Information Literacy
Published on Nov 20, 2015
Presentation to the senior leadership team on Information Literacy at Hamilton College.
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Information literacy is 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."
- Traditional definition, ACRL, 2015
Traditional definition from ACRL...
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"Old" IL Competancy Standards...
- Determine the extent of information needed
- Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
- Evaluate information and its sources critically
- Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
Traditional IL competancy standards...
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"Old" IL Competancy Standards, Continued
- Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
- Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally
Pretty self explanatory-- right? These have been in place for 15 years...
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..."the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning."
-*New* expanded definition of IL, ACRL Framework, 2015
In 2015, ACRL released a new definition of IL and a new "framework" to accompany this definition > focused on FOUNDATIONAL ideas and the student role in creating "new knowledge" and changing dynamics of the world of info.
Also intended for faculty to be better able to design curricula and assignments that help students engage with ideas about information and scholarship within a discipline.
IL > arc of learning that extends throughout students' academic careers
Also intended for faculty to be better able to design curricula and assignments that help students engage with ideas about information and scholarship within a discipline.
IL > arc of learning that extends throughout students' academic careers
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NEW FRAMEWORK CONCEPTS
- Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
- Information Creation as a Process
- Information Has Value
- Research as Inquiry
- Scholarship as Conversation
- Searching as Strategic Exploration
-Based on a cluster of interconnected concepts.
-Flexible
-Draws on METALITERACY > IL as overaching set of abilities in which students are CONSUMERS and CREATORS of info who can participate successfully in COLLABORATIVE spaces.
-Relies on CRITICAL SELF REFLECTION
-Flexible
-Draws on METALITERACY > IL as overaching set of abilities in which students are CONSUMERS and CREATORS of info who can participate successfully in COLLABORATIVE spaces.
-Relies on CRITICAL SELF REFLECTION
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"...consumers and creators of information who can participate successfully in collaborative spaces."
-Metaliteracy
-ACRL framework for IL for Higher Ed
-When we talk about "Maker Spaces" in higher ed...
-ACRL framework for IL for Higher Ed
-When we talk about "Maker Spaces" in higher ed...
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What We Talk About
When We Talk About Information Literacy
This new framework is changing what we talk about and how we talk about it!
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1. Authority is Constructed and Contextual
Understanding that:
-Info resources reflect the creators' expertise and credibility
-Info resources are evaluated based on the info need and the context for which info will be used
- There are different types of authority
- The info need determines the authority required
- Disciplines have acknowledged authoritites and even these authorities may be challenged...
- Authority may be packaged informally or formally (all media types)
- Students are developing their own voices > recognize the responsibility this entails > accuracy, reliability, respecting intellectual property, participating in communities of practice; understand social nature of info ecosystem
-Students develop self awareness of their own bias > learn to assess content with skeptical stance...
-Info resources reflect the creators' expertise and credibility
-Info resources are evaluated based on the info need and the context for which info will be used
- There are different types of authority
- The info need determines the authority required
- Disciplines have acknowledged authoritites and even these authorities may be challenged...
- Authority may be packaged informally or formally (all media types)
- Students are developing their own voices > recognize the responsibility this entails > accuracy, reliability, respecting intellectual property, participating in communities of practice; understand social nature of info ecosystem
-Students develop self awareness of their own bias > learn to assess content with skeptical stance...
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2. Information Creation as a Process
-Information produced to convey a message via selected delivery method
-Research > create> revise> share
i-.e. Understanding pre- and post publication editing or reviewing may be indicators of quality
-Does the information fit the need?
-Format matters to message
-Value the process of matching an info need with an appropriate product
-Research > create> revise> share
i-.e. Understanding pre- and post publication editing or reviewing may be indicators of quality
-Does the information fit the need?
