Nordic Journal of Information Literacy in Higher Education
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How Much Do Nursing and Teacher Education Students in Norway Learn about Information Literacy in Their First Months of Higher Education?
No full textThis paper presents the findings of recent research at Hedmark University of Applied Sciences (HUAS) in Norway. Information literacy (IL) skills of first-year nursing and teacher education students were documented twice during their first year:early in the first semester, before the library’s IL-instructionafter both library instruction and the submission of a paper in which students had use for course materialAll new students at HUAS attend two IL-classes from the library: “Searching for information” and “Evaluating and citing sources,” where students learn to:critically evaluate sourcesavoid plagiarismcite sourcesResearch questions in this study were designed to best reflect the content of the second library course, and did not address search skills. Questions in the pre- and post-surveys were nearly identical, making it possible to compare results and determine whether or not IL-skills had improved after the combination of library instruction and academic writing. The intention of the post-survey was not to measure short-term memory of library instruction, but rather to see what information students retained after writing a paper which required them to evaluate and cite sources and avoid plagiarism.The largest faculties at HUAS are nursing and teacher education, and this research focuses exclusively on students in these professional studies. Before-and-after results, measuring students’ self-assessments and their actual IL-skills, were analyzed to determine whether or not there are significant differences between student groups.Results show a substantial increase in IL-skills for both student groups in all three topics: evaluating sources, avoiding plagiarism, and citing sources. Although there were only small differences between their skills, self-assessments differed significantly, with nursing students showing more confidence in their abilities than teacher education students. Another difference between student groups is that nursing students believe more often than teacher education students that the sources of easily found facts must be cited in academic work, although this is not necessary
How can the digital library contribute to employability?
Get PDFThe DEFF project, E-learning, Information literacy and Library services, supports the education policy ambition of enhancing links between education and employment. The project consortium includes libraries from all Danish universities, university colleges and one business academy. Timeframe for the project is 2014-16.The project understands employability as:In close cooperation with study programmes libraries will strengthen students’ abilityto perform independently and critically in a professional context by being able to identify, collect, evaluate, organize and present information via digital platforms.A partnership is made between the digital library (partner libraries involved) and the virtual learning environment (educational institutions), based on the above definition of employability. This is done within the framework of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The libraries and academic programmes will collaborate to create e-learning objects based on the relevant digital library systems and information resources.Departments from three Danish universities will contribute by strengthening the project participants’ skills in e-didactics and the development of e-learning objects (SDUUP, University of Southern Denmark), developing a range of flexible concepts for the integration of the virtual library into learning environments (IVA, Copenhagen University) and evaluating the project’s activities (E-Learning Lab, Aalborg University).Sustainable results include the training of library staff to work together with academic programmes via the virtual learning environments, the development of flexible concepts for integrating the virtual library with study environments and knowledge on how inputs, created by the project for each study programme, should function
Framing Information Literacy
No full textIn 2000 the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) published the Standards for Information Literacy. After 15 years these standards were in desperate need of revision. Instead of releasing a revised edition of the Standards, in 2015 ACRL presented a completely new vision on information literacy in higher education.In this keynote we will explore the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in all its glory. We will compare it to the old standards. Is this new American Framework an opportunity for librarians to promote their courses to faculty in a new light, with the aim to integrate them into the curriculum? Do we really need a framework for information literacy to achieve this integration? Or is there another way? We will take a closer look at an interesting British alternative: the Researcher Development Framework from Vitae and The Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL). We will compare both frameworks and list the pros and cons.It is a complicated situation: there are Standards, there is a new Framework in an early stage of implementation and there is this Researcher Development Framework. What do we, the librarians, have to do? Should we bid the old standards farewell and switch to the new framework? Or does the Researcher Development Framework provide a better alternative? We have to think and talk about our teaching role in our institutions. At this conference we can think and spar with our colleague librarians, putting one of the ACRL framework concepts, “scholarship as conversation”, into practice
Integrating Reference Practices and Information Literacy in Academic Writing: A Collaboration Between Faculty and Library
