Reading Strategies Guide

These guidance notes were originally prepared for the 2019/2020 academic session

The Reading Strategy section in a Module Data Set is used to describe the strategic approach taken to reading in the module and to tell students where the main up-to-date reading advice can be found. It should not include specific titles: these should be updated and communicated to students each academic year on Moodle. All resource lists provided to students on Moodle or in lecture slides should be fully and correctly referenced.

For validation and re-approval purposes, you are expected to provide an appendix listing the key texts/resources that you intend to use, including any journals or websites, the one-off or recurrent purchase costs, and the source of funding. This will assist Panel members in determining the suitability and currency of the texts, and the cost implications to the University or students.

Essential text(s) must be readily available to students in one of the following ways:

• A recommendation for students to purchase themselves, communicated in advance of the start of the module, with a clear indication of the cost involved.

• Printed or online Birmingham Newman Library resources.

  • If a title is available to students only in print, there must be sufficient quantities available to allow students to complete essential reading set by lecturers within the assigned timescale.

  • If a title is available to students as an e-book, the purchase model must allow students to complete essential reading set by lecturers within the assigned timescale.

• Scanned chapters or extracts sourced through the Library’s Digitisation and Scanning Service.

• Freely accessible online sources (e.g. government websites or reports, open-access journals).

You are advised to contact your  Academic Service Librarian, who can offer advice to assist in the completion of the Reading Strategy section of the Module Data Set.

Any texts listed in the Module Data Set, or on Moodle, will not automatically be purchased by the Library. You must inform your relevant Academic Service Librarian of any texts to be purchased for the module, and ensure that there are sufficient financial resources available within your subject area’s book-fund to purchase, in sufficient quantities, the resources you have specified.

Please note that the Library does not have a budget for the start-up resource costs of new modules or courses, but is able to assist subject areas in preparing funding bids/calculating the costs involved for new modules or courses that they wish to introduce.