Using this approach, all instructional points are situated in a simulation of an authentic environment, with a minimum of abstract theory. This was a definitive consideration in the design of the instructional materials and the operation of the CAL program. Introductory level The first stage of the project, 'Introducing Library Searching', concentrates on strategies for finding references that are known to the student, such as those provided on a reading list. As the desired outcome is to be able to find references on any catalogue, several catalogue systems are used as models on which the strategies are demonstrated, and on which the student can try out the strategies under guided conditions. The video covers all content knowledge required, beginning with how to select the right library, as Open Learning students may not necessarily begin by using a university library.
Students are, of course, recommended to use a university library for all but short assignments.
Students are shown how to analyse topics to select the most relevant references, and how to use catalogues for author and title searches. They are also shown how to consult librarians if their initial attempts at searching are not successful, and something of the range of other resources, such as reference collections and being able to consult the catalogue of another library to see if something is held there. The first stage CAL program provides hands on practice of all skills that the learner must be able to carry out. These include topic analysis, selecting the appropriate references, and searching a range of catalogues for items by title and author. An aspect of the instructional approach is that the user is asked to perform the actions involved in the actual process, rather than answering questions.