| Summary: | Experiences of the TUT LIS in offering support to e-learning. === Though relatively new to the family of universities and in particular, universities
of technology, Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Library and Information
Services (LIS) is one of the fortunate South African higher education libraries
which have a dedicated and fully-fledged IT and Systems Section. Further, TUT
LIS has a Section referred to as Electronic Resource Centres which is commonly known as ERCs. The Section includes Internet Centres, popularly known as ICentres.
Each of TUT’s nine learning site libraries has an ERC. Four of the
learning sites have I-Centres, some in student residences. Many of the libraries
have a training room attached to the ERC. Those which do not have a training
facility schedule training at certain times and only thereafter avail the ERC for
other use. Many of the academic departments have computer laboratories for use by their students. These are not related to ERCs or I-Centres.
The LIS works in cooperation with the Directorate of Teaching and Learning with
Technology (TLT) and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT)
Services to support the teaching departments and students’ learning endeavours.
The LIS is involved in a project to increase the University’s success and
throughput rates. Other partners in this project are from HEDS (Higher Education
Development and Support) Directorate comprising: Curriculum Development,
Teaching and Learning with Technology, Cooperative Education and Student
Development and Support.
The aim of this paper is to share experiences of the TUT LIS in offering support to e-learning. The newly formed LIS embraced the model of the ERC/I-Centre as a one-stop facility that one of the merger partners, Pretoria Technikon, had established. The other partner, Technikon Northern Gauteng had partially developed an ERC to “extend access to the book/journal in electronic format”.
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