Information Literacy 101

Putting Students and Learning at the Center 1990’s General Education Reforms Fundamental academic skills across the curriculum Using technology to enhance teaching Assessing student learning Learning communities to promote cooperation

Pedagogical Shifts Learning style accommodations Group work Hands-on and service learning

Roles for Librarians Identity Visibility Collaboration Librarian as Teacher

Information History in a Hurry (Vaguely Chronological) Oral tradition & manuscripts (pre 15 th century) Gutenberg (1457) Libraries as warehouses Radio, TV, electronic communications Bibliographic (library) instruction Information Age (Internet, WWW, Information Highway Hype)

Some Perspective More new information has been produced in the last 30 years than in the previous The total of all printed knowledge doubles every eight years. “Proficiency at generating information has exceeded our abilities to find, review, and understand it.” “Information everywhere, but not the time to think about it.

Information Literacy Definitions of Information Literacy Work in progress since the 1980s Local, national, and international efforts Multiple understandings possible

Information Literate People Have learned how to learn: Know how information is organized Know how to find information Know how to use information so that others can learn from them

Information Literacy/Competency Fundamental skills necessary for academic achievement and lifelong learning. Ability to identify and resolve one’s own information needs. Prerequisite to success in education, work, and personal life.

Information Literacy is NOT a new idea NOT the responsibility of any one department Discipline-based Crosses disciplines Required by Middle StatesMiddle States Needs all of us.

Other Literacies Visual Literacy photographs, illustrations, computer graphics. Media Literacy newspapers, music, magazines, radio, movies, television Computer Literacy word processing, spreadsheets, databases other software tools. Statistical Literacy manipulation of statistics

Major Information Literacy Players American Library Association 1989 definition from Presidential Committee on Information Literacy “…how to find, evaluate, and use information effectively to solve a particular problem or make a decision…” ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

More Players National Information Literacy Institute 1997 LOEX conference Institute for Information Literacy 1999 American Association for Higher Education Endorsed ACRL standards as a policy position.

Who’s Doing What Statewide initiatives California’s CSU Information Competence Project New York’s SUNY commitment to implement competencies across the curriculum. Ohio Board of Regents – public colleges and universities to meet at least basic national standards for information literacy and competency.

Current State of Affairs Everything is on the web. The Library is not needed. Goggle=“search of all information”=RESEARCH Students commonly begin their research on the computer.

Research Cycle Questioning Planning Gathering Sorting and Sifting Synthesizing Evaluating Reporting

Problems with Teaching Information Literacy Failure to Transfer –Students can learn in one context, yet fail to transfer to other contexts. –Students construct new knowledge based on their current knowledge. Fish is a fish.

Implications for Teaching Drawing out and work with the preexisting understanding that students bring with them. Throw out the empty vessel theory More assessment …not just tests Refine their thinking

Bi - VS – Information Literacy How would you respond to “IL is just a new name for BI?” Bibliographic Instruction or Library Instruction?

BI - vs. – Information Literacy Differences: - curriculum - ownership

BIIL Responsibility / Control Librarian-controlledCollaborative responsibility Relation to curriculum External / tangentialIntegral Placement in curriculumIsolated learning episodes (one-shot, workshop, unlinked credit courses) Pervasive throughout the curriculum, linked credit courses, competency requirements) Content focusTools, search interfacesOverarching concepts, critical thinking processes, thinking standards Teaching methodsLibrarian control / didactic approaches Construction of learning environments; librarian and faculty act as guides Learning transferLimitedIncreased due to multiple learning opportunities AssessmentFocus on limited evaluations, skill-based measurements Focus on competencies, standards as yardstick for outcomes based approaches Relationship to placeFocus on specific librariesFocus on unbounded universe of information Role of technologyLimited, used in relatively inflexible ways Expanded role, variety of technologies selected to match instructional situations (“technology as a lever”)

BI - TO – Information Literacy Program Redesign Issues –Staff –Time –Assessment –Resources –Partnerships –Content –Teaching Methods – problem based learning –More planning with faculty

Let’s Brainstorm!

Assessment Knowing WHAT you are doing Knowing WHY you are doing it Knowing the students are LEARNING Changing because of the INFORMATION

Assessment Enriching A compass Reaffirming Shouldn’t be an extra

Assessment What do you want to the student to be able to do? What does the student need to know in order to do it well? What activity will facilitate the learning? How will they demonstrate the learning? How will I know that they have done this well?

Assessment Outcomes -are measurable/Judgeable -Transfererable -Clear to the student -developmental