eLearning Object Survey
UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG LIBRARY
AUTHOR: KRISTEN BLINCO
DATE: 19/04/2010
BACKGROUND
The University of Wollongong Library is currently investigating the best use of eLearning objects to
support the teaching and research needs of Library clients. This survey was developed to support
investigations for the development of new eLearning objects as part of the inaugural 2010 UOW Library
Innovation Grant.
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
An online survey was developed through SurveyMonkey software. The survey was distributed to the
Dallianz (Deputies and Associate Librarians in Australia and New Zealand) e-list and the Aurora
Leadership Institute 2010 Alumni e-list. The survey was sent to both of the above e-lists on the 11th March
and 18th March respectively. The survey closed on 6th April.
COMPLETED SURVEYS
40 attempts were made and 34 completed responses were received.
PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS
A total of 30 libraries participated in the survey, with the vast majority of responses originating from
academic libraries. Responses were received from the following libraries:
Auckland University of Technology Library
Australian Institute of Marine Science Library
Bond University Library
Central Queensland University Library
Charles Darwin University Library
City of Boroondara Library Service
Corporate Information Service
Curtin University Library
Deakin University Library
Flinders University Library
Gardiner Library Service, John Hunter Hospital
Macquarie University Library
Massey University Library
Monash University Library
Moreton Bay Regional Library Service
National Library of New Zealand
Open Polytechnic Library
Queensland University of Technology Library
RMIT University Library
Southern Cross University Library
Swinburne University Library
University of Adelaide Library
University of New England Library
University of New South Wales Library
University of Queensland Library
University of Southern Queensland Library
University of Tasmania Library
University of Technology, Sydney Library
University of Western Australia Library
University of Wollongong Library
RESULTS
Do they use eLearning objects to explain library services and resources?
Over 87% of responding libraries used eLearning objects/demonstrations to explain different library
services and resources (eg: short videos, interactive games, etc). Other responding libraries did not yet
use eLearning objects within their organisation.
Selected Comments:
 “We use eLearning demonstrations for staff training, but not for the public”.
How are the resources developed?
 23 of the participating libraries developed their eLearning resources within their library.
 2 developed the resources in another department within the organisation.
ELEARNING OBJECT SURVEY, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG LIBRARY, APRIL 2010
Page 1

10 respondents suggested that their Libraries used a combination of resources to assist, eg: library
and other department within the organisation (instructional designer, educational media unit).
Selected Comments:
 “…collaboration with faculties and with students with specialist skills and knowledge eg media students”.
 “Some we've done ourselves and some we've commissioned students to do”.
Which department in the library handles the development of these resources?
The majority of Libraries develop their eLearning resources through their reference and liaison librarian
team.
 14 libraries developed resources through their Reference and Liaison Librarians only.
 4 libraries developed resources via a combination of Reference and Liaison Librarians and Library IT
staff.
 2 libraries developed resources via their Library IT staff only.
 3 libraries developed resources from any library staff that were available.
Selected Comments:
 “Staff within the Services Development Unit, of the Information Service Department have responsibility
for production. However, a wider group contributes to content”.
What types of eLearning objects are developed?
The top three types of eLearning objects that responding libraries developed were:
 Screencasts (58%)
 Interactive demonstrations (58%)
 Podcasts (52%)
Other resources developed by these libraries included:
 Games
 Wikis
 Digital stories
 Self tests
 Online tutorials
Selected Comments:
 “We did create podcasts however feel that their usage does not warrant continuing to produce any more
and, in fact, we will be culling our existing resources”.
 “Keypad software has just been introduced. Some LL's have intergrated this software into their lessons
some haven't. It's very individual”.
What software is used to create these resources?
15% of librarians who responded to this question were unsure of what software was used to create their
resources. The most popular software products used to create eLearning resources were:
 Adobe Captivate (58%)
 MS PowerPoint (42%)
 Camtasia Studio (27%)
 Jing (9%)
Other products included:
 iMovie
 Snagit
 Magnolia
 Audition
 HTML
 Video introductions, recorded tutorials
 Movie Maker
ELEARNING OBJECT SURVEY, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG LIBRARY, APRIL 2010
Page 2






Audacity
Creative Commons images
Screenflow (for Apple Mac)
PBWiki, Ning
Flash
Viewlet Builder
Selected Comments:
 “We used Captivate a couple of years ago but have not developed many of these at all”.
 “Varies on level of professional involvement from pro/semi-pro video and audio editing to just what
comes with small hand-held cameras and what we've got at home on laptops, like iMovie”.
How often are these resources updated?
25 respondents to this question (over 78%) updated their eLearning objects as the need arose.
Other responses included:
 Have not reviewed them yet
 Just starting my first ones
 They are still in development
 At the beginning of each university semester
 New position created, currently updating them
Selected Comments:
 “The e-learning co-ordinator position is new, so we are in the process of both creating and updating
existing material”.
 “So far we just keep adding more because it hasn't been going long enough for any of them to "expire"
or cease to be useful. Guess we'll retire and re-shoot as needed”.
 “We've only just begun this process and so far there is no policy on updating but I would hope at least
every 6 months”.
How is usage of eLearning objects measured?
69% of respondents to this question measured usage through number of hits/views.
