Information Literacy, a model and three standards IL Strategy Workshop Day 1 Session 2

Objectives During this session, you will: Become familiar with an information literacy standard Consider how models can inform strategic planning Consider how an IL standard can help to define learner competencies Created an IL strategic goal

Information literacy standards ‘Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning (K-12)’ AASL & AECT, 1998 (US) ‘Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education’ – ACRL, 2000 (US) Information Literacy Framework: principles, standards and practice. ANZIIL & CAUL, 2004 (Australia & New Zealand) IFLA, 2006 (International standards)

Information Literacy Standards Established for different levels –Elementary –Secondary –Tertiary education Customised for specific environments –Researchers –Students –Workplace etc.

Information Literacy Standards Serves as guideline for Senior Management & IL program developers to: –Create information literacy goals –Establish a framework for achieving these goals Used to frame: –Capacity needs (professional staff, faculty, students) –Educational goals / aspirations (institutional, departmental) –Assessment criteria (Monitoring & Evaluation)

Information Literacy Standards All students expected to demonstrate all competencies, but not same level of proficiency or speed Some disciplines may place greater emphasis on the mastery of certain competencies Many of the competencies are likely to be performed recursively (not a linear process) Institutions should first review its mission and educational goals to determine how to improve teaching and learning

CASE STUDY

University of Botswana: Mission Statement “UB seeks to improve economic and social conditions for the nation, while advancing itself as a distinctively African University with a regional and International outlook –Provide excellence in delivery of learning to ensure society is provided with talented creative graduates –Advance knowledge and understanding through research and its application –Improve economic and social development by high impact engagement with business, the professions, government and civil society” Fidzani, B ‘UB Reflections’, IL Strategy Workshop 2010

Policy initiatives These include Learning and Teaching Policy (LT); Research strategy (RS); Digital Scholarship (DS) strategy General Education Courses (GEC) task force reports Graduate Employability Report Fidzani, B ‘UB Reflections’, IL Strategy Workshop 2010

Learning and Teaching Policy Identified twelve graduate attributes –Information and communication technology knowledge & skills –Self ‐ directed, lifelong learning skills –Critical and creative thinking skills –Problem ‐ solving skills –Communication skills –Entrepreneurship and employability skills –Organizational and teamwork skills –Research skills and information literacy –Social responsibility and leadership skills –Interpersonal skills –Cross ‐ cultural fluency –Accountability and ethical standards Fidzani, B ‘UB Reflections’, IL Strategy Workshop 2010

Task Eponimm, Wikimedia

Group activity (40 mins) Discover & Advise: 1. Consider the case study, which ACRL standards will help them cultivate the following competencies: Critical and creative thinking Problem solving skills Social responsibility 2. What performance indicators could help you measure these competencies?

What is a strategic goal? A brief statement that describes a change you hope to contribute to through your information literacy programme or services. This could include: A change in specific behaviours A change in skills e.g. research uptake, or research capacity A change that benefits society

Strategic statement ingredients

Does this have the right ingredients? By 2025, UB will be a distinctively African University who has contributed to economic and social growth at a national level, and is positioned as a credible learning institution at a regional and international level?

What about this goal? By 2025, UB is recognised as a distinctively African University that contributes to economic and social growth at a national, regional and international level?

What about this goal? By 2025, UB is recognised as a distinctively African University that produces graduates who can undertake research that makes a positive contribution to economic and social growth at a national, regional and international level?

Activity (30 mins) Develop a strategic goal for your project / programme: –Express as an outcome (what will change: behaviour, attitude or awareness) –Who –How will it change –By when Share your IL goal with the group

Outcomes By the end of this session, you will be able to: Take an information literacy standard and link it to a strategic goal Begin to understand how models can inform strategic planning Identify how an IL standard can help to define learner competencies Practiced creating an IL strategic goal

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.Creative Commons Attribution- ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License 10/10/ Course materials developed by Siobhan Duvigneau Information Literacy manager, IDS