conyers1. Angela Conyers, senior research fellow, Evidence Base, University of Central England, Birmingham: UCE Library and Learning Resources, Perry Barr, Birmingham, B42 2SU, England; E‐mail [email protected]. Search for more articles by this author and Peter Dalton2. Peter Dalton, director, Evidence Base, University of Central England, Birmingham: UCE Library and Learning Resources, Perry Barr, Birmingham, B42 2SU, England; E‐mail [email protected]. Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Library Quarterly Volume 77, Number 4October 2007 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/521087 Views: 10Total views on this site Citations: 6Citations are reported from Crossref © 2007 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Blanca Rodríguez-Bravo, Andrés Fernández-Ramos, Marta De-la-Mano, Marina Vianello-Osti The evolution and revision of big deals: a review from the perspective of libraries, El Profesional de la información (Aug 2021).https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2021.jul.15Denise A. Garofalo Tips From The Trenches, Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship 24, no.33 (Jul 2012): 212–213.https://doi.org/10.1080/1941126X.2012.706113Martha Kyrillidou, Terry Plum, Bruce Thompson Evaluating Usage and Impact of Networked Electronic Resources through Point-of-Use Surveys: A MINES for Libraries™ Study, The Serials Librarian 59, no.22 (Jul 2010): 159–183.https://doi.org/10.1080/03615261003674057Terry Plum, Brinley Franklin, Martha Kyrillidou, Gary Roebuck, MaShana Davis Measuring the impact of networked electronic resources, Performance Measurement and Metrics 11, no.22 (Jul 2010): 184–198.https://doi.org/10.1108/14678041011064098Virginia Kinman E-Metrics and Library Assessment in Action, Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship 21, no.11 (Apr 2009): 15–36.https://doi.org/10.1080/19411260902858318Brinley Franklin, Martha Kyrillidou, Terry Plum From usage to user: library metrics and expectations for the evaluation of digital libraries, (Jan 2009): 17–39.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-84334-484-1.50002-8

‘Sustained by a commitment to social justice’

Paula McGee, senior research fellow in nursing, Faculty of Health, University of Central England, talks about being a nurse, becoming a tutor and how her work in transcultural care opened doors for her that she had never known existed.

Dion Smyth, lecturer practitioner in cancer and palliative care, University of Central England, Birmingham, scans the nursing and medical journals for the latest developments in cancer nursing

Dion Smyth, lecturer practitioner in cancer and palliative care, University of Central England, Birmingham, scans the nursing and medical journals for the latest developments in cancer nursing

Book Reviews

Kanga:The Cloth that Speaks by Sharifa M. Zawawi. New York: Azaniya Hills Press, 2005. 128 pp.Simon A. Clarke studied printed textiles at Middlesex University and Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, University of Central England. As a Senior Lecturer at University College Falmouth, Clarke's current area of research is digitally printed textiles and Eastern African visual arts.

Students' perceptions of music courses in the Birmingham and Solihull Learning and Skills Council Area

During 2003/4 a team from the University of Central England in Birmingham (now UCE Birmingham) undertook an evaluation of student perceptions of their music courses as part of the Birmingham and Solihull Learning and Skills Council review of music in the area. As well as identifying the wide range of courses available in the locality and students' perceptions of the teaching and learning they undertook, the research uncovered some significant issues about the nature of musical learning for those aged 14+ and the pathways and guidance that they received both before and during their courses of study.

Some Reflections on Researching with Young Black People and the Youth Justice System

This article explores some of the methodological, ethical and practical difficulties of researching with young black people and is based on a three-year long research project that was a collaboration between The Children’s Society (a major NGO in England) and the University of Central England in Birmingham. The article uses findings from this research project to examine some broader epistemological issues related to ethnography, research more generally, and young black people’s dealings with the youth and criminal justice systems.

Journal scan

Dion Smyth, lecturer practitioner in cancer and palliative care, university of central England, Birmingham, scans the nursing and medical journals for the latest developments in cancer nursing

Dion Smyth, lecturer practitioner in cancer and palliative care, University of Central England, Birmingham, scans the nursing and medical journals for the latest developments in cancer nursing

Dion Smyth, lecturer practitioner in cancer and palliative care, University of Central England, Birmingham, scans the nursing and medical journals for the latest developments in cancer nursing

Evidence based research activities, interests and opportunities exist for practitioners in all library sectors in the British Isles

A review of: 
 
 McNicol, Sarah. “Is Research an Untapped Resource in the Library and Information Profession?” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 36.3 (September 2004):119-26. 
 
