4. Objectives, issues, and key strategic initiatives 2008-2010

Key Area 3: Learning Skills

Objective: To develop students’ core academic skills for independent and lifelong learning through a coordinated range of high quality, timely, responsive and cost-effective learning support services.

Ongoing Activities:

To position learning skills services within the Library’s organisational and budgetary structures.
To develop, implement, evaluate and review learning skills programs.
To advance a service model that is aligned with and builds upon the concept of the learning commons and the Library's information literacy programs, to deliver high quality, coordinated services.
To develop a distributed staffing structure that facilitates the operation of an efficient, cost effective and responsive learning skills service.
To manage faculty expectations and provide a well communicated service offer.

Issues: The Library has an opportunity to build upon its information literacy initiatives and create a suite of services targeted to the development of students’ academic literacies. Service challenges include achieving appropriate inclusion of learning skills programs within curricula across the University.

Monash University’s large numbers of international and non-English speaking background students require particular assistance and come from a variety of educational backgrounds and entry pathways. This presents challenges in a large, diverse and distributed university.

Opportunities and challenges surround the use of diagnostic assessment tools for commencing students. Such tools facilitate early identification of ‘at risk’ students and provide an opportunity for targeted support services, but will be resource intensive to support.

Effective learning skills programs depend upon effective relationships with faculties, student bodies and key centres like the Monash Research Graduate School (MRGS), Careers and Employment and the Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CALT), which retains responsibility for staff teaching support. Important external bodies include Monash College and the Monash University English Language Centre (MUELC), which currently delivers the fee for service ADEPT learning support program to the Faculty of Business and Economics’ Graduate School of Business. A key issue is whether the Library will continue to coordinate delivery of this program by MUELC or deliver it directly.

A review of the Library’s learning skills service is scheduled for late 2008. The development of meaningful key performance indicators for the service is critical to this process.

The Library needs to understand the policy and regulatory framework that governs the provision of learning support services and to implement practices that ensure compliance with legislative requirements.

Whilst Monash overseas campuses are currently outside the scope of the Library’s learning skills service, the Library is intent on developing connections with similar services at these campuses and assisting with the establishment of a similar service model in overseas contexts.

Key Strategic Initiatives

Strategies	Actions	Measures/Targets/KPIs	Responsibility
3.1 Support the development of learning skills throughout the University.	Establish the Learning Skills Unit within the Library.	Staff appointed (Manager, advisers, coordinators) and the unit’s staffing structure developed.	Learning Skills Manager; University Librarian; Directors, Client Services.
	Develop, implement, evaluate and review learning skills programs for delivery to faculties.	Programs developed and delivered. Evaluation and review processes developed. Programs meet faculty and University needs as expressed in 2008 review.	Learning Skills Manager; Learning Skills Advisers; Directors, Client Services; Information Literacy Librarian; Subject Librarians.
	Work with faculties and Library staff to further embed learning skills and information literacy programs within undergraduate and postgraduate coursework curricula across campuses.	Communication avenues with faculties developed. Demonstrated liaison activities between Learning Skills Advisers and subject librarians. Increased number of programs embedded in curricula. Pre and post testing undertaken in a minimum of 3 units.	Learning Skills Manager; Learning Skills Advisers; Directors, Client Services; Information Literacy Librarian; Subject Librarians.
	Improve collaboration across the Library, and with CALT, Careers and Employment, ITS and the MRGS to ensure broad adoption of effective teaching methods and improved learning support.	Effective learning skills education methods developed. The Library has input to teacher / supervisor training programs.	Learning Skills Manager; Learning Skills Advisers; Directors, Client Services; Information Literacy Librarian; Subject Librarians.
	Contribute to the establishment of policies and procedures for use of diagnostic testing and assessment tools within the University environment	Membership of Monash University International Taskforce on English Language. Diagnostic and assessment tools included in University teaching.	Learning Skills Manager; University Librarian; Directors, Client Services; Information Literacy Librarian; Learning Skills Advisers; faculties
	Develop and commence implementation of an integrated academic literacies framework, including learning skills, information literacy and IT skills.	Framework developed and implementation commenced.	Learning Skills Manager; Information Literacy Librarian; Learning Skills Advisers; Faculty Teams; Directors, Client Services; Director, Central Services.
3.2 Establish Learning Skills Unit planning and quality activities	Establish accountability mechanisms for the Learning Skills Unit and programs.	Library-Faculties service level agreement reviewed and amended. Learning skills Key Performance Indicators established.	Learning Skills Manager; University Librarian; Directors, Client Services.
	Establish communication mechanisms with Monash College and MUELC to determine ongoing requirement for learning support services to faculties.	Ongoing communication avenues established. Ongoing model for delivery of fee for service programs determined. 2008 review shows faculties satisfied with Library coordination of programs including any delivered by Monash College/MUELC.	Learning Skills Manager; Learning Skills Advisers; University Librarian; Directors, Client Services; Monash College; MUELC.
	Ensure that the Library’s learning skills service complies with the applicable regulatory framework.	Compliance issues identified and policy and procedures established as required.	Learning Skills Manager; University Librarian; Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Working Party. .
	Ensure that 2008 review of learning skills service is undertaken, with input from faculties, students and other key stakeholders.	Review completed.	Learning Skills Manager; University Librarian; Directors, Client Services; Director, Central Services; faculties; other stakeholders.
3.5 Make learning skills information easy to locate, access and use.	Assess and evaluate learning support website accessibility and maintenance requirements and ongoing form.	Requirements evaluated. Ongoing website form determined, budget identified and implemented.	Learning Skills Manager; Library Web Manager; Learning Skills Advisers; CALT