Integrating information literacy instruction into degree programmes in UCD. Authors: Ursula Byrne, Lorna Dodd

Integrating information literacy into degree programmes in UCD

Challenges that success brings

Ursula Byrne Lorna Dodd

Head of Academic Services Liaison Librarian

Humanities & Social Sciences Health

Sciences

UCD Library. UCD Library

What this session will cover….

• UCD – an overview

• Changes in Education

• UCD Information Skills Steering Group

• What exactly do you do? – Marketing

• Example of a programme

• Challenges

5 libraries

3000 study places

100,000 information queries a year

Library budget €11m (4% of University budget) 140 staff (FTE) – (17 Liaison Librarians) Resources budget €3.35m

13,962 attendances at IS sessions

= 561.5 Hours = 707 attendances at EndNote

1.3m volumes (80% on open access)

Access to: 50,000 journals

340 databases

500,000 e-books

Changes in Education

• Increasing gap between 2nd and 3rd level

• Shift toward semesterisation & modularisation

• Inter-disciplinary approach

• Emphasis on development of life-long learning skills

Changes in Education

• New approaches to teaching– Collaborative work– Group project– Self-directed learning– Evidence-based learning– Problem-based learning

• Shift away from didactic teaching means changing role for libraries & librarians

UCD Information Skills Steering

Group

– coordinating IS function

– Setting targets

– Identifying resource needs

– Advising senior management

Information Skills Steering Group

4 SUB-GROUPS

– Library wide Induction group

– Online Information Skills Group

– Information Skills for Academics and Postgraduates

– Information Skills for Undergraduate & Taught Postgraduate **

IS for Undergraduates & Taught Postgraduates

Provide skills that enable students become self- directed in their learning

– Appreciation of range of information resources

– Ability to create a research strategy

– Develop skills to exploit information effectively

– Ability to critically evaluate the information found

– Ability to record references effectively & ethically – Bibliographies; EndNote

“What exactly do you do?”

• Increasingly difficult to teach all information to students

• Need to teach students to be able to find and evaluate information themselves

• Need for students to learn about ethical use of information– Plagiarism– Evaluation– Interpretation vs. repetition – Referencing

Delivery of IS within programmes: Methodology

Similar approach in terms of layout and language used within the academic community

• Programme Overview

• Learning outcomes/competencies

• Lesson plans

• Worksheets

• Power-point presentations

• Evaluation and Review

IS Programmes 2006/2007

School of Economics Undergraduates 10 x 1hour

School of Economics Postgraduates 4 x 1hour

SILS Postgraduate 6 x 1hour

SILS Undergraduate 9 x 1hour

College of Business & Law – Quinn 12 x 2 hour

College of Arts & Celtic Studies 4 x 2hour

UCD Centre for Teaching & Learning

IS Programmes 2006/2007

Co-ordinator for each programme*

Developed “expertise” in different areas

Share drive for storing: all programme overviews; lesson plans*; worksheets*; presentations etc

Information Skills Web-pages

Same information in a different medium

Support Virtual learners

Examples:- Start your assignment – research question

– Evaluating Websites

– Citation Styles in UCD

– Plagiarism

Example of Programme:School of Economics 2006/2007

3rd year undergraduates

10x 1hour

Laptop trolley – Carter

25 Dell D600 laptops

Compatibility in rooms

Data projector availability

Availability


53 students registered

Average attendance - 80% (High 93% - Low 60%)

Worksheets

Assessment strategies:

Attendance/participation – 15%

Worksheets 40% -

Detailed Project outline: 45%


Worksheets :

Booklet

Built up references to add to EndNote Library

98% submitted worksheets

Average mark achieved = 37/40


Evaluation: 68% Response from feedback forms

Of those who responded:

Worksheets - 75% helpful

11% too difficult – 3% too easy

Well thought out/organised - 87% strongly agree

Now use Library resources more effectively: 94%

Apply what they learned to other courses: 75%

Challenges

• Numbers: 19* Librarians

61 hours IS delivered in Programmes

20,181 undergrads/taught post grads

• TIME

• Time-tabling / Venues

• Correction of assessments

*17 Liaison Librarians

Challenges

• Traditional Librarian vs. Teaching Librarian

• Scaling up…

• Commitment to other Groups– PBL; Large Class Project

• “Expertise”

• Problem of visibility !

• Sustainability

Questions?

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