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Flipping the cataloguing class: equipping and empowering cataloguers for the hybrid cataloguing environment

Welsh, A; (2014) Flipping the cataloguing class: equipping and empowering cataloguers for the hybrid cataloguing environment. Presented at: Faster, Smarter, Richer: Reshaping the Library Catalogue, Rome, Italy. Green open access

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Abstract

With not only the Library of Congress and British Library moving to RDA in 2013 (Wiggins, 2012; Danskin, 2013), but also major research libraries including Cambridge University Library, the Bodleian and Trinity College, Dublin (Carty, 2013; O’Reilly, 2013; McManus, 2013), while others are adopting a wait and see approach (Gryspeerdt, 2012), it is not only current cataloguing staff who are required to understand and be able to create records in both the old (AACR2) and the new (RDA) cataloguing standards; library school students must prepare for a working life in which their future employers may be looking for expertise in one standard, or the other, or both. This paper presents the findings of a project to introduce a flipped classroom model to the core cataloguing module on University College London’s MA in Library and Information Studies. As a teaching and learning concept, the flipped classroom has been gaining coverage in the academic press both for secondary and tertiary education. In essence, the provision of video and other online content enables students to undertake the passive learning that normally occurs in a classroom at home and to complete activities in class-time that previously were undertaken as homework. Based on the well-established theories of John Dewey that experience is the mediator of knowledge (Dewey, 1929) and that we learn best not merely through the performance of an educator at the front of a room but by undertaking activities independently of the educator, although with their appropriate support (Dewey, 1897), the flipped classroom provides a student-centred approach as opposed to a “one size fits all” approach to teaching (Michael, 2006). Although all students must complete at least one year’s experience working in an information service, the cataloguing experience of individual class members varies greatly at the start of the module, and this is a challenge for both students and instructors (Middleton, 2013; Welsh, 2013). In this study, the flipped classroom model, with its greater capacity to accommodate individualized learning, was found to accelerate learning for both beginning cataloguers and those with greater experience at point of entry. An anonymised analysis of the results of the assessment (due in January 2014), alongside a comparison with previous years’ assessment results will be used to evaluate whether this aspect of the flipped classroom may be regarded as having ‘leveled the playing field’ for students, or whether the spread of results is the same as in previous years even although the students’ perception of their learning is different. This research investigated several aspects of the flipped classroom, and, in particular, the following research questions: • Does the flipped classroom provide enough support for students to learn two cataloguing standards (AACR2 and RDA) in a module with the same student:teacher contact time (30 hours) that it had when only one standard (AACR2) had to be learned? • Which elements of the module worked best in a flipped format? • Are there elements of a basic cataloguing module that benefit from presentation in standard lecture format, as Strayer (2012) found in the introductory Statistics courses he evaluated? o If so, what are these elements? • Did students spend more time outside class in learning the two standards than was needed to learn one standard in previous years, or did the flipped classroom materials provide any efficiency in saving time? o If so, which materials were most helpful in this regard. • Did students’ results from the module assessment match their expectations? • Are their negative impacts from the flipped classroom model? o If so, what are they? Data was collected from students using a survey and interviews. These methods were particularly appropriate intruments to gather information both on factual aspects (e.g. “How long did you spend working on learning cataloguing outside class) and subjective observations (e.g. “Would you feel confident to apply for a cataloguing role now you have completed the module?”). Data on students’ subjective observations was considered useful and important with regard both to the perceived impact of the flipped classroom and their expectations of their performance in the assessment. A phenomenon of the assessment in previous years, when cataloguing was taught using a “one size fits all” model was that students commonly expected to do much worse in the assessment