Information Literacy, a catalyst for educational change

1
Information Literacy, a catalyst for educational
change

• Susie Andretta
• Senior Lecturer in Information Management
• London Metropolitan University
• s.andretta_at_londonmet.ac.uk
• www.ilit.org

2
Information literacy a definition

• To be information literate, a person must be able
  to recognize when information is needed and have
  the ability to locate, evaluate, and use
  effectively the needed information. ...
  Ultimately, information literate people are those
  who have learned how to learn. They know how to
  learn because they know how knowledge is
  organized, how to find information, and how to
  use information in such a way that others can
  learn from them. (ALA, 1989)

3
Overview of information literacy

• CONUL Report
• Our ability to think and to select and use the
  information at our disposal will be the critical
  determinant of future success of the Information
  Society in Ireland (CONUL, 2004 1)
• Catalyst for educational change - addressing the
  challenges (Candy, 2002 Bruce, 2002 Lupton,
  2004)
• Empowering the learner and the educator (Bundy,
  2004 Andretta, 2005a Information literacy
  challenges of implementation, Italics, 5(1),
  January 2006)

4
HE challenges

• Lifelong learning requirements (OECD, 1996)
• The knowledge-based economy is characterised by
  the need for continuous learning of both codified
  information and the competencies to use this
  information. Capabilities for selecting
  relevant information, recognising patterns in
  information, interpreting and decoding
  information as well as learning new and
  forgetting old skills are in increasing demand.
  (OSullivan, 2002 8)

5
HE challenges

• The creation of a learning culture which
  produces graduates with a capacity and desire for
  lifelong learning in a rapidly changing, complex,
  and information abundant environment, requires a
  major shift in the educational paradigm.
• (Bundy, 2001)
• From prescribed reading to the excitement or the
  burden of choice. (Leon, 2004)

6
HE Challenges

• ICT-driven learning and teaching strategies
• e-learning (DfES, 2003)
• The creation of a professional workforce and
  fulfilled citizens through the mastery of
  self-directed lifelong learning practices.
• The development of innovative provision geared to
  address the needs of a global knowledge society
  and the offering of a more flexible education
  system that responds to the needs of learners
  irrespective of their location.

7
HEIs challenges

• Content and Competency Pedagogical Frames (Bruce
  et al)
• Culture of prescribed knowledge-acquisition
• Preferred by HEIs - indicators of students
  retention, progression and achievement
• Preferred by faculty staff - the sage on the
  stage approach (Doherty, 1999)
• Preferred by students - what do I do now?
  syndrome (Andretta and Cutting, 2003)
• Learning is a qualitative change in a persons
  way of seeing, experiencing, understanding,
  conceptualising something in the real world -
  rather than a change in the amount of knowledge
  which someone possesses.(Bruce, 1997 60)

8
HEIs challenges

• Diverse student population and learning needs
• Low information literacy skills and dependent
  attitude (Stern, 2003 Andretta and Cutting,
  2003)
• Problems of plagiarism (Brine and Stubbings,
  2003)
• General lack of engagement beyond the
  assessment-driven approach - low motivation
  (Andretta 2005a).
• Need to adopt a more flexible approach to
  learning and a more dynamic/critical
  investigation of the disciplines
• (Bruce et al Whitworth)

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Information literacy in Ireland

• Report of the CONUL Working Group on Information
  Skills Training

• Arrive at shared terminology, assumptions,
  expectations and best practice (4.1 8)
• Promote a common Information Literacy framework
  (IST initiatives 11)
• Develop a policy of implementation (capitalise on
  current information literacy practices)

10
Exploring the terminology

• How would you describe you view of learning,
  teaching and information literacy? (extract from
  Bruce et al)
• In my view learning is
• In my view teaching is
• I see information literacy as
• My colleagues see information literacy as
• Our students see information literacy as
• Handouts collected for analysis. Feedback after
  this event.

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Information literacy as a catalyst

• Empowering the learner by fostering an
  independent learning attitude
• Taking responsibility for own learning (Andretta,
  2005a)
• Experiencing variation in learning (Bruce et al
  Lantz et al Stubbings et al)
• Developing motivation through relevance to
  subject and personal requirements (Lantz et al
  Hepworth et al)
• Developing own voice, advocacy (Williams
  Stubbings et al)
• Developing active citizenship (Whitworth Lantz
  et al)

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Information literacy as a catalyst

• Empowering the librarian by claiming the
  facilitators role
• a librarian should be more than a keeper of
  books he should be an educator . All that is
  taught in college amounts to very little but if
  we can send students out self-reliant in their
  investigations, we have accomplished very much.
  (Robinson, 1876 129)
• Librarians as information literacy educators
• Resistance from faculty staff and students
  (Stubbings et al UK)
• Institutional acceptance and integration of
  information literacy education in civic and
  health literacies programmes (Lantz et al,
  Sweden)
• Opportunities for CPD and knowledge transfer
  (Hepworth et al, Tanzania)

13
Information literacy as a catalyst

• Clear strategy of collaboration between faculty,
  library and administrative staff to ensure
  flexible provision
• Embedded approach (ACRL, 2000 Bundy, 2004)
• Top-down Bottom-up (Lantz et al, Stubbings et
  al)
• Learning and teaching institutional strategies
  Critical and reflective pedagogy (Lantz et al,
  Whitworth,
• Hepworth et al)
• Learning and teaching provision by staff
  Learning outcomes (Stubbings et al)
• Prevention of plagiarism (ibid.)
• PDP (ibid.)
• Real- world assessment (Lantz et al)

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Information Literacy Education

• Pedagogical framework suitable for lifelong
  learning
• Emancipation of learners and staff
• National and institutional competitiveness
• From prescribed reading to the excitement of
  choice.

