ERIC Identifier: ED465375
Publication Date: 2002-06-00
Author: Kasowitz-Scheer, Abby - Pasqualoni, Michael
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology Syracuse NY.
Information Literacy Instruction in Higher Education: Trends and Issues. ERIC Digest.
Students today face a daily explosion of information resources and the challenge of using these resources effectively and responsibly. Academic libraries worldwide have responded by providing instruction in information literacy, described as the "ability to locate, manage, critically evaluate, and use information for problem solving, research, decision making, and continued professional development" (Orr, Appleton, & Wallin, 2001, p. 457).
Information literacy instruction (ILI) requires a shift in focus from teaching specific information resources to a set of critical thinking skills involving the use of information. This change is reflected within the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) (American Library Association, 2000). ILI in an academic setting includes a variety of instructional approaches, such as course-related library instruction sessions, course-integrated projects, online tutorials, and stand-alone courses (Spitzer, Eisenberg, & Lowe, 1998). Those running formal ILI programs consider curricular objectives, invoking combinations of instructional solutions over a period of time.
This ERIC Digest examines characteristics of successful programs, presents approaches currently being taken by academic libraries to support ILI, and addresses common challenges in developing and maintaining ILI programs.
BEST PRACTICES
Since higher education institutions vary widely in mission and student body, ILI programs should be designed to meet specific needs rather than a prescribed set of criteria (Breivik, 1998). Implementation of a particular approach or program depends on many institutional and situational factors such as audience, purpose, budget, staffing, facilities, and time (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2001).ACRL's Best Practices Initiative (American Library Association, 2001) offers one of the most complete sets of best practice characteristics. These characteristics emphasize the importance of integrating ILI throughout a student's entire academic career and advise using multiple methods of assessment for evaluating ILI programs. ACRL provides a detailed outline of the recommended components for excellent ILI planning, collaborative ILI pedagogy, outreach to academic departments and other efforts necessary for creating successful ILI outcomes.
In addition, the literature offers some specific characteristics of successful ILI programs:
* use of
student-centered, active, and collaborative learning
*
methods (Wilson, 2001)
* adherence to instructional design
principles during planning (Hinchliffe & Woodard, 2001)
*
relevance to particular course goals and, ultimately, the overall
curriculum (Breivik, 1998; Dewald, 1999)
* formation of
partnerships between library, faculty, and other
* campus
departments (Stoffle, 1998)
* support of faculty learning and
development (Wilson, 2001)
* scalability for large numbers of
students (Stoffle, 1998)
CURRENT APPROACHES
A variety of approaches and combinations of approaches have been taken, depending on the particular needs of the institution. The following sections provide some recent examples.Online Information Literacy
Instruction
With an increase in remote access to information and a demand for more rapid, anytime-anyplace sharing of information (Bawden, Devon, & Sinclair, 2000), many academic libraries have started to offer ILI via the Internet. The most common online instructional tool is the Web-based guide (e.g., pathfinders, webliographies) (Vander Meer, 2000). Another trend that has gained popularity is the information literacy tutorial, which is an interactive, Web-based program designed to introduce students to general information literacy concepts and information resources. These tutorials sometimes replace or supplement in-person library instruction sessions (Donaldson, 2000).
Specific cases receiving recent attention within higher education include:
* The University
of Texas at Austin's Texas Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT)
integrates Web-based ILI into first-year college courses and
enhances students' conceptual grasp of information resource
selection, database searching and Internet source evaluation.
University of Texas, Austin offers interested educational
institutions a
* The California State University Information
Competence Project presents ILI tutorials in a visually interesting
environment and addresses mass media literacy. Interactive learning
exercises and diverse audiovisual components (e.g., sound,
quick-time movies, animations) are incorporated (Clay, Harlan, &
Swanson, 2001).
* The University of Washington Information
Literacy Learning (UWILL) initiative is designed to teach
information literacy skills in context with course objectives.
Customized tutorials assist students in completing course
assignments while developing information competencies (University of
Washington, 2001).
Online ILI tutorials are helpful in many ways to students, faculty and librarians. However, they are also criticized for being tedious and text-heavy (Vander Meer, 2000); presented as stand-alone lessons, disconnected from courses or assignments (Dewald, 1999; Donaldson, 2000); lacking sufficient interactivity to create adequate active learning experiences (Dewald et al, 2000); and communicating an academic research process that is not relevant to students' expectations (Veldof & Beavers, 2001).