No full textThe aim of our presentation is to show the advantages of collaboration between faculty and library when it comes to introducing students to different aspects of academic writing. We will share our experience on integrating reference practices, reference management software (Zotero) and information searching into the curriculum.The English Studies section at the Department of Languages and Literatures and the University Library at Gothenburg University have a history of collaboration at all undergraduate levels in order to support the development of the students’ information literacy. During 2014-2015 the courses in academic writing have been revised, which has led to rethinking the collaboration with the library. The syllabus has been redesigned following the principle of progression, so that students: (a) learn the formal aspect and style basics of academic writing (first term); (b) critically assess previous research and identify a gap for future research (second term); and (c) pose an original research question in the form of a research proposal (third term).As a result of the close collaboration between faculty and library, the course progression described above is also reflected in the library sessions. In an attempt to address some aspects of academic and digital literacy more explicitly, the library sessions (offered to the students in the form of workshops) have been designed to: (a) use reference practices as a starting point to explore information searching and metadata; and (b) to integrate the use of digital tools specific to academia. In addition, specific tasks have been designed in collaboration between the teacher and the librarians for the students to work on during the library sessions. These tasks must then be submitted as part of the students’ coursework.In our presentation, we discuss and evaluate the outcomes of this initiative, as well as the students’ perceptions
Flipped versus Traditional Classroom Information Literacy Sessions: Student Perceptions and Cognitions
Get PDFTeaching effectively with limited classroom time is a challenge for information literacy teachers. In the flipped classroom (FC) teaching model, information transmission teaching is delivered outside of class, freeing up class time for learning activities. I adopted the FC model in sessions that were previously taught using a traditional classroom (TC) model. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the FC model\u27s relative impact on (1) student perceptions of usefulness and quality, and (2) student cognitions about the IL sessions. Responses to evaluation forms from the TC model (N = 65), were compared to those from FC model (N = 78). Students judged usefulness and quality on two 4-point rating scales. Student cognitions were elicited with an open-ended question asking for suggestions for improvement and other comments. Responses to the latter were coded by an assistant blind to the conditions. Ratings were near ceiling and similar for both conditions. Responses to the open-ended question revealed interesting trends. Students in the FC condition provided wordier comments, were more concerned with what they themselves did and could do, and with the subject matter of the session. Students in the TC condition were more concerned with how information was presented to them.Results indicate that the FC teaching model is a viable alternative for IL sessions, and that it may encourage students to engage more with IL and their own learning process
Doctoral Students Becoming Researchers: An Innovative Curriculum
No full textCreating a quality literature review is fundamental to doctoral student professionalization, yet research into how the literature review is taught, learned, or experienced is limited. Responding to this under-addressed but critical key to doctoral education, the focus of this mixed methods study is on students’ perceptions of a year-long course, co-taught by a faculty member and embedded librarian, devoted specifically to addressing the literature review. Analysis of students’ course evaluations and written reflections/feedback over an eight year period revealed four primary themes: 1) Entering students’ technological know-how does not guarantee effective information literacy skill and without the requisite skills one-shot library workshops are insufficient for making learning whole; 2) Rather than conceiving of the literature review as a product, constructing a literature review represents a pivotal process in doctoral students’ research and literacy skill development; 3) Creating a literature review, and the process it entails, signals in students the development of their professional researcher identity, involving movement beyond “how to” to address questions of “why” and “for whom”; 4) The literature review course was experienced as a substantively different course than is typical in the doctoral experience, mirroring the course’s foundational assumption that librarians, instructors, and learners share agency in creating the literature review process. The course curriculum is framed by two simultaneous learning streams: information literacy competencies and student research agenda. The course curriculum aligns information literacy competencies and research methodology with the goal of exploring and purposefully integrating creativity and curiosity in the search and research construction process
Practical Usage of Multiple-Choice Questions as Part of Learning and Self-Evaluation
