Report from the

Learning Commons Steering Committee

Update on the First Year of the Learning Commons

(For the period of October 1, 2005 – September 30, 2006)

Submitted to:

Carleton University Senate

Introduction

In June of 2004, University Librarian, Martin Foss, and Provost & Vice-President (Academic), Alan Harrison, appointed a Task Force committee responsible for exploring the development of a Learning Commons at CarletonUniversity. The impetus for the creation of the Task Force was the desire to extend the concept of an ‘Information Commons’ – one that typically revolves around broadening information literacy through technology – to include collaborative learning opportunities for students through shared learning tasks. With representatives from the Library, the Faculties, Academic Support Services, and Student Organizations, the appointed Task Force aimed to develop a series of recommendations that would align evolving information technologies with the resources and services traditionally provided by the library, while concurrently emphasizing shared and inherently social, aspects of learning.

Based on the recommendations outlined in a final report submitted to the University Librarian and the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) in January, 2005 and on the input of the Implementation Steering Committee, existing space within MacOdrum Library was reconfigured to accommodate the addition of the first phase of the Learning Commons, which officially opened in October of 2005.

The physical transformation of space within the library provided a striking, modern and fresh look to a long-neglected building. At the same time, the new space layout and computers had a profound influence on the learning environment. Currently, the Learning Commons consists of a central information desk, over 160 computer workstations, a laptop loan program, 5 group study rooms,a graduate study lounge,casual study spaces for group work and individual seating, and a technologically-equipped presentation room. In addition, research assistance, IT help, and student support for academic writing, study skills, career services, and leadership are provided under a single roof.

To date, the Learning Commons has significantly contributed to the enhancement of the student experience at the University by increasing the number of technological resources available to students, by increasing study spaces and work areas for student collaboration, and by greatly improving access to student support through the centralization of key research, IT, and learning support services.

This Report is intended to:

  • Provide information about the technical and physical infrastructure of the Learning Commons;
  • Provide an update on the services provided in the Learning Commons;
  • Identify some of the issues and next steps facing the Learning Commons.

This is not a report on the Library as a whole nor is it intended as an evaluation of the Learning Commons. A second report will be prepared for the spring of 2007 and will include an evaluation.

Learning Commons Physical Structure

There are three main partners in the Learning Commons: the Library, Learning Support Services and Computing and Communications Services,and each have played an integral role in the evolution of the Learning Commons over the last year. The integration of some of the services provided by these units into the new Learning Commons required a transformation toexisting space within the Library.

Renovations to the Library were concentrated to floors 2, 3 and 4 with a smaller renovation on the 5th floor. The second floor contains a joint service desk together with 37 work stations, additional printers and photocopiers. The laptop loan program is alsooperated from the second floor circulation area of the Library.The third floor area contains approximately 65 work stations together with an open seating/study area with flexible and movable furniture. The 5th floor area contains a renovated graduate study lounge.

The 4th floor area is the Learning Support Services area. This area includes:

  • 5 group study rooms (each equipped with a table, chairs and a whiteboard)
  • 1 consultation room / office
  • 1 Help desk
  • 1 Presentation room (equipped with a wireless data projector, VCR, and DVD player)
  • 45 networked computers
  • 1 photocopier
  • 2 network printers
  • Lounge chairs, sofas and tables for students

Services Provided

The three main partners in the Learning Commons operate in a very collaborative manner. The Learning Commons hasan informal governance structure under a steering committee made up of Ann Tierney, Margaret Haines and Ralph Michaelis. The LearningCommons operationscommitteeconsists of Linda Rossman (Library), Elizabeth Knight (Library), Phil Warsaba (SASC) and Steve Skerlak (CCS). Thisgroup meets regularly to address issuesconcerning theday-to-dayoperation of the Learning Commons.

What follows is a description of the services provided in the learning Commons by each of the partners. It is important to note that while the sections have been divided, a number of the services are joint ventures among the partners.

Learning Support Services

The mandate of Learning Support Services (LSS) is to provide centralized delivery of academic support for Carleton University students. Through workshops, one-on-one consultations, referrals, Peer coaching and the distribution of learning resources, LSS offers assistance to those students seeking to develop their writing and study skills, as well as career and leadership experiences.

