This 2-way communication helped Sarah and her students get more value from the pilot, particularly as feedback was an integral part of the process. For Sarah, this illustrates why the Glean trial held so much value:
‘They have been very responsive to feedback. I noticed a glitch within a feature. Within 1 day it was resolved. I had some suggestions about the admin portal. Within a few days they had incorporated some of those suggestions, making it more user friendly.’
Trialling a tool in its infancy gives you more power over its direction. So Sarah and her students were instrumental in guiding us as we prepared Glean for launch.
But the tool itself also feeds into Sarah’s department’s ultimate objective – to deliver better experiences for students.
‘Trials give you an opportunity to increase your students’ options. New options means increasing the overall accessibility of what you’re able to offer. They definitely take time, but I think it’s time well spent. Not only did Glean allow me to learn about new technology, and new software, but it allowed me to think critically about my own practices.’
The trial was undoubtedly a useful learning experience for Sarah, but the capabilities of the tool itself were also felt, particularly by students that found other options too complex.
‘During the intake of this semester I had a student who I had only interacted with briefly in the Spring. I mentioned this to the student; they were interested and they actually brought it up themselves.That student specifically asked for something simpler, and Glean met that student’s needs.’