-Format matters to message
-Value the process of matching an info need with an appropriate product
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3. Information Has Value
- Information as a Commodity >
means of education
means to influence
means of negotiating and understanding the world
-Understand that legal and socioeconomic interests influence the production and dissemination of info
-Give credit to original ideas
-Understand intellectual property
-Copyright, fair use, open access
-Recognize issues of access or lack of access
-Decide how and where their info is published
-Understand how personal info and online interactions affect info received
-Make informed choices - understand online privacy issues
** See one self as CONTRIBUTOR to the INFO marketplace rather than only consumers of it
means of education
means to influence
means of negotiating and understanding the world
-Understand that legal and socioeconomic interests influence the production and dissemination of info
-Give credit to original ideas
-Understand intellectual property
-Copyright, fair use, open access
-Recognize issues of access or lack of access
-Decide how and where their info is published
-Understand how personal info and online interactions affect info received
-Make informed choices - understand online privacy issues
** See one self as CONTRIBUTOR to the INFO marketplace rather than only consumers of it
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4. Research as Inquiry
A lot of the "traditional" definition of IL tied into this framework:
- Research as a PROCESS
-Depends upon asking complex or new questions....whose answers develop ADDITIONAL questions
-Formulate questions based on information gaps or conflicting information
-Know how to LIMIT the scope of their investigations
-Use various research methods based on need or circumstance
-Organize info in meaningful way
-Synthesize IDEAS from multiple sources
-Draw reasonable conclusions based on analyis
-PERSISTENCE, ADAPTABILITY, FLEXIBILTY
-Seeks multiple perspectives
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5. Scholarship as Conversation
-Communities of scholars, researchers, professionals > discourse over time > varied perspectives and interpretations
-Ideas formulated, debated, weighed
-Cite the contributing work of others
-Contribute to the scholarly conversations (online community, research journal, conference presentation)
-Critically evaluate contributions made by others in participatory info environments (and understand the responsibility of participating)
-ID the contributions of key articles, books, etc. to a discipline
-Summarize the changes over time within a discipline
-Recognize various perspectives
- Scholarship (and the conversation) is ONGOING
-Ideas formulated, debated, weighed
-Cite the contributing work of others
-Contribute to the scholarly conversations (online community, research journal, conference presentation)
-Critically evaluate contributions made by others in participatory info environments (and understand the responsibility of participating)
-ID the contributions of key articles, books, etc. to a discipline
-Summarize the changes over time within a discipline
-Recognize various perspectives
- Scholarship (and the conversation) is ONGOING
6. Searching as Strategic Exploration
- Also based on traditional IL competancies. What does this frame look like?
-Searching is not linear
-Requires evaluation of a range of sources and mental flexibility!
-Determine initial search scope
-Identify resources that are produced and how to access the information
-Match info needs and strategies to search tools
- Design and redefine needs and strategies based on results
-Understand how collections are organized to access relevant results
-Use different searching language (keywords, controlled vocab)
-Manage end results
-Seek guidance when needed!
Persistance
Recognize value of serendipity and browsing...
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"The sheer abundance of information will not in itself create a more informed citizenry without a complementary cluster of abilities necessary to use information effectively."
ACRL, 2015
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ACADEMIC SUCCESS
2015 Report (ACRL)
Academic Library Contributions to Student Success: Documented Practices from the Field. Prepared by Karen Brown. Contributions by Kara J. Malenfant. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2015.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS!
1. Library instruction builds students’ confidence with the research process.
2. Library instruction contributes to retention and persistence, particularly for students in first-year experience courses and programs.
3. Students who receive library instruction as part of their courses achieve higher grades and demonstrate better information literacy competencies than students who do not receive course-related library instruction.
4. A library’s research and study space fosters social and academic community among students. 5. Library instructional games engage students, enhance information literacy skills, and increase positive attitudes toward the library and its staff.
6. The library’s use of social media promotes awareness of the library and builds academic community among students.
7. Multiple library instruction sessions or activities in connection with a course are more effective than one-shot instruction sessions.
8. Collaborative instructional activities and services between the library and other campus units (e.g., writing center, study skills and tutoring services) promote student learning and success!
