Perspectives on

the Information

Literate University

Sheila Webber, Information School, University of Sheffield

March 2011Copyright Sheila Webber, presented on 29 March 2011 at the Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

“Information literacy is the

adoption of appropriate

information behaviour to

identify, through whatever

channel or medium, information

well fitted to information needs,

leading to wise and ethical use

of information in society.”

Definition by:

Johnston &

Webber

International IL Logo:

http://www.infolitglobal.info/

information behaviour

whatever

channel or medium

information needs

wise and

ethical use of information

in society

encountering

linking

searching

creating

browsing

people web

journals

sound

pictures

text

education

workfamily

citizen

fun

spiritual

Quotation from interview for research by Shahd Salha

Information literacy as a key

discipline of the information

society: IL for workplace &

citizenship, not just for study

“a basic human right in a digital

world and promotes social

inclusion of all nations”

(Alexandria proclamation)

“We play a unique role in society

making life long learning open to

all, inspiring and enabling people

to develop wherever, whenever

and however they need”OU “Core Values” http://www.open.ac.uk/ou-

futures/values.shtm

Evolution of Information Literacy

concept

• Moving from individual information literacy and

focus on texts to

– Information literate in digital environments

– Information literate with people

– Able to cope with a rich mixture of information types –

all at the same time

– Information literate individually and collaboratively

– Information literacy in context

IL in context

• IL in different academic disciplines– Examples: Civil Engineering - Manipulating and presenting data; English

- Accessing and retrieving textual information

• IL in different cultures & communities– Examples: IL as illumination (Salha’s Syrian study); English language as

part of IL (Dokphrom’s Thai study)

• IL in different workplaces– Example: Ambulance workers: “you don’t really know what’s happening

until you get your hands on the patient and can see breathing, feel a pulse, what’s the blood pressure, are they pale?” (Lloyd, 2009: 409)

• IL of diverse individuals in their own circumstances in society & life

Sheila Webber and

Bill Johnston, 2010

Context: Discipline;

British Academics’

conceptions of teaching IL

Findings taken from an AHRC-funded phenomenographic research project

investigating variation in UK academics’ conceptions of , and pedagogy for,

information literacy.

Chemistry academics' conceptions of

pedagogy for IL as …1. Implicit in teaching students to understand

chemistry. “we teach them to find chemical data and structures

for their assignments” (Chem 2)

2. Designing a path for students through a chemistry

course “So we do make sure that we’ve assessed them and we

introduce them to all the different databases throughout the four

years, em, but we will always ask them to do stuff outside of that to

widen their understanding.” (Chem 4)

3. Challenging students to respond independently,

critically and creatively with information “… to be able

to question, to disagree, to… really to have fun with information as

well.” (Chem 11)Key factors: Pedagogic approach; Outcomes for learning IL

Example information & behaviours

• Textual (e.g. research results, health & safety

information); 2D/3D chemical structures; metadata

& representations; information observed in

experiments; oral and written

• Searching; Comparing (e.g. observation and text);

Documenting (e.g. in lab notes); Exploring (e.g.

structure databases); Communicating (e.g. in

posters); Challenging; Innovating

Sheila Webber, May 2007

English academics' conceptions of pedagogy

for IL as …

1. Someone else's job

2. An add-on or side-effect of teaching the subject

3. Introducing the students to sources of information

4. Engaging with students to show them the value of information and information literacy

Key factors: 1) Relationship between information

literacy and the discipline 2) Their approach to

pedagogy & student learning

Example information & behaviours

• Textual; Artifactual; Performance

• Accessing (texts, documents, artefacts); Searching

(e.g. within a text, journal, database); Comparing

(e.g. versions in different media; different editions);

Sense making

“I mean to me information literacy is a part of civic engagement and civic participation, um, without even at least even a passing understanding of how information is produced, how it is constructed, how it's presented, um, how it is—if one can say this—intended to be understood and interpreted, then one cannot make sense of the world.” (Category 4; English Interviewee 06)

Ambulance workers: “you don’t really know what’s happening until you get your hands on the patient and can see breathing, feel a pulse, what’s the blood pressure, are they pale?” (Lloyd, 2009: 409)

Observation of people, medical instruments

Existing & “textbook” knowledge

Seeking new information, from people, texts

Combining, comparing, evaluating, applying, communicating

.. so factors include ..

