Wrestling with Research: Collaboration in the Digital Environment Joan K. Lippincott Coalition for Networked Information ACRL Instruction Section Workshop ALA Annual Conference June 26, 2004

Overview Collaboration and Partnerships 3 Areas for Collaboration on Research –Traditional information literacy issues –Course management system environment –Collaborative facilities Making an Impact

What is Collaboration? Mutual goal-setting Each unit contributes resources Each entity or individual contributes unique skills/perspectives Group and individual accountability Both units benefit from the product

“Collaboration is a choice. It can’t be mandated. It’s hard work. It’s fragile.” Lizabeth Wilson, ARL Newsletter No. 222

Who are Potential Partners? Information Technologists Instructional Technologists Multi-media Specialists Faculty Students (reverse mentoring)

Barriers and Opportunities Lack of shared mission Different work styles Imbalance of resources Different vocabularies Common environment Broader range of expertise Pooling of resources Overlapping services Greater whole than sum of parts Discourages Encourages

Research Focus: Traditional Issues with a Twist Methods of instruction Relationship to broader institutional environment Assessment of learning outcomes Policy issues Today’s students Student creation of information resources

Methods of Instruction Do students learn as much from my online information literacy tutorial as they do from an in-person instruction session? What critical thinking skills do students develop when they search for information in an online game environment? Traditional focusNew focus

Methods of Instruction Games for information literacy –Orme: A Study of the Residual Impact of the TILT… Games that incorporate a need for information seeking and organization –Oblinger: The Next Generation of Educational Engagement

“(The game Civilization III) becomes the impetus for students seeking out more traditional sources of learning material. To win students must deal with political, scientific, military, cultural and economic issues… they must synthesize and integrate information from multiple disciplines.” Oblinger, 2004

Relationship to broader institution Do existing information literacy modules work for distance education students? Does information literacy instruction contribute to persistence of distance education students? Traditional focusNew focus

Relationship to broader institution Transformative Assessment Program –EDUCAUSE NLII, CNI, Flashlight National surveys and statistics –Mark and Boruff-Jones: Information Literacy and Student Engagement: What the National Survey of Student Engagement Reveals about Your Campus

Assessment of Learning Outcomes Can students identify relevant databases in their major field of study? Did students’ information literacy instruction help them in their studies or workplace after graduation? Traditional focus New focus

Assessment of Learning Outcomes Impact of instruction –Snavely and Wright: Research Portfolio Use in Undergraduate Honors Education

“This summer, I worked for a biomedical engineering Company… and I used what I learned from the class… I had a problem to solve, which required an immense amount of background research, which had to be organized in an effective manner. I knew exactly how to acquire reputable resources, document them, and put them together in a literature review. I used every aspect of the Library Studies class, and my employers were very impressed with my ability…” Student quoted in Snavely and Wright, 2003

Assessment of Learning Outcomes Incorporating FITness –National Research Council: Being Fluent with Information Technology –McEuen; How Fluent with IT are our Students –Overholtzer and Tombarge: Promoting Information Fluency –Kaminski, Seel, and Cullen: Technology Literate Students?

Policy Issues ??? Do students understand IP issues of incorporating works into their multi-media productions and making their works available? Traditional questionNew question

Understanding Today’s Students “For as I read through article after article on the topic of academic librarianship, the prominent message is that today’s college students are lazy, procrastinating, plagiarizing patrons of the glut of information that has come to be known as the Internet.” Christen Thompson, portal, 2003

Understanding Today’s Students What proportion of web resources not vetted through the library are students using in their assignments? How would students like to learn about information skills? How would students design pathfinders or library guides? Traditional question New question

Understanding Today’s Students Profile of today’s students –Oblinger: “Boomers, GenXers, and Millennials” What kind of help do students want from the library? –OCLC White Paper on the Information Habits of College Students

Student Creation of Information Resources Do the quality of student papers (especially citations) improve after information literacy instruction? How are students incorporating library resources in their multi- media productions? Traditional question New question

Student Creation of Information Resources Emphasis on creation of, not just access to information resources –Pew Internet & American Life: Content Creation Online

Course Management System Environment Librarians’ content embedded in CMS Librarians as part of the learning community New environments: SAKAI

Collaborative Facilities Information Commons Multimedia Studios Teaching and Learning Centers

Making an Impact Putting issues into broader institutional or national context –ACRL Information Literacy Standards –National Research Council’s FITness –Accrediting Agency Guidelines –Institutional Strategic Plan –Teaching, Learning, and Technology Plan Focus on students and learning, not the library

Joan K. Lippincott, Ph.D. Coalition for Networked Information (CNI)