While ‘information literacy’ may sound specific to library science, its core concepts--inquiry, evaluation, communication, attribution, and the ethical use of information--form the foundation for Hamilton’s own learning objectives: intellectual curiosity, creativity, understanding of cultural diversity, aesthetic and analytic discernment, and ethical, informed, and engaged citizenship. If our student body lacks informationliteracy (at any state of their college career), we are not fulfilling our commitment to our own pedagogical goals.
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WORKPLACE SUCCESS
Project Info Lit
How do you think IL impacts upon workplace success?
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Employers expect candidates to...
- Be patient and persistent researchers
- Retrieve info in a variety of formats, identify patterns within an array of sources, and dive deeply into source material
- (Project Info Lit 2013- over 11,000 students from 57 colleges in this study!)
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In Reality...
- Employers found students were tech savvy but Google-centric (and rarely went beyond the first page of results).
- (PIL, 2013)
Project Information Literacy!
http://projectinfolit.org/
http://www.lirgjournal.org.uk/lir/ojs/index.php/lir/article/view/557/593
http://projectinfolit.org/
http://www.lirgjournal.org.uk/lir/ojs/index.php/lir/article/view/557/593
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INFORMED CITIZENRY
Having the skills to make the right decisions...
...politics and government, health, social issues, finances...etc etc.
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Understand
Chatter vs. Science
Great example of this...!
"knowledge in action"
- Basic understanding of statistics and interference
- Sense of the major research institutions-- understanding URL's-- and how they produce knowledge
- How does the scientific method work and how do you test a hypothesis with data?
- Sorting through conflicting findings in a sea of information
What might the framework in action look like??
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Untitled Slide
Information Has Value
seeing oneself as a CONTRIBUTOR to the info marketplace
Valuing information (and the creators) impacts how one consumes and contributes information....
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Visual Literacy
Just a word on Visual Literacy-- we really look at as being a part of IL...especially in terms of "knowledge creation"-- understanding WHERE to find quality images that are within fair use, how to present these effectively...
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Untitled Slide
and also how to be "visually literate" in participatory communities (such as Facebook!).
"America before colonization.... I've never seen this map in my entire 25 years of formal education. Not in one history book or one lesson. This is not a mistake... Representation matters!!!" #NativeHistory #BeforeAmerica
Untitled Slide
Information-seeking Paradox
Information is as limitless as the universe but...
In summary....
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defining inquiries and finding relevant/accurate answers is like
trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant!
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What are we doing to address IL at Hamilton?
(Outside of instruction, research appts, and the "desk")
How can we help our faculty, students, and staff to develop the skills to effectively locate, analyze, and synthesize information to make decisions?
Strategic question from last year...
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Goal 1
- Increase awareness and understanding of IL, with focus on how it impacts upon the college's oral and written initiatives.
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What we are doing...
- Outreach to ARC's; faculty chairs
- Liaison with faculty- articulate FY > Senior educational outcomes
- IL awareness
- FY programming- IL module for summer 2016?
- Staff outreach > IL for effective job performance
- Tutor Program
IL Awareness? Newsletter, social networking, liaison program, tutors and ambassadors, new website, research awards...
Goal 2
- Increase awareness and understanding of information security and online identity management.
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What we are doing...
- Online identity management instruction
- Increase outreach of LITS ambassadors and tutors
What we are doing...
- ARC director meetings
- Collaborative programming (Apple & Quill; tutor training; FY experience)
- Research Tutor liaison to Levitt Center
- OCC, HEOP, POSSE, ESOL
- Peer tutor to peer tutor outreach
- Research Fellow program > opportunities for collaboration?
Goal 4
- Expand upon and share metrics which assess the quality and value of our services in support of greater information literacy and improved security practices for all members of campus.
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IL Embedded into the Curriculum
faculty as partners in the process
IL as a core skill, embedded into the curriculum
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RESEARCH & WRITING
hand in hand
Mandatory writing components....information literacy as foundational to writing.
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IL as Foundational to Written and Oral Communications
(the administration really gets it!)
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We can stop trying to sell ourselves...
(because the community finally understands the value!)
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Because in the end it's all about student success...
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Refer to R&ID
(and talk about IL to people you meet!)