 Objective – To scope the range, nature and challenges of present, planned and future research by practitioners within libraries in the British Isles.
 
 Design – A series of survey questionnaires sent by mail. 
 
 Setting – Public, academic, health, special and school libraries of the British Isles.
 
 Subjects – A total of 2384 questionnaires were sent out and 334 responses were received. 62 academic libraries, 83 health libraries, 78 public libraries, 63 school libraries and 48 special libraries participated in the study. 
 
 Methods – This study was undertaken in 2003 by a research team at the University of Central England. Survey questionnaires were sent by mail to library directors in all public library authorities, academic libraries, health libraries and special libraries in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In addition, questionnaires were sent to the librarians in all state and independent schools within a sample of nine local education authorities.
 
 Each participant was asked to identify past and future research issues of interest and the barriers to research practice within their library. Research was defined to include work on both externally funded and in-house projects and examples of the types of activities that this might include were provided.
 
 Main results – Half the respondents reported that they had been involved in some form of research in the past two years, with the lowest level of involvement from school libraries and the highest in public libraries. Generally, only the library directly involved in conducting the research made use of the findings and a gap in the dissemination of results was identified across sectors. User surveys were the most common form of research undertaken across libraries and slightly fewer respondents intended to carry out research in the coming twelve months than had in the past (the area most commonly mentioned was user surveys). Information and communications technology (ICT) was an area of planned future research in all libraries, as were user needs and user behaviour. The most frequently cited barriers to research activity across all sectors were lack of time and financial resources. Staff skills and the lack of focus on practical problems to solve were indicated as a barrier in health, public and academic libraries.
 
 Libraries reported a range of common uses for the research findings including: informing strategic and service planning; providing benchmarking data and measuring the effectiveness of services; identification of marketing and public relations opportunities; discovery of staff training needs; and use of the results to demonstrate the value of libraries to funding bodies.
 
 Conclusion – This study provides insight into practitioner-focused areas of research interest and possible areas for future investigation. As the author reports in her conclusion, the survey results cannot be considered representative of the wider population. 
 
 Since research interests often overlap, a sector wide or cross-sectoral research approach should be considered to allow library staff to identify and resolve common problems. Wide dissemination of research results within the practitioner community would be of benefit to all. Greater communication between practitioner and information science communities is also encouraged, as these communities’ work is mutually beneficial.

Dion Smyth, lecturer practitioner in cancer and palliative care, University of Central England, Birmingham, scans the nursing and medical journals for the latest developments in cancer nursing

Dion Smyth, lecturer practitioner in cancer and palliative care, University of Central England, Birmingham, scans the nursing and medical journals for the latest developments in cancer nursing

Devising a blended model of learning accessible to the training of sighted and vision impaired rehabilitation workers

To establish whether visually impaired students studying to become professional rehabilitation workers can successfully learn alongside sighted counterparts when using mixed-mode teaching approaches including distance learning. Is there any limitation on the use of on-line and multimedia learning materials for such a mix of students? The University of Central England have been developing training materials for their rehabilitation studies course which is accessible to both visually impaired and fully sighted students. This includes specially designed online materials in in-class presentation methods. Work over the past 3 years these materials have been designed and evolved with the active feedback from sighted, partially sighted and totally blind students. Various technologies and approaches have been tried and evaluated, together with a review of methods used internationally to train this group. Work has included studies of the needs of both partially sighted and totally blind students. Initial results from the first 3 years of development indicate that it is possible, and indeed desirable, to devise materials in such formats. Careful design and active dialogue with both sighted and visually impaired students is the key to producing effective learning materials which meet the needs of all students. Such methods can apply to the training of visual impairment rehabilitation skills, and also to a wider range of teaching topics.

Honour bound.

Director of Beacon Organisational Development Limited Neslyn Watson-Druée (right) and RCN general secretary Beverly Malone (below right) are among those recently made honorary doctors at the University of Central England.