Librarians

Shared Instructional Infrastructure: How Libraries Reduce Gaps in Undergraduate Learning

Ellen Ovenden, MSc | Feb 21, 2026

Ellen Ovenden, MSc | Feb 21 2026

Undergraduate outcomes often vary across departments for structural reasons, not just instructional ones. Some students arrive with prior lab exposure, strong conceptual grounding, or familiarity with academic systems. Others do not.

Libraries cannot control every variable, but they can reduce avoidable gaps by building shared infrastructure that supports every course and every student.

These ideas were discussed in the JoVE webinar How Librarians Level the Playing Field in Undergraduate Education Using JoVE, featuring regional sessions with librarians Patrick McManus (University of New South Wales), Sinan Eker (Üsküdar Üniversitesi), and Rachel Sherman (LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport).

How to Level the Playing Field

▪️Provide baseline support across campus

Libraries keep critical resources consistently accessible across courses and cohorts. When access is stable and centralized, it reduces variation caused by department-by-department resourcing.

▪️Reduce faculty burden to increase adoption

Patrick McManus highlighted how time constraints shape what faculty can realistically implement. One practical approach is curriculum mapping support: librarians collect course outlines and, with help from the JoVE team, return aligned resources, reducing time spent searching and supporting faster integration into teaching.

▪️Normalize prep before high-stakes labs

Sinan Eker described building systems that help students arrive better prepared for lab-based learning by using assigned JoVE playlists and video-aligned quizzes. He also referenced light gamification strategies, using small recognition or completion milestones tied to assigned resources to make preparation visible and acknowledged.

▪️Use learning data to strengthen support over time

Libraries can combine usage patterns, access barriers, and feedback to guide decisions about training, promotion, and resource expansion. Rachel Sherman described reviewing usage and access attempts to understand what content is being used and where needs may be unmet.

▪️Promote resources consistently

The best resource has limited impact if students and faculty cannot locate it quickly. Sherman emphasized that promotion is integral, not optional, including walkthroughs and repeated outreach to departments.

What to Operationalize This Semester

▫️ Start with one course area and one workflow. Use a course outline to request mapped resources or select a short playlist and pair it with a quiz check-in.
▫️ Embed access where students already are. Libguides and LMS placement (including LTI where available) matter as much as the resource itself.
▫️ Use evidence to guide next steps. Review what is being used, where access is blocked, and what faculty request most often to inform expansion or promotion.
▫️ Establish a feedback loop. Consistent communication and responsiveness keep support active beyond the initial rollout.

The Takeaway

Leveling the playing field in higher education reduces preventable gaps in preparation, exposure, and confidence by ensuring that support is consistent across departments. When libraries provide shared infrastructure to staff and students, they help move equitable learning access from a goal to an operating model.

Learn more about how JoVE supports undergraduate teaching and learning.

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