Using A New Curriculum for Information Literacy

(ANCIL)

A Training session for Librarians

Aims for today’s session

•To introduce the curriculum, its ethos and content

•To introduce the range of ways it could be used in your own practice and look at using the curriculum to design provision.

•To identify the network around you and how you can promote the joined-up teaching of IL in other contexts across the institution

Arcadia Emma Coonan (Cambridge, UL) and Jane Secker (LSE):

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

Helen Webster (Cambridge) and Katy Wrathall (Independent):

Strategies for implementing the curriculum.

“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.

“It is a basic human right in a digital world and promotes social inclusion in all

nations.”

UNESCO (2005) Alexandria Proclamation

Information literacy: ANCIL’s definition

Curriculum attributesHolistic – supporting the whole research process

Modular – ongoing ‘building blocks’ forming a learning spiral

Embedded within the context of the academic discipline

Flexible – not tied to a specific staff role

Active and assessed – including peer assessment

Transitional : Transferable : Transformational

using the curriculum

what might the curriculum be used for?

framework to promote discussion and shared understanding - learning

outcomes, marking criteria, feedback

audit tool - institution, department or individual provision, course design

and join-up

benchmarking/diagnostic tool - are students where

they need to be?

teaching tool - curriculum, materials etc

the curriculum1. Transition from school to higher education

2. Becoming an independent learner

3. Developing academic literacies

4. Mapping and evaluating the information landscape

5. Resource discovery in your discipline

6. Managing information

7. Ethical dimension of information

8. Presenting and communicating knowledge

9. Synthesising information and creating new knowledge

10. Social dimension of information literacy

The curriculum

• Which strands belong to the traditional remit of the librarian?

• Which could belong to a future remit of the librarian in a digital age?

• Which do you already address in some format (state which format)

• Which might present a challenge? what is that challenge?

Curriculum LevelsAny provision should include:

• What have I learned to do? Basic key skill (5, 6)

• How does it apply in my context? Subject-specific context in which to understand and use the skill (3, 4)

• How does that change my understanding? Advanced information handling e.g. evaluating, assimilating, synthesising information (7, 8, 9)

• How does it reveal or change my learning?Learning to learn - reflection (1, 2, 10)

the librarian

What can / could the librarian offer that other roles in the university

can’t?

Staff-ledStudent-led

Formal, structured

Informal, looselystructured

Staff-ledStudent-led

Formal, structured

Informal, looselystructured

workshop

drop-in sessions

signposting

student-requested session

peer problem-solving session

peer mentoring

induction tour

student talks

what sessions could I run?

•Focus on the research process, not the tool or interface

•Use titles that reflect the learning outcome

•Talk less. Teaching (or any profession) is not about having all the answers! It’s about helping the learner find their own.

(from: ANCIL: Six tips for Transforming your Teaching)

Case study• The Learner:

• Third year student(s) about to start writing a dissertation

• OR a First year(s) who can’t find books on the reading list

• The Librarian: A Librarian who:

• ...?

• ...?

• ...?

planning a sessionUsing the curriculum, plan a session

Bear in mind:

• four levels of outcome (practical skill, subject-specific context, advanced information handling, reflective ‘learning to learn’).

• activities and assessment (even if informal, or not assessed by you)

Me

Local context

Wider context

Who is currently in my network

?

How could I support their

IL work?

How could they

support my IL work?

Who might I add to

my network

?

Thank you for your contributions!

For the curriculum and other resources, please see

the ANCIL website:

http://newcurriculum.wordpress.com/