Rudaí 23 #thing17: Deeper reflection

In today's post, I will use the reflective practice methods outlined in this task to cast a critical eye over a library tutorial I carried out recently. I'll record the process of creating and presenting the tutorial, examine my feelings about the session and use what I've learned to improve upon the next tutorial. This reflective blog is a timely one for me as I presented my first Refworks tutorial to a group of first year students this week in a computer lab setting. Up until now, Refworks sessions have been given on a one-to-one basis by the library information team, so this was a new departure for the library.

Setting the scene using the Gibbs model, I created a Refworks tutorial for two groups of first year students. I was anxious to plan for the session as carefully as possible because it was a new situation for the team and future similar sessions would be shaped by this one. Part of the remit of the information team I work in is to build positive collaborative relationships with the academic teaching staff within the college, so I consulted the course coordinator about the content of the tutorial. I was aware that the session needed to go well so that this particular member of staff would continue being an advocate of our library service. Planning and carrying out sessions like these successfully is an essential part of what I do and each well-designed and effectively presented class contributes to my own CPD and to the development and reputation of the information service in the library.

I booked the computer lab three weeks in advance of the class and went through the IT set up of the room with a member of the IT staff a week beforehand. I based the tutorial on one-to-one sessions the information team had been giving to staff and students, but mainly to academics. I devised a step-by-step worksheet which students could work along with on the college PCs as I demonstrated the steps on two projection screens in the lab. At the end of each step, I asked the students to raise their hands if they had any questions or had run into difficulties and approached and advised them if they did.

I was concerned that I didn't have a colleague working with me in the class to act as a facilitator. If I was continually stopping and starting the class to answer the students' questions would that interrupt the flow of the session? Would the students who didn't need help become bored and lose interest in the class? As the class progressed, I did indeed feel that a facilitator would have been a useful addition to the experience. I was able to help the students with their questions, using the difficulties they encountered to add to my demonstrations in the class, therefore helping students who were having the same problem. I feel that next time I run a similar class, however, a facilitator would be of great benefit to help answer student questions quickly, without disrupting the remainder of the class. It would also be convenient to have a facilitator who could jot down the questions students were asking so this information could be used to inform the next tutorial.

I'm very familiar with the Refworks package, but there were two questions I was asked in the class which I didn't have immediate answers to. It would have been helpful to have a facilitator there at this point who also had Refworks expertise who might have been able to answer the students' questions on the spot. I took the students' details to investigate the two issues and was able to send one of them an answer the next day, promising the second student that I was following their query up. I learned something important from this - you can't anticipate all the questions that you will be asked in a session no matter how prepared you are. To have a second colleague there as support is of benefit but it's equally as important to be able to field unexpected questions and get back to the students with the answers as soon as possible. This will build a relationship of trust with the students that will encourage them to attend future library training sessions or consult the information service if they have queries on other topics.

I found that the practical elements of the class worked really well as students worked along with the worksheets and demonstrations. Another lesson I learned was that some of the content of the tutorial could have been condensed as it was more relevant to the one-to-one academic sessions used with staff. I noticed that the students grew distracted during the more theoretical elements of the session so for the next session I will use more practical examples instead. This will keep students engaged and help them practise what they've learned. I did a short exercise at the end of this session but feel this could be expanded to help the students retain what they learn during the session. During one of my demonstrations I noticed that some of the students looked confused and I realised that I was speaking quite quickly. I went over the demonstration again and spoke at a slower pace for the rest of the session, checking after each step that the students understood my instructions and watching their body language carefully to verify that.

If I had to repeat this tutorial, I would ask a colleague with a good knowledge of Refworks to facilitate the session. They would be able to assist in answering the students' questions and they would be able to make notes during the class which we could use to improve future sessions. I would also analyse the content of the session further based on the estimated knowledge base of the class, the college course they were undertaking and the relevance of the content to the students' requirements. By using an article supplied by the course lecturer I was able to make the content of the tutorial relevant to the students but there was content that could have been condensed or removed from the tutorial. I feel that I prepared for the session well and established a good rapport with the students, that it was important that they had a worksheet they could take away with them and use at home to practise with. I learned that you can't plan for every situation and question, that the important thing is to establish a good relationship with the students and get back to them with any questions you can't answer in class.

I feel overall that the session went well and that the students had a good understanding of Refworks by the end of the class. I built a good rapport with the students and feel that they are now more likely to come to the information team with any research questions they have. I made contacts with members of IT who I will no doubt be consulting for future sessions and built upon the positive relationship I already had with the course lecturer. As this was a new situation because it was a group tutorial set in a computer lab I had to deal with a certain level of anxiety. I was able to draw on my experience of giving group presentations and on my knowledge of Refworks to make it a positive experience and a valuable session for the students. By coming across as approachable and helpful, the tutorial acted as an advertisement for the information service in the library.

One of the main things I learned was not to try to cover too much ground in one session - it's just not possible to introduce a class to every aspect of Refworks in one hour. In the future I will need to focus on what is essential to the learning requirements of a particular group. By investigating what upcoming assignments they have I can design tutorials for each class and show students where they can get more information if they need it. This will encourage them to explore the online Refworks supports available to them or to come to the information office for an individual consultation if they need more help.

Now I can discuss what I've learned with the information team and use this knowledge to improve the next Refworks session. I'll be able to put together a template for designing similar sessions which will benefit the information service as a whole. This is a good for me personally and professionally, improving my own learning and advancing my professional development as well as being of benefit to the information team. This reflective exercise has given me the ability to describe and evaluate my planning for the session and improve my self-awareness of my performance in class and has ultimately given me the confidence to plan and deliver a stronger tutorial when I give the class again.