Case Study: Connect2 at the Royal College of Art

The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a world-famous postgraduate institution of art and design. Connect2 visited to talk with them about their use of the Connect2 system. It gave us the opportunity to look around some of their amazing facilities and see how the software is used to support and control access to their media resources.

As a long-time customer, RCA is happy to recommend Connect2 to other institutions who share a focus on developing creative media and design skills. Connect2 is proud to be part of their operations and, when it comes to supporting their staff and students, is very much a member of the team.

A grand tour

Meeting with David Dixon, Media Stores Coordinator, we spent time with other team members including Lynda Lorraine, Resource Store Lead at the White City campus, and Amir Behbahani, who runs the Resource Store at the Kensington campus. A guided tour of both campuses made a lasting impression.

Above: Tour of White City campus store with Lynda; Connect2’s Sophie with Amir and David at the Kensington campus store; Tour of the Kensington store with Amir.

In Kensington, historical parts of the building give way to modern facilities alongside outdoor space crammed with tree ferns and other exotic plants. It all amounts to an inspiring, stimulating environment.

In the audio suite, the vice chancellor was being interviewed for a podcast. There were some intriguing sculptures in the exhibition room. The animation students were busy producing a stop-animation project in another studio. Big spaces provide students with endless potential for creative expression and technical skills development, plus a number of edit suites offer the latest technology for postproduction work.

Above: Stop motion animation studio; Exhibition space; A podcast in the making in the audio suite.

Cross-disciplinary equipment service

The University’s equipment stores are impressive in themselves, with storage for resources that support up to 2000 students. Connect2 enables students to borrow the resources they need for assignments and projects from the stores. There’s a strong emphasis on self-service which Connect2 supports well. Typically, students book 2 to 3 items at a time, but up to 15 items is fairly common near deadlines. Group projects can involve up to 50 items.

Above: A wide range of equipment is on offer to students, including cameras, projectors, audio and other AV equipment, monitors, filmmaking kits, 360 cameras and go-pros. All items are bookable and managed from their Connect2 system.

The University supports a cross-disciplinary approach to creativity, and there’s an array of equipment available to students across Communications (including photography, animation, moving image, graphic and game design), Fashion, Textiles and Architecture. These are all clearly categorised and displayed in the Connect2 system. As David says:

“With Connect2 in place, we can support a high volume of student self-service without losing control of valuable equipment. Connect2 gives us confidence that the right equipment is in the right place at the right time. With the scale and variety of resources we manage across campuses, having clear visibility and control is essential. It allows the team to focus on supporting teaching and students, rather than firefighting booking or return issues.”

Fast and streamlined student access

The service at the desk is both friendly and efficient, with items checked and issued quickly using the Connect2 checkout workflow. Students have time to view the contents of each kit – as visual learners it helps that staff open the kit bag to show what’s included before the student takes charge of it.

It’s an easy to use booking system for students, with categories of resources clearly organised and labelled. Calendar colour coding makes it obvious when stores are open for pick up and return of gear. The student chooses their arrival time, and by default Connect2 suggests a reservation that fits with booking rules and store open times.

We talked with the team about the changes in recent versions of Connect2. All improvements were very well received, especially the checkout dashboard 5-day ahead view, SAML user import, and the resource permissions by role report which provides a quick way to see who can book what.

Data and reports

We also took time to discuss the data that Connect2 provides and how it supports RCA. The utilisation data is very helpful. Lynda runs weekly reports, reviewing footfall in the stores, equipment use, and usage by audience such as students vs faculty. This information is used to inform purchasing decisions.

Purchases of new kit occurs at the start of the academic year and is planned to fill the gaps between existing equipment quantities and evolving student requirements. A second major review of resourcing needs takes place after the summer final show and takes into account any broken or lost equipment items over the year. The ability in Connect2 to view utilisation across a collection and to see the status of each item really helps with purchasing decisions and overall resource management.

“The Connect2 system gives us the data we need to plan purchases, manage risk, and keep the service running smoothly during peak periods,” comments David.

With the high value of many items, it’s important that Connect2 makes the terms and conditions of borrowing and use very clear. While insurance may cover stolen items, RCA requires that students must replace equipment if any negligence on their part has led to permanent damage. T&Cs are made visible in several places, including the homepage of Connect2 and on posters beside the store hatch.

Connect2 ensures that students agree to the T&Cs before finalising their bookings. Any items coming back with maintenance or repair needs, and the system manages their status until they are back in service which avoids any disruption.

Looking to the future

It was great to see how Connect2 enables students to learn about the equipment and access all they need to support their creative learning journeys. The service is promoted to students from the start, both at their introductory lectures and the Technical Services Fair. Student forums also make sure students are aware and using the system.

We talked about how the Connect2 system at RCA could be developed for new insights into equipment usage. As a result the University is looking at adding data collection on the courses and projects students are using the equipment for as a new step in the booking process. It will support a deeper understanding of student requirements and improved usage analytics.

With thanks to David, Lynda and Amir for such a rewarding visit. We aim to return to continue learning more and to develop our partnership further.