Understanding the Undergraduate Workflow: Introducing the Research Project and Roles

Sponsored by SAGE Publishing

Recorded on 09/07/2022
Posted in The Authority File

Episode 277

Students, faculty, and librarians belong to the same higher education ecosystem. And yet, the three stakeholders often lack strong communication and collaboration, leading to accessibility issues, outdated resources, and a general misunderstanding of each party’s unique responsibilities and obstacles. In fact, when faced with something as (seemingly) simple as a course reading list, the student, professor, and librarian can struggle to settle on one process that suits each other’s needs and best serves the root purpose—a functional guide of sources that supports the student learning experience.

In this four-part series, four guests—a professor, student, librarian, and publisher—join the program to discuss the definition, hurdles, and solutions to the undergraduate workflow. They offer their perspectives and guidance through the lens of a recent research project, which gathered data and offered solutions to the undergraduate workflow, starting at the assignment of a reading list to the search for resources and evaluation of the texts. The guests share what they need from the other in order to succeed, whether that be better signage or reading instructions, a uniform online system, access to open resources, or basic understanding of each party’s process.

In this first episode, we introduce our guests: Ian Snowley, Dean of Student Learning Development & University Librarian at the University of Lincoln; Jamie Wood, professor of History and Education at the University of Lincoln; Samantha Sharman, a student at the University of Lincoln and lead researcher on the project; and Matt Hayes, Managing Director at Technology from SAGE. Ian, Jamie, and Samantha offer background on their roles in the research project, while Matt explains SAGE’s interest and support for this topic, and how the research can bolster SAGE’s digital platforms to better serve everyone. Finally, the guests close with thoughts on the why this juncture between student, librarian, and teaching faculty continues to be such a moving target.

About the guests:

Ian Snowley
Dean of Student Learning Development & University Librarian
University of Lincoln

Ian Snowley joined the University of Lincoln as University Librarian in September 2009, before that he was Head of Higher Education at the British Library. His professional career began in Public Libraries followed by posts in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health. After this Ian worked at the Royal Society of Medicine as Director of Information Services. In 2006 he joined the University of London Research Library Services as Director, Academic Services. He was President of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) in 2007.

His professional interests are in academic library and information services strategic management, managing change, project management and planning services. The Library has played a leading role in engaging with and involving students in the development of services, and this has been reflected in strong NSS scores over a number of years. The Library takes the lead on student transition and learning development and has responsibility for archives policy for the University.

Jamie Wood
Professor of History and Education, School of History and Heritage
University of Lincoln

I am a Professor of History and Education in the School of History and Heritage. I specialise in the social, cultural and religious history of the late antique and early Medieval Mediterranean, particularly Spain. I am currently working on a monograph on the Byzantine presence in the Iberian Peninsula in the sixth and seventh centuries. I am working on two other research projects at present: (1) the church and the economy in late antique and early medieval Gaul and Hispania; (2) connections between the Byzantine world and the Atlantic from 500-700. In 2019 I became co-investigator on a 3-year Arts and Humanities Research Council Research Grant, “Doctrine, devotion and cultural expression in the culture of medieval Iberian saints” (AH/S006060/1), led by Professor Emma Hornby of the University of Bristol.

I am co-convenor of History UK, the independent national body promoting and monitoring History in UK Higher Education, funded by History departments across the country. I act as treasurer for the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean. Since summer 2019, I have been chair of the City of Lincoln Branch of the Historical Association. I sit on the boards of the following journals: Early Medieval Europe; Journal of Medieval Iberian Studies; Al-Masaq: Journal of the Medieval Mediterranean. I am also editor of the Amsterdam University Press series, Late Antiquity and Early Medieval Iberia. I am a member of the education committees of both the Royal Historical Society and the Council for University Classics Departments.

Samantha Sharman
Student
University of Lincoln

Samantha attends the University of Lincoln and studies Classics. She was the lead student researcher for this project that explored the student perspectives of reading lists. She has also been a student researcher for the Active Online Reading and Post Pandemic Pedagogies projects. 

Matt Hayes
Managing Director
Technology from SAGE

Matthew is Managing Director of Technology from SAGE, Talis and Lean Library. He has held leadership roles in both start-ups and established research information organizations, including Publons, Taylor & Francis and Springer Nature. Matthew studied Modern History at the University of Oxford and has continued his research interests alongside his career: he is currently completing a PhD in Global Education at the Institute of Education, UCL.

Enjoy the conversation? Listen to the rest of the series:

• The Student Perspective
• Library and Faculty Partnerships
• Bringing It All Together

Check out our previous series with SAGE Publishing:
– Spotlighting Academic Library Innovation
– The Myth of the COVID-Transformed Workplace
– Preparing Diverse Students for Success in the Academic and Private Sectors
– Academic Librarianship in the Age of COVID
– A New Approach to Info Lit

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