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Reading List Support : Benefits to using the reading lists system

Mae'r dudalen hon hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg

What is a Talis Aspire online reading list?

You will want your students to have access to certain materials during their studies.  These may be essential that they will need in order to progress, recommended resources that would be helpful, or simply background materials that you think they may find interesting.      

 

The Aspire reading lists system is a quick and easy way of providing these.  You can include all sorts of resources including print & e-books, journal articles, videos, podcasts, online resources, and websites. You can add a resource to a reading list in seconds which can also include:

 

  • context (student notes)
  • priority  (Essential, Recommended or Background)
  • direct access for USW resources (the Library sorts out authentication)
  • tools that your students can use to help them plan their reading/viewing/listening

 

If you create a reading list with different sections, you can add them to different parts of your Blackboard teaching materials.  This means that, regardless of which module they're in, students will know what to look for to find their resources.

Why do I need a reading list?

  • Consistency in finding and using resources across all modules.
  • Personal planning features ("Will read", "Reading now" or "Have read" tags and personal notes features).
  • Your annotations guide and scaffold learning.
  • Use filters to quickly and easily find specific materials.

  • Instantly see Library availability.
  • Access resources from anywhere without authentication issues.
  • Full Library availability (choice of preferred e-book/e-journal providers).
  • Resources with full bibliographic information, instead of basic file names.

  • Available in both Welsh and English.
  • Mobile-friendly.
  • Links to Library support from every reading list.
  • Broken links can be reported to the Library.
  • Speed and efficiency!

  • Lists are quick to create and edit.

  • Adding resources is a really fast process.  Much quicker than downloading and then re-uploading something into Blackboard. 

  • In most cases you don’t even need to type any of the resource’s details in as the system does that for you.

  • Edit instantly throughout the year.
  • Annotate lists to guide your students:
    • headings to help students understand when/why they need these resources.
    • add notes for guidance.
    • importance levels (Essential, Recommended or Background) for prioritisation.
    • Free text within lists and headings to add context.
  • Library resources checked for authentication so limited off-campus problems.
  • The Library will review your list for resource availability and new book editions.
  • Request legally digitised chapters and articles from print-only resources.
  • Publishers don’t usually permit PDFs to be downloaded and uploaded for others to access.  In a reading list you can provide a link instead, with full bibliographic information.

  • Analytics show you the number of times your resources are being accessed.
  • Links to Library support from every reading list.
  • Available in both Welsh and English.
  • The Library can check lists and ensure required resources are made available.
  • Links to resources instead of one downloaded document for all students to access:
    • actual number of “clicks” can inform budgeting decisions

    • when one article is downloaded for a class of students to view, the Library doesn't know the full usage of that journal

  • The Library can contact you with queries or questions.