Staff Information skills : strategies to influence up- take Alison Mackenzie

Session outline Introduction background what do we mean by information skills for staff Your starter for 10 Assessing your institution Drivers for change Handouts to help Questions

2002 Big Blue 2003 Big Blue connect 2004 Where next? Raising awareness Writing 2005 Publication & Seminars Content development

“ There are three reasons why information literacy needs to be owned by the whole ….. community. information literacy is about learning how to learn The first is because information literacy is about learning how to learn …… lifelong learning agenda The second is the lifelong learning agenda. rapid obsolescence of content …., making knowledge of how to learn, how to find, evaluate and apply newinformation that more important for professionals The third is the rapid obsolescence of content …., making knowledge of how to learn, how to find, evaluate and apply new information that more important for professionals and their professions. Bundy (2004) Why?

All Employees for example: Teaching staff Researchers Managers Administrators Student support services IT staff Staff Developers Customer services External RelationsEstates & Planning HR staffLearning Resource staff Workplace information skills : Stakeholder communities Students Professional Partners Other Education institutions Development agencies Industry External Funding agencies Research L&T developments Projects Employers Local businesses Government DFES Quality Assurance Agencies e.g. Ofsted; QAA Local community

Defining Staff i-skills q “What do you mean by information skills?” q “It’s a library thing” q “If you don’t know what they are, how do you recognise that you need to improve them?” q “That’s for students isn’t it?”

Definition of i-skills

What is being used

Strategies Two approaches : two publications Investing in Staff i-Skills : A strategy for institutional development –Provide evidence to support the argument for investment in staff i-skills –Examine the potential risk little or no action is likely to have on the effectiveness of an institution –Provide an example of an institution-wide framework to progress i-skills Improving Staff i-skills : An introductory guide Improving Staff i-skills : An introductory guide. It will help you to: –Define i-skills –Understand why they are important for individuals and institutions –Recognise i-skills in context –Make a start on an i-skills staff development plan –Develop ideas to help you deliver i-skills provision for your own institution

Further Education - Key players ILT Champions Learning Resource Centres Regional Support Centres Teaching staff Institutional Strategies

Drivers

Your turn Need to align with drivers for change They can all be applied in i-skills context (but not all of equal weighting) Which are most relevant for your institution?

Adding up the benefits

Ways forward Identify those drivers which you can capitalise on Where can you invest your energies to achieve greatest impact? Look at our ‘Starter for 10’ for inspiration Share your successes

And finally…. ‘’It is as absurd to try and solve the problems of education by giving people access to information, as it would be to solve the housing problem by giving people access to bricks’ Diana Laudrillard,