CONUL Information Literacy Seminar

1
CONUL Information Literacy Seminar

• Working with Academics for Information Literacy
  Development Deconstructing the Faculty Problem
• Dr. Claire McGuinness

2
A word on definition.
OLD Definitions Acquisition of defined Skills
Attributes Tick the box approach - If I learn
how to do x, y and z, I will be information
literate, mechanical IL can be taught
transfer of knowledge skills from expert to
novice
NEW Definitions Development of Information
Literate mindset, or way of thinking Highly
developed critical awareness of role and
potential of information in multiple contexts
(e.g. Bruces 7 Faces) IL not taught, but
develops through active participation in
carefully constructed learning tasks, designed to
expose students to information-problem solving
3
A further word on definition
The adoption of appropriate information
behaviours to obtain, through whatever channel or
medium, information well fitted to information
needs, together with critical awareness of the
importance of wise and ethical use of information
in society (Webber Johnston, 2003)
4
Last word on definition
Information Literacy Instruction Does not fit
with new definitions implies a passive
approach, IL is something that can be
taught Students receive instruction, rather
than play active role in developing IL mindset
Information Literacy Development Programmes
(ILDPs) A dynamic, interactive teaching and
learning process, does not imply that IL is a
subject that can be taught No distinction
between curriculum-integrated and
Non-integrated learning tasks are set up to
encourage IL development IL naturally embedded
in learning process
5
The Premise
Academic-Librarian collaboration is central to
ILD Dynamic of academic-librarian working
relationship exerts a powerful influence on the
establishment of ILDPs
6
The Assumption

• Why Academic-Librarian collaboration?

• Academics
• Control the learning environment
• Have strong influence over students information
  needs
• Are responsible for assessment protocols
• Exercise powerful influence on student motivation
• Influence student library use
• Have more teaching experience than librarians

• Librarians
• Have a better understanding of how students
  actually do research in the library
• Have a high awareness of need for ILD
• Have a long history and experience of teaching
  library skills
• Have a superior knowledge of information tools
  resource
• Keep up-to-date with changing technologies

7
The Problem

• Despite an ideological commitment in many
  institutions, ILD in undergraduate education is
  generally hit or miss
• E.g. One Irish universitys strategic plan -
  Acquired knowledge will become rapidly obsolete
  and within the education process the development
  of lifelong learning and transferable skills has
  become increasingly important
• Sustained, long-term academic-librarian
  collaboration difficult to achieve in practice
  WHY?
• All instruction librarians will recognise that
  theres a major gap between the should work
  together and the reality of most institutional
  situations (Farber, 1999)

8
The Misconception

• The Faculty Problem (McCarthy, 1985)
• Academics are the enemy in a battle for
  territory
• In the academic library, a successful strategy
  for infiltrating faculty lines and entrenching
  information literacy in the formal curriculum
  requires careful selection of personnel rigorous
  intelligence gathering and disciplined
  employment of both defensive and offensive
  tactics (Chiste et al, 2000)

9
The Reality

• Academic environment is complex
• Librarians bear some responsibility
• Evidence is primarily anecdotal
• Most published discussion of the quality of
  faculty-library relations is anecdotal many
  librarians and a few classroom faculty have
  produced written accounts of good and bad
  experiences at their institutions (Kotter, 1999)
• Need greater insight into what academics actually
  think

10
The Past

• Fewer than 30 studies of academics in LIS
• literature, mostly small-scale based in North
• America (one UK, one Australian study)
• Investigating several phenomena
• Academics attitudes towards librarians, and
  perceptions of librarians role and status
• Academics conceptions of IL, plus attitudes
  towards ILD and pedagogical practices for ILD
• Academics ratings of institutional library
  services

11
General conclusions

• Academics do value librarians work, but do not
  perceive them as academic equals
• Academics perceive that librarians make a limited
  contribution to students education, but provide
  important support services
• Academics perceptions of librarians role varies
  somewhat according to discipline and individual
  institutional culture

• Academics consider IL important, but do not work
  with librarians to facilitate it within
  undergraduate programmes
• Academics prefer teaching methods that they can
  control themselves e.g. assignments with
  information seeking component
• Academics do not favour methods which require
  collaboration, e.g. team-teaching, joint
  assignments, credit courses in IL, etc

12
Problem what, but not why

• Two possible theories (never investigated)
• Faculty culture (Hardesty, 1995)
  collaboration obstructed by culture clash
  between academics librarians (two separate
  professional identities)
• Pedagogical practices collaboration for ILD
  obstructed by undergraduate teaching approaches
  that conform to traditional behaviourist rather
  than constructivist principles (Leckie
  Fullerton, 1999)

