Executive Summary

The Student as Researcher programme delivers a joined-up, ‘step-by-step’ approach to developing the information fluency of undergraduate students (alongside other academic skills) throughout their time at Warwick.

In February 2011, the Library successfully bid to the IATL Strategic Projects fund to help us take this forward. In September 2011 we employed a Project Officer for one year to work with Library colleagues, other support agencies and academic partners to develop, test, refine and promote the Student as Researcher programme over 2011/12. The Library has now submitted its Final Project Report outlining the outcomes of the pilot projects, lessons learnt and areas of potential future activity.

The Library has prioritised the Student as Researcher and found resource to fund the Project Officer post for one more year (2012/13). This will enable us to build on the work undertaken in pilot areas and provide limited extension of the programme to new Departments.

However, demand for participation in the programme has increased substantially following the success of the pilot projects and the Institutional Teaching and Learning Review. The level of demand, e.g., from large Science Departments, is unexpected and beyond our ability to meet within current resource.

This interim funding would provide a foundation for longer-term working: the Library would seek to embed a Project Officer in its ongoing staffing and develop the Academic Support Librarian model to further mainstream Student as Researcher as a core Library activity. We will also continue to work in partnership with other support agencies across campus in exploring a more coherent approach to skills delivery in the long-term to bring both efficiency gains and to provide an enhanced student experience.