Hindsight is 20/20: Garnering institutional support for the implementation of media literacy in science and business classrooms Ashley Downs, Kelly LaVoice, and Kelee Pacion Cornell University Library May 6 th, 2016

OBJECTIVES Examine new strategies for obtaining institutional buy-in to design and offer credit-bearing courses. Recognize the importance of authentic assessment in a variety of formats that reflect different student strengths Evaluate how grounding in information and media literacy within discipline-specific curriculum goals make courses more relevant to and popular with students.

Introductions

Course Creation: Obtaining Buy In Market yourself to stakeholders as a librarian AND instructor AND subject savvy in your discipline Leverage liaison relationships to partner with a faculty member in the appropriate department or school Talk to colleagues to determine how best to strategically ground your course in discipline-specific, school-established curriculums

Obtaining Buy In Engage with the college curriculum committee Prepare elevator speech for students and faculty Propose a trial: offer "pilot" course before permanent addition to curriculum Ensure librarian colleagues are supportive of your time commitment to course-related activities

Outreach Strategies to Drive Enrollment Outreach: posters, blasts, and announcements in large lecture classes Student advocates Faculty advisors Have syllabus easily accessible online Sticky messages; interesting course descriptions

BioG 1250: Writing for Wikipedia If I ask you a biology related question, where do you go to find the answer? Nearly 500 million people check Wikipedia every month to look for answers, explanations and definitions! The general population might use Wikipedia to make decisions regarding health, informing their personal beliefs, and potentially influence life choices. Did you ever wonder whether that information is accurate? This course is co-taught by Kelee Lynn Pacion and Ashley Downs from Mann library and Mark A. Sarvary from Investigative Biology, to offer you a unique opportunity to enhance your scientific literacy and become an expert in a biology topic of your interest. You will write and edit biology related Wikipedia entries and use Wikipedia as a learning tool to develop stronger critical thinking and information literacy skills. According to Wikipedia, “wikipedians are people who write and edit the pages for Wikipedia”. By the end of this course, you will become one.

HADM 2720: Information Retrieval and Research Methods There are currently over 5 billion gigabytes of data online, of which less than 1% is indexed by Google. How do you go about finding the most reliable, accurate, and unbiased information to allow you to make strategic business decisions? This course introduces some of the tools necessary to locate, access, evaluate and analyze information available online. This includes an examination of social media and debunking myths that high quality, accurate information is not available freely available-if one knows where to look for it! In addition to gaining information management skills, students will enhance their ability to think critically, use the internet strategically, and write professionally for business audiences.

Assessment One shot assessment vs. scaffolded assessment Provide opportunities for students to show, not tell what they have learned Variety of assignments appeal to different learning styles Authentic assessment within discipline Building flex time into the syllabus if assignments show students are struggling with a critical concept

Understanding that Science is an Evolving Conversation Students will understand the iterative process of scientific processes, including publication and dissemination of results Crowdsourced knowledge and evolution of public understanding Wikipedia talk pages; historical edits –Students are contributors of knowledge too –Discourse is a constant

Assessing Authority in Business Research Students will understand how authority is constructed and evaluated in distinct business environments Provide opportunities for student to engage with a variety of sources and contexts in formats most commonly used in business Scaffold assessment measures –Assigned reading & in class discussion –In class activity: group case study –Midterm short essay question –Creation of SWOT analysis

Intersection of Student Interests & Learning Outcomes Making course relevant to digital cultural norms Allow students to engage and connect with the academic discipline of their choice Ability to use knowledge gained in courses in academic pursuits, future career contexts, and for everyday information needs

Conclusion One shot library instruction sessions limit our ability to engage and assess student comprehension of learning outcomes Scaffolding assessment allows for students to show what they learn as they learn it, and apply the knowledge in distinct contexts and formats Partnering with faculty increases the ability to engage with students and develop discipline specific courses that seamlessly incorporate information and media literacy learning outcomes Providing opportunities for students to receive credit for working with sources that they use in everyday life builds student interest and engagement

Next Steps Finding additional opportunities to co-teach credit courses with faculty Increasing enrollment in current courses Evaluating course sustainability Balancing work loads for librarian instructors and faculty Finding courses permanent homes in school curriculums

Best Practices Connect with a faculty member in relevant department that shows an interest in co-teaching or will provide an assistance in course development Determine how your course will fit within School/College specific curriculum needs before designing it Share student feedback with department and Dean (for continued buy-in) Engage students by making courses discipline-specific and grounded in digital media literacy

Remember Why We Teach “Wikipedia gets a bad reputation for being a “non-credible” source for information, since anyone can edit it. That being said, after having taken this course, I am starting to realize that if people (such as the students in this seminar) and even others take the time to edit and carefully cite articles on Wikipedia, we can make it into a way more credible source”- Student from BIOG1250 “The content is great. I use Wikipedia all the time and this course helped me understand it & criticize it so much more.” –Student from BIOG1250 “After our class readings, I came to think that social media is becoming increasingly about generating social and economic capital and less about connecting with people” – Student from HADM 2720

Questions? Ashley Downs Kelly LaVoice Kelee Pacion