Presented at LILAC 2024.

1. Develop with Derby
Creating an online platform to support
school students’ information skills
Wider Context
Many UK universities, as part of their recruitment, outreach and widening
participation remit, facilitate visits from local schools. They provide insight into
what options are available post college or 6th form and help students to make
informed decisions about their future (Barkat, 2019). Crucially, for young
people from disadvantaged backgrounds, visits can improve attainment
through raising aspirations and progression to university (Thornton et al,
2014). Visits also enable school students to develop their personal and
academic skills through a targeted range of events and activities.
School visits also form part of a university’s marketing and student recruitment
strategy. Open days, campus tours, subject taster sessions, all showcase the
facilities that are available to prospective students. Libraries play
a key role in the university's civic agenda. In developing
outreach activities that dovetail with those of the institution,
libraries demonstrate their value, impact and relevance
(Graves, S. et al 2018).
University Context
At the University of Derby, the Widening Access (WA) and Schools and
Colleges Liaison (SCL) teams provide local schools with a programme of
events designed to highlight the breadth of options available to students at the
university. As part of this, the library provides a library tour and access to print
resources and study space, along with skills development sessions on finding
information and referencing. These visits form part of the library’s outreach
activities and are a key aspect of our ‘community’ strategic pillar.
During the academic year 22/23, the Academic Librarian team delivered 13
sessions to seven schools. The current academic year has seen a marked
increase in visits, with 24 sessions (11 schools) delivered between November
and April. There has also been a shift in the types of sessions
requested. Some schools have asked for virtual sessions streamed
into the classroom or for staff to go into their school and deliver
workshops in person. However, due to workload and staffing
limitations, we have not been able to accommodate these requests.
Project Development
In order to meet this growing need, members of the Academic Librarian team
proposed an online resource of asynchronous content, which would offer
‘follow up’ guidance for visiting school students, provide information skills
support for schools who were unable to visit and help bridge the gap into
university.
The inspiration for the platform style was Develop@Derby, the University’s
skills offer for current University of Derby students. For the new project, a
brand title of Develop with Derby was selected to reflect that the new
resource provides transferable skills and support for pre-university study.
Develop with Derby is aligned with our Information Literacy Framework and
designed specifically with pre-university learners in mind. We aim to support
the skills that school students need for their current studies, as well as the
skills they will need for a potential transition to HE.
Launch and Reception
Develop with Derby was launched in September 2023. Details were sent to
relevant teams in the University to share with schools, whilst the library team
promoted the new site at the first University Open Day of the year. In October
2023 there were 792 views of Develop with Derby. Since launch, the most
popular section has been ‘Writing for School and College’, followed by
‘Mindsets for Success’ and ‘Finding and Evaluating Sources of Information’.
Whilst feedback forms are included in each section, we have had no direct
feedback from pre-university learners themselves, which is a gap we need to
proactively address. However, feedback from within the University has been
incredibly positive, including from colleagues in teams working directly with
schools, and through the University’s committee structure. Recent inclusion at
the University’s Learning and Teaching Committee has led to potential
collaborations with other areas of the
University.
Future Plans
Develop with Derby is a dynamic project with exciting potential for
development. Whilst the current content aligns with the University’s
Information Literacy Framework, we are going to conduct content analysis to
assess the development of skills for industry.
We hope to begin to include content co-created with school students who join
us for work experience, as well as increasing and improving our current
content with the inclusion of pre-recorded workshops and online tutorials.
We have also begun discussions with other University departments following
on from the positive reception at Learning and Teaching Committee, including
the potential to include:
• Links to a MOOC currently being developed, aimed at pre-university
students in history
• Subject specific revision videos
• Information on Academic Wellbeing for students preparing to study at HE
libguides.derby.ac.uk/develop-with-derby
Shortlisted for the
Information Literacy Award 2024
References
Barkat, S. (2019) ‘Evaluating the impact of the Academic Enrichment Programme on widening access to selective universities: Application of the Theory of
Change framework’, British Educational Research Journal, 45(6), pp. 1160–1185.
Graves, S. et al (2018) Demonstrating Library Value Through Outreach Goals and Assessment. Available at:
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/8/demonstrating-library-value-through-outreach-goals-and-assessment (Accessed: 08 November 2023).
Thornton, A. et al (2014). School and college-level strategies to raise aspirations of high-achieving disadvantaged pupils to pursue higher education
investigation. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c1c0340f0b61a825d6828/RB296_-_School_and_College-
level_Strategies_to_Raise_Aspirations_of_High-achieving_Disadvantaged_Pupils_to_Pursue_Higher_Education_Investigation.pdf (Accessed: 19 February
2024).