than either the teacher expected or, more significantly, in terms of how they actually did perform. Any lessening of this “perception gap” is a positive gain. There are some limitations to the study. It presents action research, which, although following robust academic standard, was gathered with the principal aim of providing data to assist in the further development and fine-tuning of the module materials and delivery for the next academic session. The sample size (30 students) is not large, although it represents the entire cohort for the MA LIS in 2013-14. Finally, as the last MA LIS course in the UK that offers detailed instruction in cataloguing standards (Bowman 2006; Whalen-Moss, 2007; Wiley, 2011), as opposed to a more general approach based solely on principles and concepts (Bawden, 2012), the course does attract those new entrants to the profession who are particularly interested in Cataloguing, Classification and Systems work, and this may skew results somewhat with regard to enthusiasm about Cataloguing in general and cataloguing standards in particular. Nonetheless, the findings of this study of the first year of the flipped classroom at UCL are extensible to others teaching and training Cataloguing and indicate that a blended learning approach of videos, handouts, direction to other useful online sources; in-class lectures; and interactive activities provides a powerful and rewarding method for delivering instruction in AACR2, RDA, MARC 21 and BIBFRAME. This paper suggests that the future of cataloguing teaching and learning, like the future of catalogue records themselves, is hybrid. References Bowman, J.H. (2006) ‘Education and Training for Cataloguing and Classification in the British Isles’. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 41: 3-4, 309-333, http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J104v41n03_07 (visited 26 November 2013). Carty, C. (2013) ‘Cambridge University RDA Implementation’. LIS-UKBIBS 28 April, https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=lis-ukbibs;c1c2f514.1303 (visited 26 November 2013). Danskin, A. (2013) ‘FW: RDA Implementation at the British Library’. LIS-UKBIBS 2 April, https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=lis-ukbibs;3d76f918.1304 (visited 26 November 2013). Dewey, J. (1897) ‘My Pedagodic Creed’. The School Journal 54(3): 77-80. Dewey, J. (1929) Experience and Nature. London: Allen & Unwin. Gryspeerdt, K. (2012) EURIG Survey on Adoption of RDA, 2012: Report. EURIG, http://www.slainte.org.uk/eurig/docs/EURIG_Survey_2012_v1_Final.pdf (visited 26 November 2013). McManus, J. (2013) ‘Trinity College Library, Dublin RDA Implementation’. LIS-UKBIBS 9 May, https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=lis-ukbibs;a4cc57bd.1305 (visited 26 November 2013). Michael, J. (2006) ‘Where’s the Evidence that Active Learning Works?’ Advances in Physiology Education 30: 159-167. Middleton, C. (2013) ‘The Experiences of a New Cataloguer’. Catalogue and Index (in press). O’Reilly, B. (2013) ‘Re: Oxford University/Bodleian RDA Implementation’. LIS-UKBIBS 3 April, https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A2=lis-ukbibs;78ca053a.1304 (visited 26 November 2013). Strayer, J. (2012) ‘How Learning in an Inverted Classroom Influences Co-operation, Innovation and Task Orientation’. Learning Environments 15(2): 171. Welsh, A. (2011) ‘Teaching RDA in 2010-11’. Catalogue & Index 163: 5-9, http://www.cilip.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/CandII163.pdf Whalen-Moss, K. (2007) ‘Swings & Roundabouts: the Role of Cataloguing and Classification in the LIS Curriculum’. Catalogue & Index 155: 3-14, http://www.cilip.org.uk/sites/default/files/documents/155online.pdf (visited 26 November 2013). Wiggins, B. (2012) ‘Library of Congress Announces its Long-Range RDA Training Plan (Updated March 2, 2012)’, Library of Congress Cataloguing and Acquisitions, http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/news_rda_implementation_date.html (visited 26 November 2013). Wiley, M. (2011) ‘Cataloguing the Curriculum’. AULIC MSc Presentations, April, http://www.slideshare.net/meganwiley/cataloguing-the-curriculum (visited 26 November 2013).

Type: Conference item (Presentation)
Title: Flipping the cataloguing class: equipping and empowering cataloguers for the hybrid cataloguing environment
Event: Faster, Smarter, Richer: Reshaping the Library Catalogue
Location: Rome, Italy
Dates: 2014-02-27 - 2014-10-28
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Publisher version: http://www.aib.it/attivita/congressi/c2014/fsr2014...
Language: English
Keywords: cataloguing, cataloging, education, extended classroom, flipped classroom, Library and Information Studies
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > SELCS
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1450942
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