The Information Literacy Course
Some institutions offer formal information literacy courses. These courses range from for-credit to non-credit, from required to elective, and from distance to face-to-face. They can involve integration with a core curriculum, specific discipline or course, or general information skills (Donnelly, 1998). Such courses have gained popularity because they offer opportunities for in-depth instruction and reinforcement of research skills through course activities (Frantz, 2002).
According to Jacobson and Mark (2000), instruction is most effective when offered in context with content-based courses and assignments. Academic libraries have incorporated meaningful learning experiences into information literacy courses in a variety of ways:
* University of Oregon's LIB 101 course uses
a "scenario-based approach" by building assignments around research
situations familiar to undergraduate students (Frantz, 2002).
*
Instructors of "Information Literacy" at the State University of New
York College of Environmental Science and Forestry offer research
assignments allowing students to address topics from their other
courses (Elkins et al, 2001).
* Montana State University College
of Technology's Information Literacy course requires students to
investigate a personal problem using information gathered throughout
the course (Kaip, 2001).
* University of Maryland University
College offers a required online course, "Information Literacy and
Research Methods," in which students research a particular topic and
participate in electronic discussions on timely research
issues (Read, 2002). **Information Literacy Across the
Curriculum
Other schools go beyond the stand-alone information literacy course by integrating ILI into the overall curriculum. An across-the-curriculum approach is favored because it ties information literacy into all students' experiences (Orr, Appleton, & Wallin, 2001; Snavely & Cooper, 1997). This model requires collaboration among the library, other academic departments, and administration to meet the common goal of teaching information literacy skills.
Specific approaches include integration of information literacy objectives into general education and first-year programs (Hinchliffe & Meckstroth, 2001; Jacobson & Mark, 2000) and development of campus-wide information competency initiatives (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2001). In these situations, librarians, faculty and others work together to provide ILI at the point of need.
DISCUSSION
Information literacy instruction is alive and well on campuses today. However, there is much work to be done before integrated ILI across the curriculum is standard practice. Some challenges include motivating students to learn information literacy skills; assessing student mastery of concepts and skills; training librarians to serve as instructors and instructional designers (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2001); advocating the value of information literacy (Bawden, 2001) in an environment of competing literacies (Snavely & Cooper, 1997); and preparing students for business settings that demand a more specialized level of information fluency (Marcum, 2002).There is a clear need for discussion of information literacy instruction outside of the library field. A more multi-disciplinary approach to information literacy research and instruction will create opportunities for more substantial, curriculum-integrated and long-lasting instructional experiences that will benefit students throughout and beyond their academic careers.
REFERENCES
American Library Association. (2001). ACRL best practices initiative: Characteristics of programs of information literacy that illustrate best practices, working edition. Retrieved May 6, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ala.org/acrl/nili/criteria.htmlAmerican Library Association. (2000). Information literacy competency standards for higher education. Retrieved May 6, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html
Bawden, D. (2001). Information and digital literacies: A review of concepts. Journal of Documentation, 57 (2), 218-259. (EJ 632 998).
Bawden, D., Devon, T. K., & Sinclair, I. W. (2000). Desktop information systems and services: A user survey in a pharmaceutical research organization. International Journal of Information Management, 20, 151-160.
Breivik, P. S. (1998). Student learning in the information age. Phoenix: Oryx Press. (ED 414 861).
Clay, S. T., Harlan, S., & Swanson, J. (2000). Mystery to mastery: The CSU information competence project. Research Strategies, 17 (2-3), 157-166.
Dewald, N. (1999). Transporting good library instruction practices into the Web environment: An analysis of online tutorials. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 25 (1), 26-31. (EJ 586 379).
Dewald, N., Scholz-Crane, A., Booth, A., & Levine, C. (2000). Information literacy at a distance: Instructional design issues. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 26 (1), 33-44. (EJ 611 710).
Donaldson, K. A. (2000). Library research success: Designing an online tutorial to teach information literacy skills to first-year students. The Internet and Higher Education, 2 (4), 237-251.
Donnelly, K. M. (1998). Learning from the teaching libraries. American Libraries, 29 (11), 47.