Get PDFThe poster describes how the multiple-choice questions could be a part of learning, not only assessing. We often think of the role of questions only in order to test the student\u27s skills. We have tested how questions could be a part of learning in our web-based course of information retrieval in Lapland University.In web-based learning there is a need for high-quality mediators. Mediators are learning promoters which trigger, support, and amplify learning. Mediators can be human mediators or tool mediators. The tool mediators are for example; tests, tutorials, guides and diaries. The multiple-choice questions can also be learning promoters which select, interpret and amplify objects for learning.What do you have to take into account when you are preparing multiple-choice questions as mediators? First you have to prioritize teaching objectives: what must be known and what should be known. According to our experience with contact learning, you can assess what the things are that students have problems with and need more guidance on.The most important addition to the questions is feedback during practice. The questions’ answers (wrong or right) are not important. The feedback on the answers are important to guide students on how to search. The questions promote students’ self-regulation and self-evaluation. Feedback can be verbal, a screenshot or a video. We have added a verbal feedback for every question and also some screenshots and eight videos in our web-based course
Unifying Librarian Skills with Students’ Need for Information Literacy
No full textThe presentation will focus on the challenge of unifying the librarians’ skills, knowledge, and eagerness to communicate these, with the students’ need for information literacy (IL). We propose that this is done best by departing from the view of IL as a normative concept where the meeting between librarian and the students focusses on teaching the students tools and techniques for future use. We perceive it as far more beneficial to view IL from a Limberg perspective, where focus is on the students’ learning and needs in his/her current situation and context.Based on teaching experiences at Aalborg University Library, we will explore the shift in approach to IL through two cases. The teaching activities at Aalborg University are founded on problem-based learning (PBL). PBL entails among other things that students are responsible for their own learning and work with real problems in groups. PBL is therefore a highly significant element in our perception of IL and a corner stone in the teaching activities at Aalborg University Library.Our new approach to IL specifically means that we more gradually than before instill the students with the knowledge and skills needed. In our teaching activities, we focus on showing the complexity of the academic world of information, and at the same time provide the students with basic navigation skills. Hopefully, this enables them to discover what it is they need to know in order to become information literate in the given situation, and if necessary ask us for assistance to achieve this. Based on their motivation to learn, we can support our teaching with a guidance session where we unfold the tools and knowledge required for them to become information literate in their given situation
Hooking Up Data with Literacy: Creating an Educational Framework for Uppsala University Library
Get PDFUppsala University Library offers a range of workshops and lectures for students and researchers in order to help them improve their information seeking skills, academic writing and critical scientific thinking. Our library education program mainly focuses on sources such as books or scholarly articles but students in many subject fields often face additional challenges since they have to handle large amounts of data. We identified the fact that we were hardly incorporating data management in our library education as a potential weakness. This project was developed in order to determine if the library should get involved in teaching data literacy.The project involved gathering knowledge on how data is being taught at the university by conducting a student and teacher survey. A data module was developed and incorporated to the existing framework focusing on information literacy. The module was tested and evaluated by a pilot group of students. Our findings indicate that the University Library should begin teaching data literacy. We believe data to be one of the current challenges for Academic libraries and a key for staying relevant for students and researchers.
Smart Tools for Academic Information Seeking
No full textSystematic information seeking is an essential part of academic work. Research and information seeking go hand in hand, and both need planning. In the academic world you can hardly avoid the research plan, but you probably won’t hear that much about the information seeking plan. The information seeking plan guides you through the research process from the first sparks of an idea to the last dot in the bibliography from the point of view of the often invisible process of systematic information seeking.Systematic Information Seeking Framework designed in the Jyväskylä University Library has its roots in Carol Kuhlthau\u27s Guided Inquiry Design Process. Our model, designed for more contextual adjustability, is presented in our Library Tutorial (https://koppa.jyu.fi/avoimet/kirjasto/en/library-tutorial), an open self-study material.The process starts with “Defining the topic and finding search terms”. This stage requires extensive reading about the subject matter, understanding the basic differences between everyday knowledge and scientific knowledge and distinguishing information resources for different kinds of needs.Analysis of concepts and understanding of their contextuality are at the core of scientific knowledge. With the information seeking plan and a mind map one can work on the search terms, discover connections and construct search statements for different resources and the search strategies they require.The second section is about “Finding sources”, which students often understand as the starting point for systematic information seeking. Knowledge of the publication cultures in different disciplines guide the information seeker to the different types of sources needed.Finally, “Citing and managing references”. One of the most essential skills in all academic work is the appropriate use of scientific sources, citing and managing references correctly. As academic dishonesty hurts the whole community, academic fraud, e.g. plagiarism, is taken very seriously. Sufficient skills in seeking and managing information are the key to avoiding it