Post on 28-Jan-2015
description
a seminar
Supporting undergraduates of the future: developing a new curriculum
for information literacy
Dr Jane Secker & Dr Emma Coonan
The Arcadia Programme• Based at Cambridge University Library• Academic advisor: Prof. John Naughton• Exploring the role of academic libraries in a digital age
• 20 Arcadia Fellows in 3 years• Many from outside Cambridge, not all librarians
Our research remit:Develop a new, revolutionary curriculum for information literacy in a digital age
Aims: in 10 weeks
• Understand the needs of undergraduates entering HE over the coming 5 years
• Map the current landscape of information literacy
• Develop practical curriculum and supporting resources
Method
Modified Delphi study – means of obtaining expert future forecasting
– consulted widely in the fields of information and education
Literature review– theoretical overview of the field
– revealed conflicts in terminology, pedagogic approach, values
Expert workshop– method, findings and preliminary curriculum presented
– curriculum refined in light of feedback
What do we mean by information literacy?
“Digital fluency”
Theoretical background
• Transition to independent learning• ‘Academic’ vs. ‘support’ elements• The cloistered garden and the labyrinth
• Demos report: ‘Truth, lies and the internet’
Transition: culture clash or opportunity?
Academic mission
IL and the support environment
IL and the library
Rehabilitating information literacy
IL is:
•a continuum of skills, abilities, values and attitudes around analysing, evaluating, managing and assimilating information
•fundamental to the ongoing development of the individual, social as well as academic
IL is not:
•seen as part of the mainstream academic mission
•merely functional/technological skills
•the preserve or saviour of the library
“Information literacy empowers people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use and create information
effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational goals.
“It is a basic human right in a digital world and promotes social inclusion in all nations.”
UNESCO (2005) Alexandria Proclamation
The expert consultation
• Consulted librarians, researchers, educators, trainee teachers, school librarians
• How you teach at least as important as what you teach
• Must be embedded into the academic curriculum and disciplines will vary
• Must be based on real needs: students are not homogeneous
• Must be opportunities for reflection
What our experts said…
Modular, flexibleholistic, embedded,Relevant to students
Format and structure of the curriculum
Online / face to faceActive learning: discussion
and reflectionTraining > Teaching
Teaching style and method of delivery
Who teaches?
When?
And don’t forget….
Use of auditsMeaningful assessment
Learning outcomes
How to market IL to different audiences
Assessment
Marketing / hooks
Aligning the curriculum content to discipline specific knowledge, skills and behaviour
Technology in the curriculum
• No need to teach specific tools and software as curriculum needs to evolve but …
• Assumptions around technology– Ownership or access to computers– Ownership or access to mobile technology– Google generation assumption– Greater use of cloud computing– Great use of social media - combating the filter
bubble
Our key curriculum attributes
Holistic – supporting the whole research process
Modular – ongoing ‘building blocks’ forming a learning spiral
Embedded within the context of the academic discipline
Flexible – not tied to a specific staff role
Active and assessed – including peer assessment
Transitional : Transferable : Transformational
Curriculum strands
1. Transition from school to higher education2. Becoming an independent learner3. Developing academic literacies4. Mapping and evaluating the information landscape 5. Resource discovery in your discipline 6. Managing information7. Ethical dimension of information 8. Presenting and communicating knowledge 9. Synthesising information and creating new knowledge10. Social dimension of information literacy
Using the curriculum
• The strands cover 5 broad learning categories, from functional skills up to high-level intellectual operations
• Classes can incorporate multiple strands at the same level
• Classes should be active, reflective, relevant to student need
• You could use the curriculum to audit your own (or your department’s) teaching provision
Unpacking the curriculum• Strand 1: Transition from school to HE
– What are the expectations at higher education level in your discipline?
– What are the conventions around reading, writing and presenting at HE level in your discipline?
– Reflect on your current and previous information behaviour and consider what’s different
• Activities might include: – Reviewing HE level work and discussing differences with prior work at school– Exploring academic journals and how they differ from more popular
publications such as History Today or New Scientist– Students identify top 3 current information sources and evaluate fitness for
purpose
Strand 6: Managing Information• Note-taking• Time management and planning• Storing information effectively• Bibliographic and reference management• Push services / alerting / ways of keeping up to date
• Activities might include: – Listen to short podcast and make 1) a full transcript, and 2) note salient points – reflect
on both and when you might use them– Create a plan including deadlines and a realistic time frame for your next piece of
assessed work– Explore cloud storage tools and discuss the merits of remote vs local storage– Explore free and paid for reference management software – ideally peer-led
ANCIL outputs, July 2011
• Executive summary• The curriculum and supporting documents• ‘Teaching learning: perceptions of information literacy‘
(theoretical background)• Expert consultation report
Free to download at http://newcurriculum.wordpress.com/
Next steps, October - December 2011
‘Strategies for implementing the Curriculum for Information Literacy’
Dr Helen Webster & Katy WrathallArcadia Fellows, Oct-Dec 2011
http://arcadiaproject.lib.cam.ac.uk/projects/strategies-for-implementation.html
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How could LSE implement the New Curriculum for Information Literacy?
Thank you
Image: ‘Tulip staircase at the Queens House, Greenwich’ by mcginnly, flickr.com