Blueprint for a Solid Information Literacy Foundation: Building a Program from the Ground Up

Blueprint for a Solid Information Literacy

Foundation:Building a Program from the Ground Up

Judy Williamsjudy.williams@belmont.edu

April 30, 2010

Belmont UniversityNashville, TN

Teaching university

Liberal arts and professional programs

5,400 students

In the Beginning…

2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-090

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200

Total Classes

Total Classes

Introduced idea to integrate IL into General Education in 2 freshman coursesNo written learning outcomes – overlapping content, unhappy studentsInformal assessment – faculty surveysBILS web page available, not required

The Idea Is Germinated…Transformation of the College Library Workshop (April, 2006)Attended by Associate Provost, Library Director, member of English faculty

Developed comprehensive campus plan for Information Literacy

Comprehensive IL PlanThree-step plan:

Infuse IL into curriculum

Enhance library’s educational environment

Strengthen faculty collaboration via collection development and allocations

Key to Plan’s Success – Top-Down Support

Approved by Provost Council

Information Literacy Team Associate Provost Librarians Gen Ed faculty Other faculty

Provost

IL Team

Gen Ed Faculty

Infusing IL into the Curriculum

General EducationFreshman LevelFirst Year SeminarFirst Year WritingJunior LevelThird Year WritingJunior Cornerstone

First Year SeminarRequired of all freshmen and

transfer studentsTaught by faculty from across

disciplinesTheme – “Ways of Knowing”Common assignment – argument

paper

First Year Seminar and ILResearch Process Preliminary research Narrowing the topic Formulating the research question

Types of publishingScholarlyPopular

Evaluating sources

Class ActivityWork in pairsAnswer 2 questions about source

Report to classSmart Board

First Year WritingIntroductory composition classRequired of most freshmenDevelop reading and research skills

Recognize, evaluate, and construct written arguments

First Year Writing and ILKeyword vs. Subject SearchingBoolean SearchingReading and Interpreting Citations

Online Catalog and General Databases

BILS Tutorial

Class Activity“Boolean Caf锕 Students work in groups• AND, OR, NOT• Select menu items And , Or, and Not stop in at the Boolean Café fordessert. And knows exactly what she wants. Sheorders chocolate AND strawberries. Or is a big eaterwith a sweet tooth. He orders chocolate ORstrawberries. Not has to be a bit more careful. He isallergic to strawberries, so he orders chocolate NOTstrawberries.

Third Year WritingEnhanced critical thinking, reading,

writing, and research abilitiesThematically linked assignmentsExamples:

Jane Austen – Austenmania New media and communication - ethnographies

Third Year Writing and ILBuilds on First Year Writing Thesaurus, specialized vocabulary

Subject-specific sourcesAdvanced searching featuresReview of citation identification

Class ActivityLocate a known item from its printed citation

Complete search worksheetBegin in catalogChart search process

Junior Cornerstone Seminar

Taught by faculty in various departments

Employs problem-based learning

Teamwork, collaborationResearch, writing, and critical thinking skills

Junior Cornerstone and ILMenu of IL competenciesMore in-depth research skillsContent tailored to specific classes

Specialized databases

Sample Menu ItemsConducting a literature review (20

min.)Identifying sourcesFinding review articles

Evaluating web sites (15 min.)Discuss evaluative criteriaAnalyze sample sites

Information Life Cycle (15 min.)Follow an idea through stages – news, research, article, book, reference work

Information Literacy in the Disciplines

Information Literacy PlanIdentify learning objectives that

include IL skillsIdentify courses where IL skills are

already being addressedIdentify assignments that meet IL

objectives/develop IL skills

A Work in Progress…Psychology Department

Introductory level class Research methods class

Health Sciences Nursing - undergraduate Occupational Therapy – graduate

Communication Studies Fundamentals of Speech

Communication – course guide

Total Classes

Total Students

AssessmentFreshman General EducationBILS test

Covers class material and tutorial

Administered as part of Computer Proficiency Test

All freshmen must passFaculty Surveys

Survey Comments“I believe our students do not recognize the

importance of using the library resources…they need to expand their ways of obtaining knowledge. It definitely improved their critical thinking skills.”

“…when I see the majority of my students using ProQuest, Educational databases, and other reputable scholarly sources I can be nothing but thankful for the work you have done. Thank you.”

“The workshop definitely got my students thinking about the need to consider the credibility of sources!...I was VERY pleased with the IL session! Jenny did a GREAT job.”

Enhance Educational EnvironmentCreation of information literacy classroom

Reconfiguration of reference area

Individual and group work space

Updated look

Collection Development and Allocations

Library liaisons assigned to each department

Work with department chairs to review research requirements and collection needs

Inclusion of IL factored into budget allocations

Course-Related Library Resource Needs Scale

0 – No usage/need1 – Light usage/need

Required 1-4 times2 – Medium usage/need

Required 5-7 times <10 pages or 15 minutes; <7 resources

3 – Heavy usage/needRequired 8+ times>10 pages or 15 minutes; >7 resources

Using the ScaleMeeting ~ Department Chair/Liaison

Librarian/Coordinator of Reference Services

Weight assigned to each courseSyllabus required for a rating of 3Math model = 12.5% of allocationWill take effect June 2010Re-evaluate on three-year cycle

Information Literacy WikiWhat is IL and why is it important?ACRL standardsComprehensive PlanIL Campus TeamWhat we do in General EducationWhat we hope to do in the disciplines Templates and Examples

SuccessesPositive survey responseMore faculty coming on boardInformation literacy as a university

learning goalRecognition of importance of IL

through the required BILS testDedicated classroomIncrease in reference questionsIncrease in interaction with students

The FutureMore disciplines create IL plans

Increase professional staff

Create a Learning Commons

URLshttp://bunchlibrary.pbworks.com/

Information+Literacy+Across+the+Curriculum

http://library.belmont.edu

Questions?

Bill Amend, FoxTrot