Operating under the direction of the Student Academic Success Centre (SASC), Learning Support Services collaborates with a number of campus partners to meet the diverse needs of the student body, including: the First year Experience Office (FYEO), the Academic Writing Centre & Writing Tutorial Service (AWC & WTS), Career Services, the Centre for Initiatives in Education (CIE), Health & Counselling Services, the Paul Menton Centre (PMC), MacOdrum Library, and Computing & Communications Services (CCS). Although these partners are housed in separate locations across campus, each offers some aspect of their service through LSS in the Learning Commons.

The provision of widespread academic support out of a single location serves to increase students’ awareness of support options available to them, to promote academic success through developmental opportunities, to address issues of retention and graduation either by immediately assisting those in academic difficulty or by directly referring students in need of assistance to experts that can help.

Group Study Rooms

There are five group study rooms at Learning Support Services. Each room is a privately enclosed space and contains comfortable chairs, a large table, and a whiteboard. Of the five group study rooms, four can be booked by students up to two weeks in advance. Students must have a study group of at least two members and can reserve a room for a maximum of two consecutive hours. Each study group is limited to one booking per day and can reserve a room no more than twice in a week.

The remaining group study room is designated for a combination of learning-related consultations, small group workshops, and drop-in group study.

From September 19th, 2005 to April 27th, 2006, the five group study rooms accommodated 15,648 students. Due to the high demand for collaborative study space and a lack of availability, 779 groups of students requesting a study room reservation were turned away during this same period.

Analysis of a snapshot period from October 17th to December 18th, 2005, during which students were expected to complete course assignments as well as prepare for mid-terms and finals, provides significant usage statistics. Excluding Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (when the volume of students on campus is substantially lower than it is throughout the rest of the week), study rooms were booked at 91% capacity. The drop-in group study room was booked at 60% capacity during these same two months. During the snapshot period, an average of 117 students used the rooms each day, while approximately 11 groups of students per day were unable to book a group study room for the time they wanted and were subsequently turned away.

Drop-in Sessions

Drop-in sessions give students the opportunity to meet one-on-one in consultations with specialists who are trained in the delivery of academic support for various issues, including writing skills, study skills, career development, and programming and administrative queries. To take advantage of many of the support services offered across campus, students are required to book appointments in advance.The purpose of drop-in sessions at Learning Support Services is to meet student needs as they arise and to increase accessibility to means of support by allowing students to consult with a service specialist on a first-come, first-served basis.

From October 3rd, 2005 to April 14th, 2006, SASC Study Skills Specialists, WTS tutors, and Dr. John Osborne, the Dean of FASS, offered drop-in sessions at Learning Support Services. In addition, Career Services Resume Reviewers provided drop-in sessions to students from October 17th, 2005 to December 7th, 2005.

In its first year of operations, Learning Support Services offered 384 drop-in consultation hours, which equates to 768 individual sessions that students could choose to take advantage of (see Appendix B for further details). Student usage of the one-on-one drop-in sessions that were offered varied in accordance with the university’s academic cycle. In keeping with the trends of student usage documented by those services partnered with LSS, demand for drop-in sessions was higher in the Fall term than it was in the Winter. Substantial increases in demand for support occurred at the peak of the Fall’s academic cycle (mid-October to mid-December) and a moderate increase in demand was experienced at the peak of the Winter term academic cycle (beginning of March to the beginning of April).

A snapshot of the Fall term’s peak period of activity (from October 24th, 2005 to November 21st, 2005) reinforces claims of demand for academic support at this time of the year. Throughout the snapshot period, 110 students took advantage of LSS drop-in sessions. Of the support services offering drop-in sessions in the Learning Commons, the Writing Tutorial Service and SASC were those that were most frequently requested.

Academic Skills Development Workshops

In conjunction with support service partners, LSS organized 129 academic skills development workshops during the Fall and Winter terms in 2005/2006. The workshops covered a variety of topics related to academic skills and strategies, falling under one of the following broad categories: study skills, writing skills, exam skills, career skills, computing skills, leadership skills, or survival skills.

Workshop attendance varied widely in each of the academic terms, depending both on the time of day and the particular point of the academic cycle in which they were offered. Workshops at Learning Support Services accommodated as few as 2 and as many as 60 students during the year.