Other methods for measuring usage included:
 Interviews
 Focus Groups
 Subject matter expert evaluations
 Licence usage
 Blogs
 Feedback from students and academic staff
Selected Comments:
 “At this early stage I doubt that spending too much time deciding what metric to use is that useful. We
see it as an experiment that does not need to be killed off too early by over-zealous analysis”.
 “Direct feedback from students and academic staff, and feedback from colleagues in the course of their
student contact.”
Are eLearning resources publicly available?
75% were available on a public website.
Selected Comments:
 “Some are and they're free to share. Because of institutional systems, more of the Faculty specific
guides are now behind closed systems…thus not available”.
 “Some are available free online, others are embedded in Blackboard, but may go on our website soon”.
 “Some is available, but not all. For example, material that is applicable to specific units is not available
publicly”.
ELEARNING OBJECT SURVEY, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG LIBRARY, APRIL 2010
Page 3
Do these eLearning resources meet the needs of your clients?
Responses to this question included:
 Somewhat (68% of respondees)
 Very much so (16% of respondees)
 Neutral (12.5% of respondees)
Selected Comments:
 “In our environment, face to face training works best, however the Captivate training is useful for those
who don't have time to see the research team for an induction session”.
 “We have found it more beneficial to create specific objects for specific needs (i.e. objects targeted to a
specific subject area, showing how to search databases used in that specific subject area), rather than
making available a bunch of generic objects that may or may not meet student needs”.
 “I don't think we've had time to properly promote them yet...
 “They're working, but the more we develop the more we learn what we can do, and want to develop..
students are appreciative, but we as librarians can see more improvements, and are working to meet
our specific faculty student needs actively.”
 “We are working on offering tutorials that are tailored to specific disciplines rather than being generic.”
 “We are in the process of creating a development plan to extend our response to the needs of our
clients.”
 “YouTube is used, particularly by new students as one of their top preferred methods of asccess to
information on the web. We need to be able to communicate with them in this medium. We need to
learn how best to do that. It is best to learn by doing and by doing it yourself”.
 “Better still to incorporate into University Blackboard courses in consultation with academic staff”.
General Comments
 “What the survey doesn't touch on is what our staff learn and gain by either producing, writing,
directing or "staring" in these videos. All who have been involved have enjoyed the process and seem
keen on doing more (including me). They have gained many new skills and practiced others such as:
creating, writing & editing content for the web; shooting and editing digital sound and video material;
new presentation talents; and small project management. So, as an active learning developmental
experience for our staff alone, I believe these efforts have been well worth it”.
PUBLICLY AVAILABLE ELEARNING OBJECTS
Responding libraries provided links of their publicly available eLearning objects. The eLearning objects
that libraries listed as their most utilised eLearning objects are bolded.
Auckland University of Technology
Library
http://www.aut.ac.nz/rc/library/EmpowerTutorial2/index.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zro0jiCwHQ0
Charles Darwin University Library
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/researchingskills/
http://www.cdu.edu.au/library/images/honline.gif
http://learnline.cdu.edu.au/myresearch/
City of Boroondara Library Service
www.boroondaralearning2.ning.com
Flinders University Library
http://www.flinders.edu.au/library/tutorial/
Gardiner Library Service, John
Hunter Hospital
http://www.gardinerlibrary.com/Default.aspx?id=41
http://www.gardinerlibrary.com/Default.aspx?id=41#ordering
Macquarie University Library
www.library.mq.edu.au/vdx/onlinetutorial/index.html
Massey University Library
http://connect.massey.ac.nz/endnotequickstart/
Monash University Library
http://lib.monash.edu/tutorials/citing/
ELEARNING OBJECT SURVEY, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG LIBRARY, APRIL 2010
Page 4
Moreton Bay Regional Library
Service
Open Polytechnic Library
http://library.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/MBRCDemo/PlaceReservati
on.htm
http://library.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/MBRCDemo/RenewItems.ht
m
http://library.openpolytechnic.ac.nz/screens/peekinside.html
Queensland University of
Technology Library
Southern Cross University Library
https://pilot.library.qut.edu.au/index.jsp
Swinburne University Library
http://www.swinburne.edu.au/lib/researchhelp/tutorials.htm
University of Adelaide Library
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/help/tutorials/
University of New England Library
http://www.une.edu.au/library/podcasts
http://www.une.edu.au/library/eskillsune/
University of Queensland Library
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/services/tours.html
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/services/help.html#3
http://www.library.uq.edu.au/services/help.html#4
University of Southern Queensland
Library
http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/tutorials.htm
University of Tasmania Library
University of Technology, Sydney
Library
http://www.utas.edu.au/library/online_tutorials/Onlinetutorial
s.html
http://www.youtube.com/user/UTSLibrary#p/u/1/iLelhZHb3G
8
http://www.youtube.com/user/UTSLibrary#p/u/10/q5x6wJymWU
University of Western Australia
Library
http://www.postgraduate.uwa.edu.au/students/journey
http://www.meddent.uwa.edu.au/teaching/acq
University of Wollongong Library
http://www.library.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/
@lib/documents/doc/uow073656.pdf
http://www.library.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@lib/
documents/mm/uow069619.swf
http://www.uow.edu.au/student/services/fye/resources/startsmart
/UOW070056.html
http://www.scu.edu.au/library/index.php/62/
http://libguides.scu.edu.au/content.php?pid=68648&sid=507540
http://libguides.scu.edu.au/EDU00221
ELEARNING OBJECT SURVEY, UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG LIBRARY, APRIL 2010
Page 5