Information literacy as learner agency

Information literacy as learner agencyDr Emma CoonanResearch Skills & Development Librarian, Cambridge University Library

Agency in Education Conference, 12 June 2012Education Faculty, University of Cambridge

Arcadia Programme

Rethinking the role of the research library in a digital age

Project remit

Develop a new, revolutionary curriculum for information literacy in a digital age

Information literacy ...

“Being able to use different ways of finding information and being able to

judge whether the information is trustworthy or accurate is vital: it opens up choices, empowers us and can give

us more confidence.”

(Welsh Information Literacy Project, 2011)

Information literacy ...

Learners can “extend their investigations, become more self-

directed, and assume greater control over their own learning”

(ACRL, 2000)

Information literacy ...

“empowers people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use and create

information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and

educational goals.”

(UNESCO, 2005)

Project aims

Understand the needs of undergraduates entering HE over the coming 5 years

Map the current landscape of information literacy

Develop practical curriculum and supporting resources

Milestones and deadlines

Literature review/catch up - 6-9th May and ongoing

Best practice review - 6th-13th May and ongoing

Expert consultation: pilot - 13th May

Expert consultation: interviews - 16th-27th May

First draft outline - 8th June

Plan next stage and revise

Expert consultation workshop: during week of 13th-20th June

Final curriculum, evidence toolkit, framework review and literature review by 8th July

‘temple to apollo’ by zoe52, ‘Phrenology’ by dylan17 licensed under Creative Commons at flickr.com

Analysing the data: qualitative categories

What should be taught: curriculum content

How it should be taught: pedagogic implications

Format and structure of the curriculum

Timing of the interventions

Teaching style and the method of delivery

Role of audits and assessment

Marketing and promotion, key drivers and barriers to implementation

Considerations around technology

Considerations around technology

http://www.public-domain-image.com

Why aren’t we doing this already?

Why aren’t we doing this already?

... And what are we doing instead?

“ ... the main gap I am finding is with regards to critical and holistic thinking. There seems to be a teach‐to‐test culture which focuses on circumscribing knowledge into manageable boxes ... ”

(ANCIL Expert Consultation Report, 2011)

“ ... that is not the world we inhabit .... we draw these boxes to simplify the immense complexity we face, but I think that increasingly we are, in the information society, having to interact directly with this complexity and additional strategies ... are needed.”

(ANCIL Expert Consultation Report, 2011)

A New Curriculum for Information Literacy

• Curriculum

• Expert consultation report

• Theoretical background report

• Concept diagram

• Information literacy definition

• Resource wiki

• Video

• Lesson planning tool

• Institutional audit tools

• Book

http://newcurriculum.wordpress.com

A New Curriculum for Information Literacy

‘Tulip stairs’ by mcginnley licensed under Creative Commons at flickr.com