15
References

• ACRL (Association of College and Research
  Libraries) (2000) Information Literacy Competency
  Standards for Higher Education standards,
  performance indicators and outcomes, Chicago,
  ACRL. Available at http//www.ala.org/acrl/ilcoms
  tan.html (Accessed 9 November 2005).
• American Library Association (1989) ALA
  Presidential Committee on Information Literacy,
  ALA, Washington D.C., 10 January 1989. Available
  at http//www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/whitepape
  rs/presidential.htm (Accessed 7 March 2004).
• Andretta, S. (ed.) (2006) Information literacy
  challenges of implementation, Italics, 5 (1),
  January 2006. Online. Available at
  http//www.ics.heacademy.ac.uk/italics/vol5iss1.ht
  m (Accessed 16 January 2006).
• Andretta, S. (2005a) Information literacy
  empowering the learner against all odds, Paper
  presented at the LILAC Conference, 4 -6 April
  2005, Imperial College, London.
• Andretta, S. (2005b) Information Literacy a
  practitioners guide. Oxford Chandos Publishing.
• Andretta, S. Cutting, A. (2003) Information
  Literacy a plug and play approach, Libri,
  53(3) 202 209.
• Brine, A. Stubbings, R. (2003) Plagiarism and
  the role of the library, Library Information
  Update, 2(12) 42-44.

16
References

• Bruce C. (2002) Information Literacy as a
  Catalist for Educational Change A Background
  Paper, White Paper prepared for UNESCO, the U.S.
  National Commission on Libraries and Information
  Science, and the National Forum on Information
  Literacy, for use at the Information Literacy,
  Meetings of Experts, Prague, The Czeck Republic,
  July 2002. Available at
• http//www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconfmeet/pap
  ers/bruce-fullpaper.pdf (Accessed 7 April 2004).
• Bruce, C. (1997) The Seven Faces of Information
  Literacy, Auslib Press, Adelaide.
• Bundy, A. (2004a) Zeitgeist Information literacy
  and educational change. Paper presented at the
  4th Frankfurt Scientific Symposium, Germany, 4
  October 2004.
• Bundy, A. (ed) (2004b), Australian and New
  Zealand Information Literacy Framework.
  Principles, Standards and Practice, 2nd edition,
  Australian and New Zealand Institute for
  Information Literacy (ANZIIL), Adelaide.
  Available at http//www.caul.edu.au/info-literacy
  /InfoLiteracyFramework.pdf (Accessed 7 April
  2004).
• Bundy, A. (2001), Information Literacy The Key
  Competency for the 21st Century, available at
  http//www.library.unisa.edu.au/papers/inlit21.htm
  (accessed 8 November 2001).
• Bundy A. (1999) Information Literacy the 21st
  Century Educational Smartcard, Australian
  Academic Research Libraries (AARL), 30 (4),
  December 1999 233-250.

17
References

• Candy, P.C. (2002) Information Literacy and
  Lifelong Learning, White Paper prepared for
  UNESCO, the U.S. National Commission on Libraries
  and Information Science, and the National Forum
  on Information Literacy, for use at the
  Information Literacy, Meetings of Experts,
  Prague, The Czeck Republic, July 2002. Available
  at
• http//www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconfmeet/pap
  ers/candy-paper.pdf (Accessed 07/04/04).
• CONUL Working Group on Information Skills
  Training Final Report, March 2004.
• Department for Employment and Skills (DfES)
  (2003), Towards a Unified e-learning Strategy.
  Available at http//www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations
  2/16/ (Accessed 12 June 2004).
• Doherty, J.J., Hansen, M.A. and Kaya, K.K. (1999)
  Teaching information skills in the Information
  Age the need for critical thinking, Library
  Philosophy and Practice, 1(2) 1-12. Online.
  Available at http//www.webpages.uidaho.edu/mbol
  in/doherty.htm (Accessed 12 June 2004).
• Leon, P. (2004) Time to cut the cables?, Times
  Higher Educational Supplement, 30 April, pp. 8-9
• Lupton, M. (2004) The Learning Connection.
  Information Literacy and the student experience,
  Auslib Press, Adelaide.
• OSullivan, C. (2002) Is information literacy
  relevant in the real world?, New Library World,
  30(1)
• 7-14.

18
References

• Office of Economic Co-operation and Development
  (1996) The Knowledge-Based Economy (OECD), Paris
  (OECD/GD (96) 102).
• Robinson, O.H. (1876) The Proceedings, American
  Library Journal, 1 92-145.
• Stern, C. (2003) Measuring students information
  literacy competency, in Martin, A. Rader, H.
  (eds.) Information and IT literacy enabling
  learning in the 21st century, London Facet
  Publishing 112-119.