Learning Environment Architect… Mara Bordignon, B.Sc., M.I.St. Seneca Libraries, Seneca College WNYO ACRL/OCULA Spring Conference: Bring it On! Shaping the Future of Academic Libraries April 27, 2012 moving from lecture to experience
The Foundation
Architectural drawing
Drawing revision: Threshold Concepts
Information Literacy Thresholds Format as process Authority is constructed & contextual Information is a commodity Primary Sources & Disciplinarity Library = part of the research process
Format as process Creation process instead of formats
Information = commodity Not “unique” to libraries
New Building Materials: Transliteracy
Effective information use requires several information sources.
Information resources do not stand alone, they interact.
Navigating the interaction requires transferable skills.
Harness the power of what your students already know!
“It’s not answering the question… It’s questioning the answer”
Heavy lifting required: New building techniques
Behaviorism “transmitting information & basic skills in a well organized manner”
Student Centered Learning Problem based learning Collaborative learning Discovery Constructivism “learning is Doing”
… shift from a focus on delivery of knowledge… … to discovery of knowledge.
Problem-based learning Provide an information “artefact” Learners will be able to: Locate the artefact Identify the context in which the artefact was created Evaluate quality based on pre- determined criteria
After Collaborative Group Work Sociology Professor Discussion: Face-to-face & online (wikis, blogs, discussion forums) Me
Building, growth = Learning environment architect