Is There A Connection Between Building Academics'

Research Capacity And Pedagogic Skills And Fostering

Information Literate, Critical Thinking Independent

Learners?

Dr Mark Hepworth

Centre for Information Management, Loughborough University

Siobhan Duvigneau

British Library for Development Studies

Institute of Development Studies

Aim of research: to investigate in collaboration with staff at the University of

Botswana, the University of Zambia and Mzuzu University whether an

institutional strategy could be developed that enabled the development of

information literate, critical thinking independent learners.

Objectives included:

• identifying the current vision for developing students’ information and

research capabilities;

• determining the expected outcomes, indicators and impact;

• identifying challenges, barriers and solutions.

Key questions included:

- Does the university see the need to develop the capacity of students (at all

levels) to undertake independent study and if so, what is being done to achieve

this?

- Is it feasible to take a university wide approach?

- How do current resources (technology, information resources and staff) either

help or pose a challenge?

Aims, objectives and research questions

• Exploratory research with emphasis on the thoughts and

experiences of senior staff (academics, librarians, ICT and support

staff).

• Gathered via 28 interviews with staff in Zambia and Malawi and a

two and a half day workshop in Botswana, involving 18 staff. The

interviews and workshop were structured using the Outcome

Mapping framework

• Interviews were transcribed and along with material gathered in the

workshop (flip charts and video), analysed thematically and

clustered under:

• the need for information literate, critical thinking independent

learners;

• current indicators of a lack of capabilities;

• current institutional support and current initiatives;

• challenges

Methodology

Key findings included:

As in other countries, many students lack information literacy, critical

thinking and independent learning capabilities and were described as

passive, ‘surface’ learners. To date, strategies to strengthen these skills

have had limited success, despite examples of good practice.

Challenges include:

• High student to staff numbers; funding; limited ICT and out-dated and

Northern-biased information resources

• Pre university schooling of students

• A lack of integration of information literacy, critical thinking and

independent learning in the curriculum at an undergraduate and

postgraduate level

• Academic staff needing training in the use of alternative, more engaging,

approaches to learning to build capabilities and to monitor and evaluate

their impact

• Limited research activities and publications, of which one consequence

was a lack of local information resources

• Academic staff needing training to build their capacity to undertake

research and generate local content

Key findings

AND YET Students involved with ‘real world’ research, or learning

encompassing competition, demonstrate the motivation, enthusiasm and

capacity for developing their information capabilities, and rigorously

conducted independent research..

‘mini research projects where they look for information to

answer a question’

‘real world problems’ so that they can ‘discover an idea of

how to improve things … I don’t ask them to memorise’…

where students took part in public competitions, such as a

simulated court proceeding i.e. a ‘Moot Court’, or competed

for prizes offered by commercial companies

where staff involved students in research projects in the

community, for example a village biogas project, where the

students showed a high degree of motivation and were

able to develop research skills and critical thinking

and lecturers did find ways to foster independent learning

In Malawi it was stated that ‘when people [lecturers] are more given to

research … they also develop skills they can impart to the student’ and active

research provided the opportunity to ‘involve students in real world research

problems’ where they actively seek information and:

- help students realize the relevance of subject knowledge

- fosters student motivation because they could see how they can have ‘an

impact on society’.

A number of staff were thought to lack information literacy that would enhance

their research capacity.

A lack of research and publications led to academic insecurity making it

difficult to provide effective role models or involve students in research.

Limited published work led to few resources that were relevant to the local

context and that could be used in teaching.

However: large student numbers and an inadequate number of lecturers led to

a situation where ‘attending to these students, teaching and marking … you do

not have any time for research’.

The connection between research capability and teaching

capability was made in all three institutions.

• Motivated to develop research capabilities (including their information

literacy and critical thinking) => effective research.

• Information literate, critical thinking and conscious of these capabilities =>

effective research/teacher

• A fundamental understanding of research and the capabilities (knowledge,

skills and attitudes) associated with being a ‘good’ researcher, including

the ethics of research; aspects of intellectual property (IP); epistemology;

methodology; data gathering and analysis, that could then be conveyed to

the student => effective researcher/teacher.

• A fundamental understanding of pedagogy and innovative methods to cope

with barriers e.g. large student numbers => effective teacher/learner

• Can build the capacity of students to be able to conduct research and,

possibly, enable the academic to do their research => effective

researcher/teacher

The ideal academic

(teacher/researcher)

ACADEMICS NEED AN INCENTIVE TO CHANGE

THEIR PRACTICE AND TAKE ON NEW SKILLS

TO ACHIEVE THIS THE ACADEMIC NEEDS TO DEVELOP THEIR CAPABILITIES AND NEEDS COHESIVE, COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT

IN A NUMBER OF AREAS

(currently fragmented in the university support space or lacking)

Developing information literate, critical thinking, independent learners in

higher education: theory of change

Engage with stakeholders

[government, employers,

schools, community, students,

teaching & research staff, staff

support, ICT-support, i-support]

- Clarify vision

- Identify outcomes,

indicators, progress

markers (long/short)

- Evaluate capabilities (info/

research / ICT / pedagogy

capabilities)

- Develop M&E framework

- Develop strategy Identify potential

partners

(government,

employers,

senior faculty

and support

staff)

Project team

outlines proposal

Source funding

Identify

stakeholders

• Curriculum Development

• Develop interventions (to

build research and

information, pedagogic and

ICT capabilities)

• Identify links between

learning and societal needs

• Further develop M&E

framework

• Develop appropriate i-

infrastructure

• Develop appropriate ICT

infrastructure

• Develop capability building

‘tools’

• Capture process

Implement

interventions

- Research capacity

building

- Teaching capacity

building

(Collaborative) Evaluation

- On-going evaluation

- Outcome harvesting

- Monitoring indictors / outcomes

(e.g. knowledge generation; innovative

graduates; critical thinking; civic responsibility;

future awareness; research culture; innovative

pedagogy; appropriate learning environment)

- Monitoring impact (e.g. production of

knowledge; demand for research

knowledge; reflective practitioner; evidence

informed practice)

Share /

reflect

Collaborate with

stakeholders

Project team agree high

level vision and

outline proposal

Collaborate with

stakeholders

Collaborate with

stakeholders

Implement new

teaching

Collaborate with

stakeholders

Leading to:

• Academic staff become more effective role

models

• Academic staff better able to foster a

research ‘culture’ and transfer appropriate

attitudes and skills

• Universities produce more researchers

(information literate, critical thinking

independent learners) needed in society

IMPACT

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.

ANY QUESTIONS?