• What information means in the subject

• How you manipulate or process information in your

discipline

• Influence of professional or academic associations

• Teacher’s & University’s approach to the discipline

• Acceptable or habitual information practice in the

discipline & in broader national/ cultural context

Context: Course design &

pedagogic approach

• IL connected to the teacher’s approach to teaching & assessment

– Transmissive, facilitating, challenging (etc. etc.)

– Focused on module/session goals or lifelong learning

– PBL, IBL etc.

– Design of the teaching-learning environment

• IL required by the channel/ mode of learning e.g.

– Face to face

– Texts: scanning/ searching/ reading

– 2D web channels

– Virtual worlds: “What’s the me?” (Nahl, 2010)

In the live presentation, at this point, Sheila talked about a “Framework of the process of

problem-solving geo/spatially in the Online Distance Learning Geographic Information

Science/Systems programmes.” This framework was an outcome of Maryam Nazari’s doctoral

work (2009) on Information Literacy for Online Distance Learning GIS Programmes

• Existing knowledge & skills

• Personal characteristics & values

• Approaches to learning

• Perceptions and expectations for teaching & learning

Context: The learner’s world

• Existing IL knowledge and skills

• Attitudes and values concerning information; disabilities affecting info use

• Ways in which approach & use information for learning (information habits)

• Expectations of how will use information in learning

How can we support people in becoming

information literate so they recognise their

information needs, in context, in the 21st

century, information-rich environment?

• Student enabled to identify own IL knowledge, skills, attitudes, needs

• Course developer identifying:

– IL needed to engage with learning environment

– IL needed to progress learning in the subject

– IL needed for citizenship, collaboration, challenge and innovation

• Programme structures which progress IL even when student pathways are diverse

• Supported by Information Literate University …

Copyright Sheila Webber and

Bill Johnston, 2010

Information Literate

University

Information literate

staff & managers

Management for IL•Strategy; Policy;

•Resourcing; infrastructure;

•Knowledge & Records

Staff

development

for IL Information

literate

students

Information literate

Curriculum• IL in disciplinary

curriculum

• IL as discipline

Information

literate research

Sheila Webber Information School

University of Sheffield

s.webber@shef.ac.uk

SL & Twitter Sheila Yoshikawa

http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/

Acknowledgements to Bill Johnston

Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement, University of Strathclyde

b.johnston@strath.ac.uk

Graphics: Sheila Webber

unless otherwise stated

References & readings• Entwistle, N. (2003) Concepts and Conceptual Frameworks Underpinning the ETL Project.

Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh. Retrieved July 10th, 2009, from http://www.ed.ac.uk/etl

• High Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning. (2005) Beacons of the Information Society: Alexandria proclamation on information literacy and lifelong learning. http://archive.ifla.org/III/wsis/BeaconInfSoc.html

• Johnston, B. (2010) The first year at university: teaching students in transition. Open University Press.

• Johnston, B. and Webber, S. (2003) “Information literacy in higher education: a review and case study.” Studies in higher education, 28 (3), 335-352.

• Lloyd, A. (2009) “Informing practice: information experiences of ambulance officers in training and on-road practice.” Journal of Documentation, 65 (3), 396-419

• Nahl, D. (2010) “Affective Load and Engagement in Second Life: Experiencing Urgent, Persistent,

and Long-Term Information Needs.” International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning

Environments, 1(3), 1-16.

• Webber, S. and Johnston, B. (2010) The Information Literate University. Video of talk presented at Lund University, Sweden, August 2010. http://uwap03.uw.lu.se/KongressCentrum5/Viewer/?peid=9d3f3d440b6d4b5f953c08d4594b5424

• Webber, S. and Johnston, B. (2006) “Working towards the information literate university.” In: Walton, G. and Pope, A. (Eds) Information literacy: recognising the need. Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent: 17 May 2006. Oxford: Chandos. pp 47-58. http://dis.shef.ac.uk/sheila/staffs-webber-johnston.pdf