Dupuis, E. A. (2001, Spring). Automating instruction. Library Journal, 21-22. (EJ633122).
Elkins, E., Ellis, J. A., Verostek, J., & Williamson, J. (2001). ESF 200, Information literacy: Syllabus and workforms. SUNY ESF Moon Library. Retrieved May 10, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.esf.edu/moonlib/ESF200.pdf
Frantz, P. (2002). A scenario-based approach to credit course instruction. Reference Services Review, 30 (1), 37-42.
Grassian, E. S., & Kaplowitz, J. R. (2001). Information literacy instruction: Theory and practice. New York: Neal-Schuman. (IR 021 010).
Hinchliffe, L. J., & Meckstroth, P. (2001). The principle is partnership: General education library instruction at Illinois State University. In B. I. Dewey (Ed.), Library user education: Powerful learning, powerful partnerships (pp. 24-29). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow.
Hinchliffe, L. J., & Woodard, B. S. (2001). Instruction. In R. E. Bopp and L. C. Smith (Eds.), Reference and information services: An introduction (3rd ed., pp. 177-209). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. (IR 057 967).
Jacobson, T. E., & Mark, B. L. (2000). Separating wheat from chaff: Helping first-year students become information savvy. Journal of General Education, 49 (4), 256-278.
Kaip, S. (2001). It's not just for term papers: Solving real-life problems in an information literacy course. College & Research Libraries News, 62 (5), 496-498.
Marcum, J. W. (2002). Rethinking information literacy. Library Quarterly, 72 (1), 1-26. (IR 545 423).
Orr, D., Appleton, M., & Wallin, M. (2001). Information literacy and flexible delivery: Creating a conceptual framework and model. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 27 (6), 457-463. (IR 545 104).
Read, B. (2001, May 17). An online course teaches students to use libraries and the Internet--and avoid plagiarism. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved May 28, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://chronicle.com/free/2002/05/2002051701u.htm
Snavely, L., & Cooper, N. (1997). Competing agendas in higher education: Finding a place for information literacy. Reference & User Services Quarterly 37 (1), 53-62. (EJ 593 504).
Spitzer, K. S., Eisenberg, M. B., & Lowe, C. A. (1998). Information literacy: Essential skills for the information age. Syracuse, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology. (ED 427 780).
Stoffle, C. J. (1998). Literacy 101 for the digital age. American Libraries, 29 (11), 46-48. (EJ 582 146).
University of Washington. (2001). University of Washington information literacy learning. Retrieved May 13, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.lib.washington.edu/uwill/index.html
Vander Meer, P. F. (2000). Pushing the limits: Creative Web use in libraries related to Instruction. Research Strategies, 17 (4), 237-256.
Veldof, J, & Beavers, K. (2001). Tackling mental models for the online library tutorial. Research Strategies, 18 (1), 3-20.
Wilson, L. A. (2001). Information literacy: Fluency across and beyond the university. In B. I. Dewey (Ed.), Library user education: Powerful learning, powerful partnerships. Lanham, MA: Scarecrow Press.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Abby Kasowitz-Scheer is Head of Instructional Programs at the Syracuse University Library. Michael Pasqualoni is Reference Librarian for political science, public administration and economics at Syracuse University, where he delivers a wide variety of library instruction to students, staff and faculty.
-----
ERIC Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced and disseminated.
-----
ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, Syracuse University, 621 Skytop Road, Suite 160, Syracuse, NY 13244-5290; 800-464-9107; 315-443-3640 ; Fax: 315-443-5448; e-mail: eric@ericir.syr.edu; URL: http://www.ericit.org.
-----
This publication is funded in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under contract number ED-99-CO-0005. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. Visit the Department of Education's Web site at: http://www.ed.gov/
Title: Information Literacy Instruction in Higher Education: Trends and Issues. ERIC Digest.
Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);
Available From: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, Syracuse University, 621 Skytop Rd., Suite 160, Syracuse, NY 13244-5290. Tel: 315-443-3640; Tel: 800-464-9107 (Toll Free); Fax: 315-443-5448; e-mail: eric@ericit.org. For full text: http://ericit.org.
Descriptors: College Curriculum, Course Integrated Library Instruction, Critical Thinking, Higher Education, Information Literacy, Information Sources, Information Technology, Instructional Design, Program Development, Training
Identifiers: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology, ERIC Digests