One of the Library’s strategic priorities for 2023 was to strengthen our established partnerships with Curtin University’s global campus libraries to ensure that targeted and appropriate support was being provided to offshore students and staff. This included resuming the regular in-person visits, which had been temporarily halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the chance to visit our library colleagues in Dubai, Mauritius, Malaysia and Singapore had come again.
The global campus network is an important aspect of Curtin University’s approach to education and research. It increases opportunities for students globally to study through Curtin, enables cultural exchange and research collaboration, and amplifies Curtin’s impact worldwide. Curtin aims to ensure that a campus-based student’s experience of the University’s support services is equivalent, whether they’re studying in Perth or elsewhere. The opportunity to visit these campuses gives the Library the chance to exchange knowledge and ensure that we are meeting this goal.
The Library’s global campus visits include an assessment of the Library facilities provided at each of the campuses to ensure that students have access to excellent spaces and services that will support them through their degree. Each campus has its own unique vibe, but all provide the kinds of services students expect from a Library: Invigilated silent areas that promote productivity, private study pods that enable focus, technology-enhanced spaces that support assignment creation and, of course, access to the resources used in coursework and research.
Travelling to the global campuses is also an opportunity to meet with local staff and hear more about challenges and opportunities for service improvement. Library staff met with key staff at each location, including Deans of Teaching and Learning, heads of Faculties, and, of course, our colleagues at the libraries themselves. Some common issues emerged during these discussions, including difficulties providing access to required textbooks, academic integrity challenges, and the impact of generative artificial intelligence. These areas will become a focus of continuing conversations with global campus Library staff as we work towards potential solutions.
Another opportunity these visits provide is for Curtin Perth staff to deliver training for local students or staff on topics of interest. In Curtin Mauritius, information sessions were provided to students completing a Higher Degree by Research (HDR). Students undertaking a PhD were given an overview of the Graduate Research Advanced Skills Program (GRASP), which supports all of the major milestones associated with a research project. Two sessions were delivered in Curtin Dubai, one for engineering students and the other for business students, focused on searching discipline-specific databases. In Curtin Malaysia, two research-focused sessions were delivered, one focused on Research Data Management (RDM), the other on research impact. The research impact session was also delivered in Curtin Singapore. All sessions across the campuses were well attended and well received.
Since these visits were undertaken, Library staff have continued to connect with their colleagues at the global campus libraries online, and are looking forward to future in-person visits. These will include the new Curtin Colombo location in Sri Lanka.
Written by Claire Murphy, Manager, Learning Success
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