Title: PG6009 Graduate Information Literacy Skills
1PG6009Graduate Information Literacy Skills
- SIF Graduate Generic Skills Project
- IL Module
- Margot Conrick, Head of Information Services,
Library, UCC.
2UCC Strategic Framework 2006-2011
- Developments in Graduate Education will
- involve enhancing the current
supervisor/student PhD structure including the
provision of additional generic and specialist
skills training through graduate
programmes/graduate schools. The courses
underpinning the training will be at
Departmental, College, University and
inter-University levels.
3Changes in PhD Training
- Generic Training
- New Key element of PhD Skills Development
- Structured 4-Year PhD
- Generic Skills
- National Co-ordination / Collaboration
- Increased Mobility
4The changing model of PhD training in
Ireland National and European developments
Key points
- Doubling of PhD numbers
- Establishment of Graduate School system
- Change from apprenticeship to structured 4-year
PhD - National co-ordination of training provision
- New emphasis on career paths
4th Level Ireland
OECD
5- 2. Overview what we want to achieve
- The development of graduate education will
contribute to the creation of a world-class
education system and the transition to a more
knowledge driven society. The development of a
quality graduate education system will be
reflected by the following features - - The best possible graduate education
experience for students - The development of a
rounded individual in order to meet the
challenges of the workplace - A graduate
education environment that is internationally
attractive - A four year program with
apprenticeship and taught courses and structured
entry and exit points - The professionalisation
of supervision - PhDs of a caliber that makes
them sought after internationally - Increased
number of PhDs - Infrastructure and capability
to achieve ground breaking research -
Collaboration. where appropriate, to deliver
complementarity - Uniquely differentiated
collaboration between academia and enterprise in
its widest sense.
6- Case Study 2 The New Fourth Level Graduate
- The Old Model Typical Traditional PhD
Experience - PhD student enrols with a researcher supervisor
to work on a highly focused research project and,
depending on his/her research productivity,
graduates anywhere between 3-8 years later
without any formal training in broader research
methodologies or management skills. - This is beginning to change within the
universities on an ad hoc basis with the
introduction of some structured courses
(disciplinary and generic) along with greater
focus on the career path of the PhD student. - The New Model Structured PhD Programme
- 3rd level students excited about research through
a reformed curriculum that emphasises creativity,
discovery and knowledge advancement and that
mainstreams research elective (sampler)
opportunities - Top international students attracted to Irish PhD
programmes by innovative marketing, the provision
of scholarships, high quality pastoral support,
and the reputation of Irelands research
community - First year of PhD programme dominated by
structured taught courses in generic and
domain-specific areas organised on a
trans-institutional basis - Decision point at end of first year when student
has the option of either entering the workforce
with a masters degree or progressing to a full
PhD degree - Years 2-4 of PhD training characterised by a high
quality research experience supplemented by
formal training in key technologies, management
and communications - Formalised career development and, where
relevant, targeted skills enhancement visits to
partner international centres and external work
placements - Course content and oversight of the quality of
the student/supervisor relationship by
trans-institutional Boards of Studies involving
both academic staff and external stakeholders - Research and taught components underpinned by a
dedicated core of administrative, technical and
support staff and by leading edge technology
platforms and capital infrastructure - Following graduation and entry into the
workforce, continued access to key taught courses
in emerging areas through either e-learning or
new refresher courses tailored for lifelong
learners.
7- 7 Duration
- Doctoral programmes should be normally of four
years in duration, but may vary because of
discipline considerations and mode of delivery
e.g. part-time. The timescale must allow for the
provision of structured course work. The duration
of our doctoral programmes must be bench marked
internationally and according to discipline. - 8. The promotion of innovative structures
- Graduate education programmes must encompass a
breadth within and, where appropriate, across
disciplines. Graduate Education should enable the
provision of generic skills training to all
researchers to meet the challenge of
interdisciplinary training. The development of
transferable skills is key to the formation of
successful graduate education programmes and
supported by practive oriented placements as
appropriate. - 9 Increasing mobility
- Graduate education programmes should seek to
offer geographical as well as interdisciplinary
and intersectoral mobility and international
collaboration within an integrated framework of
cooperation between higher education institutions
and other partners. - 13. Maximise accessibility
- All PhD students should have access to the
provision of generic skills training irrespective
of discipline, institution or regional location.
Flexibility should exist with respect to mode of
diversity to meet the needs of employees and
entry and exit points. Accessibility should be
supported by a system wide accreditation process.