In an effort to contextualize workshop content and to meet the needs of identified target groups, LSS worked closely with the Writing Tutorial Service to modify the approach to, and delivery of, traditional support service workshops. These specialized initiatives included:

  • Business Ethics Writing Groups, where students registered in Business Ethics courses could participate in group writing sessions led by a WTS tutor, who was familiar with the students’ course assignments and who was trained to provide tips and strategies for different stages of the writing process within this particular genre;
  • ESL Writing Series Workshops, which were designed to cover strategies relevant to aspects of the university writing process, such as getting started, organizing information, and structuring writing effectively. Although the workshops were intended for students who were non-native speakers of English, international students and students simply seeking helpful writing tips were encouraged to participate as well;
  • The Research Paper from Start to Finish, which consisted of 5 interrelated workshops that took students through the process of writing a research paper from the beginning stages of brainstorming and finding a focus to the final stages of proofreading and revising. Each workshop series focused on the needs of students in different disciplines and was delivered to those enrolled in Arts, Social Sciences, or BPAM programs. For every disciplinary series, LSS Peer Helpers and WTS tutors developed and delivered content collectively.MacOdrum Library Research Librarians also assisted in the delivery of the second part of each five-part series.

Referrals

A large proportion of day-to-day operations at Learning Support Services consist of referral activities. To ensure that students were efficiently and appropriately informed about support programs at their disposal and/or were directed to support service locations capable of providing immediate assistance; Peer Helpers were given relevant training throughout the Fall and Winter terms. Training sessions included modules on leadership development, client rapport, active listening, counselling, organizational operations, and services at Carleton University. Peer Helpers also attended monthly meetings and met with the coordinator of LSS on an individual or small group basis to plan materials development and workshop activities.

The Learning Support Services Help Desks (located on the 2nd and 4th floors of MacOdrum Library) served as an access point for students seeking referrals and answers to service related questions. The main Help Desk, located on the 4th floor, provided service 7 days per week for the majority of each academic term, while the 2nd floor Help Desk provided service 5 days per week from the beginning of November, 2005 to mid-February, 2006. Combined, the two Help Desks were staffed primarily with Peer Helpers for a total of approximately 2,184 hours through the Fall and Winter sessions. In January, 2006, Learning Support Services also implemented a virtual referral system, whereby students seeking academic assistance could contact a Peer Helper during regular business hours via MSN Messenger.

LSS Web site

In October, 2005, Learning Support Services launched its newly created Web site, which provided the general framework for the delivery of electronic content throughout the academic year. The Web site serves as a primary means of description for support services offered to students in the Learning Commons, as well as a promotional tool. Furthermore, it gives students access to a growing list of resources that aid in the development of academic skills, including select workshop slides and handouts, and links to material developed by other support services, both within and outside of Carleton.

Publications

Learning Support Services has created a “Ten Tips” series in response to demands for just-in-time service delivery, where students can use professionally developed resources to improve their academic skills at times that are convenient to them. The “Ten Tips” provide hints and strategies for dealing with 20 academic issues that commonly arise during the course of a student’s post-secondary education. The “Ten Tips” series has been printed on 5x7 cards, featuring unique graphical layouts and topic titles on the front of the card, with the 10 tips listed on the back. 10,000 copies of each topic were printed in the Winter term.

Early student and faculty response to the “Ten Tips” series has been overwhelmingly favourable, with many faculty members requesting multiple copies of each topic for distribution in the classes they teach. From the beginning of March to the beginning of April, 2006, approximately 30 cards per day in each available series were picked up by students.

MacOdrum Library

Planning and preparation for the addition of the Learning Commons to the library impacted virtually every department. In particular, the Reference, MADGIC, Collections, Stacks and Systems departments, as well as the Technical Services staff, Library Office, and the Associate Librarian were key internal contributors.

The Library staff has made a very significant contribution to the Learning Commons, ascollaborativepartners inthe development and delivery of support programs and inthe provisionof additional services. The Library is also primarily responsible for the administration of the laptop loan program which has been very successful.

In addition to accommodating student, staff and faculty needs that have arisen in conjunction with both the creation of a new learning space and with a significantly increased volume of patrons, the library has sought to collaborate with other service providers in the development of unique support programming. For instance, the library’s Data Centre has been working extensively with Learning Support Services to address students’ need for numeracy support (particularly for those Carleton students who are not enrolled in a Math or Statistics course). The initial framework for a Quantitative Literacy Program, which consists of a series of staged, interrelated workshops, has been proposed and is expected to assist students with the development of analytical, technical, and practical skills required for successfully conducting and understanding research.

A comparison of the physical infrastructure as well as the library services provided before and after the official opening of the Learning Commonsperhaps better illustrates the positive impact that the reconfigured spacehas had on library operations and on student satisfaction.Since the implementation of the Learning Commons,the library has offered more services and has experienced an overall increase in usage.