Opening up...
I am usually greeted in the morning by eager students waiting to come into the Study Centre. The morning routine, in this small Science Study Centre with only 8 PCs, consists of switching on and logging into SCAM (Study Centre Access Monitoring) software; checking the diary and ensuring the data-projectors are switched on for the staff as well as making sure all is tidy and ready for the new day.
Checking stock...
One of my recent tasks was to review a batch of books from the Gill Callen Study Centre against agreed criteria. This is to ensure the stock is relevant to the curriculum that is delivered in this centre. Each book was checked for damage, use or issue statistics, and the book’s content was checked against the current syllabus. This was fairly easy as the booklists that I have written for each A level includes a hotlink to the current specification as well as a description of the topics within the main subject. The disposal of stock is discussed with staff to clarify whether damaged or outdated material should be either renewed or new resources bought to improve the provision of information for students. This task took several days, as other demands had to be met, before handing the batch of books with annotations over to the Team leader for the final decision.
Missing book...
I noticed one of my books in the Science Study Centre was missing therefore, I checked whether it had been issued or misplaced on the shelves. Unfortunately, it is still missing. The library catalogue was amended to show the status of this book.
Proof-reading...
Students and staff have requested help with proof-reading of assignments and written pieces of work for key skills. The demand for this has increased considerably over the last 18 months. Besides improving my own grammar, I have found this work challenging and interesting. The students receive comments and suggestions with admirable stoicism.
IT Support...
I helped students interrogate an Access database to provide the information required by their tutor in an assignment exercise. This took about 10 minutes as I read the assignment, found the Access database and dredged my memory as it has been years since I last used Access.
Assisting teaching staff...
During the day, staff had requested that PCs should be available for their students at specific times. These times were noted in my diary and on the day I will display a notice for students as PCs will be unavailable for drop in use by other students.
One of the tutors wished to use books about nutrition. I agreed to deliver a selection of books for her to use with her class the following week.
I received an email from an IT tutor to create a short quiz for her to use in Moodle. Fortunately, the answers were supplied. I hope to create the quiz using Hotpotatoes during my evening work in St Wulstan's Study Centre.
Topics discussed with students...
Conversations with students over the day included snail reproduction and admiration of our baby snails; vegetative reproduction as demonstrated by spider plants and where to obtain healthy, live daphnia specimens for an experiment to show the effect of caffeine on heart-rate – note well coffee drinkers! Becci, our laboratory supervisor, will put in an order to the supplier for the daphnia.
Routine tasks and closing down St Andrew’s Study Centres...
I close down Science Study Centre by 4:30 pm to enable me to shut down the Macs in the Performing Arts Study Centre and close the Dance studio. I then work for half an hour in the Gill Callen Study Centre re-shelving books; sometimes dusting desks and cleaning whiteboards as well as closing down PCs and other electrical equipment.
Routine maintenance includes adding paper to photocopier, more tidying up of general debris, and recycling plastic bottles to the bin in the common room.
St Andrew’s Church Spire bell tolls 5 pm – home time!