Services Supporting Learning in Wales: a quality toolkit for evaluating LRSs in FE colleges

1. Services Supporting Learning in Wales: a quality toolkit for evaluating LRSs in FE colleges Dr Andrew Eynon Library Resource Manager,Coleg Llandrillo Toolkit Project Manager

2. Welsh FE/library sector fforwm – Welsh association of colleges fforwm LRM network CyMAL – Museums, Archives & Libraries Wales Estyn – Welsh schools & colleges inspectorate ELWa – Education & Learning Wales (Welsh funding council) DELLS – (Welsh) Dept of Education, Lifelong Learning & Skills - replaced ELWa in April 2006

3. Why do we need a quality toolkit? Colleges evaluate themselves against a variety of criteria Inspection bodies only give learning resources a cursory examination Need for up to date benchmarks

4. Partners Fforwm LRM Network CyMAL JISC RSC-Wales

5. Welsh Quality Toolkit -What are the differences?

6. Key Questions Key question 1: Does the Learning Resource Service provide an effective learning environment? Key question 2: Is the service sufficiently staffed with suitably qualified and experienced staff? Key question 3: Are learners provided with appropriate access to learning resources that meet the demands of their learning experience? Key question 4: Does the service demonstrate successful integration of ILT/ICT?

7. Key Questions Key question 5: Does the provision of user support enhance the quality of the student experience? Key question 6: Is the service accessible to, and inclusive of, all learners? Key question 7: Is the learning resource service effectively managed, does it have a robust quality assurance process and is it making good use of library management information?

8. Each Key Question contains: Quality Indicators Key Prompts Examples of Evidence Performance Indicators Grade Illustrations

9. Grading - Wales Grade 1: Good with outstanding features Grade 2: Good features and no important shortcomings Grade 3: Good features outweigh shortcomings Grade 4: Some good features, but shortcomings in important areas Grade 5: Many important shortcomings

10. Advantages of using the toolkit: Judge quality of performance against a set of criteria Identify development needs and priorities Highlight best practice Identify patterns of service strength and weakness Develop service improvement action plans

11. Keeping up the standard Staff development on using the toolkit Guidance notes Peer review Review of toolkit

12. Peer evaluation Funding secured in April 2006 to develop a peer evaluation scheme Influenced by Helicon, CoLRiC, MCCL and the MLA scheme in Yorkshire & Humberside

13. Project outline Develop peer evaluation checklists Train peer assessors Establish guidelines for assessors Carry out pilot peer evaluations Coleg Menai Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor Swansea College

14. Issues Need for bilingual assessors Need for all-Wales benchmarks Specific need for qualitative benchmarking

15. Further Information Fforwm www.fforwm.ac.uk RSC-Wales www.rsc-wales.ac.uk