JISC

Start date: 1 September 2000

End date: 31 March 2003

Funding programme: Learning and Teaching (5/99) programme

Project website: http://inhale.hud.ac.uk/

INHALE builds on the work of the Huddersfield Information Project which created a framework for students to find, select and use information sources for a particular academic task.

INHALE will use the ubiquity of the Web to "open the door" to the richness of the DNER initiative which at the moment remains largely unexploited by students. A central concept will be the integration of the resources into a virtual learning environment (VLE) such as Blackboard and portability between subjects and VLEs at other universities.

Aims and Objectives

The INHALE project will create a set of interactive, Web-based learning materials which will enable students to exploit relevant, high quality electronic information. This will include sources and services available to students locally and also those which form the DNER.

The overall aim of the project is to develop a transferable model which can be used across various subject areas and by other institutions, as well as benefiting Huddersfield nursing and health learners. The specific objectives are to:

• Create web-based information skills packages within nursing and health modules offered via Blackboard
• Create five 'free-standing' information skills modules and additional modules in another subject area, such as Business
• Create a searchable database of learning objects freely available on the Internet
• Measure the impact of the materials on the student experience in partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University, Manchester Metropolitan University and colleagues in the National Health Service (NHS)
• Produce a model which can be replicated across disciplines and at other institutions
• Disseminate the project’s findings iteratively to members of the further and higher education community

Project design

Whilst INHALE will use quantitative analysis to track student use of the materials, overall the approach taken will be qualitative. In order to gauge the impact of the materials, baseline information will be gathered by questionnaire, focus groups and observation to feed into the evaluation phases. The project will involve an information needs analysis with staff and students, the identification of appropriate modules and learning outcomes, and the specification, creation and design of the materials themselves. It will include an audit of technical requirements to ensure that the packages produced can be embedded into a VLE at Huddersfield and at partner institutions, trial and testing of the materials with students and staff and iterative evaluation phases to test the utility of the materials and their impact on learners.

Outcomes

The materials produced by the project will equip students with the necessary information skills to make full use of the emerging services in the national electronic resource. Over time this is likely to affect the information seeking behaviour of students and allow them to explore a much wider range of resources. Ultimately, use of the INHALE products will be a practical demonstration of the impact of the DNER on the learning experience. Once incorporated into a VLE they will form an integral part of the academic/subject materials delivered in this way. The monitoring and evaluation of the project deliverables will feed into the supply chain to other institutions, the results of which will be widely disseminated to all stakeholders. These include the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN) Subject Centres, the Resource Discovery Network hubs, colleges, universities and health libraries.