8The new model for PhD education
- Broaden student skills and knowledge
- Provide specialist courses in the research area
(high-level interdisciplinary skills) - Develop high-level transferable skills with an
eye on student career paths - Create inter-institutional graduate education
programmes - Broaden and deepen the intellectual training
which the student will - receive
- Develop innovative structures for the provision
of generic skills
9Credits
- Research leading to the PhD dissertation must
comprise at least 240 credits within the overall
programme. - Overall Min of 270 Credits with a Max of 360
- The PhD programme of study may include up to 90
credits of generic and specialist training and/or
academic modules
10Example of Credits
- Student A
- 2 x 5-credit generic (PG) modules (e.g., PATHS,
STEPS, SIF IL) - 2 x 5-credit modules offered by
Department/College/ Graduate Programme - 10 credits for self-directed skills analysis
leading to portfolio - Total 30 credits
- Student B
- 2 x 5-credit generic (PG) modules e.g. SIF IL
- 2 x 5-credit modules offered by
Department/College/ Graduate Programme - 2 x 5-credit modules in another Irish institution
- 1 x 5-credit module in an international
institution - 10 credits for self-directed skills analysis
leading to portfolio - Total 45 credits
11Strategic Innovation Fund for Higher Education
(SIF)
Government fund to promote collaboration,
support change and enhance quality in Irish
higher education so that it is equipped to meet
the challenge of driving Irelands development
as a leading knowledge economy
12SIF Generic Skills Project (6 Modules UCC,
NUIG, TCD)
13Overall Objective
- The SIF Generic Skills project has the overall
objective of providing key transferable generic
skills, with an inter-institutional structure
14Information Literacy for Researchers - SIF IL
Module
- SIF Generic Skills project Enabling 4th Level
Ireland - Aimed at PHD or Research Masters students, of
use to Post-Docs too. - Informing the process research surveys
- Face-to-Face and Online Modes
- Integrate with Blackboard
15SIF IL Module
- Measurable learning outcomes
- Lead institution NUIG / Partners TCD/UCC
- Commonality between NUI Galway/TCD and UCC
- Localisation issues
- Range of media options podcasts/video etc
16SIF Funding
- 300 million (2006 2011)
- Cycle 1 October 06 42 million
- 14 projects
- SIF IL within
- Promoting the development of 4th level
education (almost 10 million)
17What is Information Literacy
- The ALA (American Library Association) defines
Information Literacy as a set of abilities
requiring individuals to recognize when
information is needed and have the ability to
locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed
information. - ALA also states that information literacy is a
survival skill in the Information Age.
Information Literacy forms the basis for
lifelong learning. It is common to all
disciplines, to all learning environments and to
all levels of education. It enables learners to
master content and extend their investigations,
become more self-directed, and assume greater
control over their learning. - This ALA definition is one of the many
definitions in use internationally.
18Benefits for Graduates
- Audit Update current IL Skills
- Expand Acquire a Portfolio of new IL Skills
- Expert Guidance on the Usage of Information
Resources - Knowledge of Key Concepts of Information
Identification, Retrieval, Current Awareness and
Management - Skill to undertake a high-quality Literature
Review - Ability to use appropriate resources to address
Information/Research Needs
19Further Benefits
- Search Strategies for using Information Resources
- Understand how to Evaluate Results in terms of
Value to own Research - Strategies for Managing Information including
Citation and Referencing - Awareness of the Ethical Issues in Using
Information
20Benefits continued
- Insights into Effective Publishing and
Dissemination of Research - Importance of Impact Factors
- Avenues for Developing Research
- Maximise Research Time and Avoid Duplication
- Learn to Apply and Adapt acquired Skills
21SIF IL Steering Group
- Led by NUI Galway Library
- Original Chair, IUA Librarian NUIG (Marie
Reddan) Now Niall McSweeney - Members TCD / UCC / NUIG
- 100,000 module funding
- IL Module one of 6 SIF Generic Skills Training
Modules - 3 year timescale - Began April 07
- Initial pilot May 08 some units in each
institution - Full Pilot Oct 09 to date all units in each
institution simultaneously -
22Developing Module
- Consultation critical
- - PHD Supervisors
- - Deans
- - Library Staff
- - Researchers and students
- National IL standards
- International best practice
23SIF IL - Module Units
24Current Status of Module
- Module Content Complete
- Online Developed by e-Media
- Ongoing development / revision
- Delivery of Full Module Pilot (all 7 Units)
- in all 3 universities
- Oct 08 to Feb 09
- STM focus examples but generic content
- Evaluation
- Assessment - Librarians supervisors
- Papers accepted at 3 major conferences so far
- Irish Universities Information Services
Colloquium (IUISC) March 09 - The Librarians Information Literacy Annual
Conference (LILAC) March 09
25UCC - PG6009 (SIF IL Module)
- Some Units piloted in each univ - May 08
- Full Module (Pilot)
- 29th Oct 08 11th Feb 09
- 5 ECTS
- Assessment Assignment (s)
- Face-to-face Online
- Unit 1 Information Literacy Your Research -
29th Oct - Unit 2 Research Resource Discovery - 12th
19th Nov - Full class PhDs in STM Reserve List
26Evaluation
- Unit Evaluation
- Individually assessed
- Each institution doing their own
- Each group of presenters
- Module Evaluation
- Roundtable Discussion
- Overall Evaluation
- Steering Group
27Challenges
- No dedicated Project Support
- Existing resources
- Collaboration
- Institutional differences
- Geographical spread
- Support
- each Library
- each institution
-
- Integration of module with PhD Programme
- Registration for module
- Timing Duration
- Assessment pedagogy / consistency
- Online (via VLE) Face-to-Face
- Sustainability resources
- Delivery options face-to-face online
- Additional Workshop / Sessions
28Post Full Pilot Year 3 of Project
- Full evaluation post-pilot
- Arts/Humanities and Social Sciences content
- Revision and addition of existing content
- Unit on Writing Skills and Creative Thinking
- Module available to all PhDs in Sept 09 ?
29Access Details
- SIF IL Module is hosted by HEANET
- sifinfolit.ucc.ie
- sifinfolit_at_ucc.ie