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Key message one is that students often lack context for understanding the world of information, that whole ecosystem that we all have to understand more completely. Key message two, is that academic assignments can reinforce superficial learning habits about that world of information unless they are redesigned to address gaps in student understanding. Key message three is that the Framework for Information Literacy provides the foundation stones for faculty to use in redesigning assignments, courses, and curricula in a more comprehensive way to help students over time learn that world of information more effectively.
In conclusion, taking the time to look intentionally at the way information is produced, distributed, presented, searched for and used in your field, can have great benefits for both you and your students. As a disciplinary expert, you are perfectly positioned to help students find their way into the vital conversations that happen both within your field and across disciplines. Information literacy, concepts and practices. Not only pave the way for students to become better informed, Google users and more responsible social media posters, but also helps spark the curiosity needed to more meaningfully navigate, engage, and participate in complex academic conversations. I hope you enjoyed this course. If you have any questions or want to make comments, please feel free to do so in the section following this course.
- Learners’ challenges with information are often related to a lack of context for how information sources fit into a larger “ecosystem” of information.
- Assignments can reinforce simplistic approaches to information unless they are designed specifically to build different habits of mind.
- The Framework for Information Literacy (with its six “Frames”) provides educators with the foundations of a curriculum for information literacy that is adaptable to their own disciplines.
Taking the time to look intentionally at the way information is produced, distributed, presented, searched for, and used in your field can have great benefits for both you and your students. As a disciplinary expert, you are perfectly positioned to help students find their way into the vital conversations that happen both within in your field and across disciplines. Information literacy concepts and practices not only pave the way for students to become better informed Google users and more responsible social media posters but also help spark the curiosity needed to more meaningfully navigate, engage, and participate in complex academic conversations. Download the TILT Information Literacy Design/Redesign Template and Reflective Template below from the Practical Things to Try lesson to help you reflect on your information literacy journey.
Thank you for taking this ‘Supporting Students in Developing Information Literacy’ course which has been developed with Craig Gibson and Sara D. Miller. We hope you have enjoyed it. Remember to mark this lesson as ‘Mark Complete’ to earn your Course Completion Badge.
Further Reading:
References:
- Hofer, A. R., Townsend, L., & Brunetti, K. (2012). Troublesome Concepts and Information Literacy: Investigating Threshold Concepts for IL Instruction. Portal: Libraries & the Academy, 12(4), 387–405. Kuglitsch, Rebecca Z.
- Teaching for Transfer: Reconciling the Framework with Disciplinary Information Literacy. portal: Libraries and the Academy 15, no. 3 (2015): 457-470. Meyer, J., Land, R., (2003).
- Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge: Linkages to Ways of Thinking and Practising Within the Disciplines. ETL Project - Occasional Report 4 (Edinburgh: Enhancing Teaching-Learning Environments in Undergraduate Courses Project).
- Miller, Sara D. Diving Deep: Reflective Questions for Identifying Tacit Disciplinary Information Literacy Knowledge Practices, Dispositions, and Values through the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy. Journal of Academic Librarianship 44, no. 3 (2018): 412-418.
- Understanding Science (UC Berkeley) - website
Discussions
What strategies for addressing student gaps in understanding about information could you attempt to address through an assignment redesign in a current or future course?
Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments section below.