13
Faculty Culture

• An emphasis on research, content and
  specialisation
• A de-emphasis on teaching, process and
  undergraduates
• The centrality of professional autonomy and
  academic freedom
• Lack of time
• Resistance to change (Hardesty, 1995)

14
Pedagogical Practices

• Discipline and disciplinary curriculum
• Programme type (size, expectations, etc)
• Programme pedagogical philosophy
• Class size
• Level of classroom support
• Failure of secondary education to adequately
  prepare students
• Personal philosophy of teaching and higher
  education
• Personal skill with information retrieval
• Years of teaching

• Whether or not an individual Faculty
• member will become more proactive in
• integrating information literacy into his
• or Her courses depends on the interplay
• among a number of complex variables
• that drive the educational process
• (Leckie Fullerton, 1999)
• There are few studies that
• attempt to explore more directly the
• impact of teachers personal
• constructs - their fundamental
• assumptions about teaching and
• learning (Hart, 2000)

15
The study

• Qualitative Method exploratory flexible,
  participants own perceptions experiences
• Semi-structured interviews (approx. 1 hour)
• Two disciplines Sociology (soft-pure), Civil
  Engineering (hard-applied)
• 20 academics from each discipline, 5 universities
• 9 subject librarians (5 sociology, 4 civ. eng.)

16
The issues explored

• Participants conceptions of information literacy
• Participants experiences of, and involvement in,
  ILD to date
• Participants beliefs about the importance of IL
• Cultural factors affecting potential for
  collaboration between academics and librarians
• The nature of the working relationship between
  academics and librarians
• Academics general experiences of pedagogy

17
Findings

• 12 Internal External factors that may obstruct
• potential for academic-librarian collaboration
• Internal abstract phenomena such as beliefs,
  conceptions and perceptions, which determine
  participants decision-making and actions with
  regard to ILD.
• External concrete circumstances in the
  institutional or departmental environment that
  prevent or facilitate action with regard to ILD,
  such as logistical problems or resource
  limitations

18
Internal Factors

• Information Literacy Conceptions limited
  conceptions that focus on information sources and
  information processes (Bruces Faces)
• Belief - that IL is already catered for in the
  undergraduate curricula, as students become
  information literate through participating in a
  number of existing learning situations
• Belief - that it is the students own individual
  responsibility to avail of the many opportunities
  to become information literate in their courses

19
Internal Factors

• Perception of librarians as support staff
  rather than educational collaborators. Academics
  see a teaching role for librarians that is
  limited to library orientation
• Perception that the library is not essential to
  undergraduate study (mainly Civ. Eng.)
• Perception librarians self-perception of
  themselves as support staff rather than teachers,
  limited conception of own contribution to
  educational programmes

20
External Factors

• Time - Overfull teaching schedules, academics
  overburdened with work, no room for ILD
• Resistance to Change introducing new teaching
  approaches a slow process in academic departments
• Lack of Influence librarians lack necessary
  institutional leverage to instigate change, poor
  representation on committees, little input to
  teaching curricula

21
External Factors

• Logistical problems obstacles to change,
  including large student numbers, resistance among
  students to active learning, fears about
  plagiarism
• Spoonfeeding providing students with all
  course material necessary to pass exams (mainly
  Civ.Eng.)
• Teaching Paradigm conforms to the behaviourist,
  passive model of lecture textbook
  examination little space for active learning
  approaches such as group work

22
(No Transcript)
23
Recommendations for Practice

• Institutions need to focus on how to translate
  into practice the recommendations for active
  learning and information literacy that are
  contained in their Strategic Plans (including
  Library Strategic plans)
• Institutions should consider the establishment of
  a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
  (CETL) as a step towards restructuring their
  undergraduate programmes, including ILD
• Institutions should consider experiments such as
  the Learning Support project in UCD as a means of
  persuading university constituents of the
  benefits of ILD

24
A glimpse of what were doing

• New Information Literacy module Introduction to
• Information Literacy (Information Literacy
  Information
• Skills for Effective Academic Writing
  2006/2007)
• Modularisation at UCD (Horizons) opportunity
  for
• revamping 1st Year programme and promoting IL
• university-wide
• Full collaboration between SILS UCD Library

25
Contact Details

• claire.mcguinness_at_ucd.ie
• ?7167077 (Wed. Fri.)