Research for Design: Exploring Student and Instructor Attitudes toward Accessing Library Resources and Services from Course Management Systems (CMS)

Abstract

The authors report a study concerning student and instructor attitudes toward accessing library resources and services from within course management systems (CMS). In spring 2008, the authors conducted semi-structured interviews with a small population of students and instructors at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) and at Colorado State University (CSU). They asked participants to respond to examples of library integrations in course management systems at other institutions and to report their local experiences with both the campus CMS and library services. Participant responses frequently challenged and complicated the authors' assumptions about best practices in integrating a library presence and library services in CMS. The interview findings are discussed thematically, in relation to higher education and library literature, and can inform librarians' efforts to integrate an effective library presence in a campus course management system. This study might be readily adapted for implementation at other institutions.

Keywords

• course management systems; libraries; user studies; faculty attitudes; student attitudes