Information FluencyWhat? Why? How?

Information Literacy SymposiumAssociated Colleges of the South

Georgetown, Texas November 19, 1999

David G. BrownVP, Dean (ICCEL), Professor (Economics)

Wake Forest University

Thought Starters•WHAT?

–Your Answers–My Answer–My Own First Year Seminar Class–Wake Forest Students in General

•WHY?–College Answer–Faculty Answer

•HOW?–Who Does What?–Where’s the Funding?–What’s the Role for the Consortium?

•YOUR CHARGE FOR TOMORROW!

Metaphors for Achieving Information Fluency

• Use a library--23• Drive a car--13• Write an essay--10• Speak French--8• Give a speech--6

Check the two thatfor you come closest!

• Play tennis--4 • Program a VCR--3• Name State Capitals--3• Pass drivers’ exam--1• Understand tennis--0

Components of Information Fluency

• Evaluate materials on the web & in print--40• Know where to get help when stumped--39• Find materials on the web & in print--39• Recognize the perishability of information--35• Organize information against hypotheses--35• Place information on the web & in print--26• Create a Spreadsheet--18• Create a Web Page in html--9

Check all that apply & add others.

Group Ideas: Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can...

• Critically recognize, use, and present quality information.

• Use and present material on the Web critically and efficiently.

• Ethically find, synthesize, evaluate and present information effectively.

• Identify and communicate to create new knowledge using all available technologies.

Group Ideas: Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can…

• Find, evaluate, utilize, and present information in various formats.

• Identify a problem, find essential information, and solve the problem.

• Use scholarly methodologies and personal and professional encounters with information.

• Transform information into knowledge for their own purposes

Group Ideas: Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can…

• View technology as transparent because of its familiarity and ease of use.

• Find, comprehend, evaluate, and disseminate relevant and reliable information concerning an issue.

• Evaluate their own evolution as information users and generators.

• Select, evaluate, analyze, and present information effectively from multiple formats.

Group Ideas: Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can...

• Locate, evaluate, organize, and interpret information from various sources.

• Apply information to tasks.• Present the results of an interdisciplinary project

using multiple strategies.• Use information to provide value.• Identify a problem, find essential information, and

solve the problem.

Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can

•Find•Evaluate•Organize &•Use Data

These goals are achieved in liberal arts colleges by nurturing students with--

•Concepts--relevant, useful•Resources--reliable information•Skills-- finding, analyzing, presenting

Accessing and sorting skills are as important as knowledge!

FIRST YEAR SEMINARThe Economists’ Way of Thinking

A Course Required of All FreshmenWake Forest University

Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

Brown’s First Year Seminar• Before Class

– Students Find URLs & Identify Criteria

– Interactive exercises– Lecture Notes– E-mail dialogue– Cybershows

• During Class– One Minute Quiz– Computer Tip Talk– Class Polls

• After Class– Edit Drafts by Team– Guest Editors– Hyperlinks & Pictures– Access Previous Papers

• Other– Daily Announcements– Team Web Page– Personal Web Pages– Exams include Computer– Materials Forever

Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

Results in My Own Course: Compared to OtherFirst Year Courses

More Same Less

How much did you learn? 2/3 1/3 --

How much time did you spend? -- 2/3 1/3

How much did you enjoy the course? 3/3 -- --

Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

• 3600 undergrads• 92% residential• $850M endowment• Winston-Salem NC• 500 each: Med, Law, MBA, PhD• #1 Wired College (USA--most recent survey)• #3 Wired University (USA--most recent survey)• #28 Research University (USA)• 1300 SAT Average

Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

THE WAKE FOREST PLANF96: IBM 365XD, 16RAM, 100Mhz, 810MB, CD-ROM, 14.4 modemF97: IBM 380D, 32 RAM, 130Mhz, 1.35GB, CD-ROM, 33.6 modemF98: IBM 380XD, 64 RAM, 233 Mhz, 4.1GB, CD-ROM, 56 modem

F99: IBM 390, 128RAM, 333 Mhz, 6 GB, CD-ROM, 56 modem

• Laptops for all• New Every 2 Years• Own @ Graduation• Standard Template• IGN for Faculty• Keep Old Computers

• 75% CEI Users• +15% Tuition• 4 Year Phase In

1999 Software Load

Netscape 4.5, Dreamweaver 2, SPSS 9, Maple V 5.1

Windows 98, MS Office Prof 97

CourseInfoWake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

WHY INFORMATION FLUENCY?

…the institutional answer

• Communication & Community! • Level Playing Field• After College Use• Faculty/Students Demand Them• Customized/Personalized• Digitized Scholarship• Marketable Difference

Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

Consequences for Wake Forest

• +SAT Scores & Class Ranks• +Retention & Grad Rates• +Satisfaction & Learning (over 90%)• +Faculty Recruitment

Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

WHY INFORMATION FLUENCY?…the faculty answer

• Interactive Learning• Collaborative Learning• Communication• Visualization• Different Strokes for Different Folks

• From Interactive Learning (Anker Publishing Co., November, 1999) Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

Personal Use of Computers by Wake Forest Faculty

Source: 1998 HERI Survey

• 98% E-mail• 91% Memos & Letters• 75% Scholarly Research• 41% Presentations• 36% Data Analysis• 22% On Line Discussion Groups

Computers Enhance My Teaching and/or Learning Via--

PresentationsBetter--20%More Opportunities toPractice & Analyze--35%

More Access to SourceMaterials via Internet--43%

More Communication with Faculty Colleagues, Classmates,and Between Faculty and Students--87%

Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

With Ubiquity---The Culture Changes

• Mentality shifts-- like from public phone to personal phone.

• Teaching Assumptions shift-- like from books in the public library to everyone owns a copy of his/her own.

• Timelines shift-- like from “our class meets MWF” to “we see each other all the time and MWF we meet together”

• Students’ sense of access shifts-- like from “maybe I can get that book in the library” to “I have that book in my library.”

• Relationships shift-- like from a family living in many different states to all family members living in the same town

Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest University

Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can

•Find•Evaluate•Organize &•Use Data

Raise Awareness

Pilot Programs

Assure Universal Access

Provide Learning Opportunities

Measure/Certify Results

Next Steps?

Actions to Raise Awareness

• Define Information Fluency• Conduct PR Campaigns on Campuses• Sponsor “The Fluency Bowl”• Appoint Blue Ribbon Advisory Group• ________________

• Identify a Lead College• Coordinate the “Eager” Departments

from All Member Colleges• Research Other Programs

Pilot Programs

Assure Universal Access(Field of Dreams Approach)

• Provide “Client Machines” (e.g. laptops)---either individually or at public stations

• Teach Assuming Access• Negotiate a Consortium Contract for

Access to Digital Images

Provide Learning Opportunities

• Fluency Camp• Non-Credit Sessions (Required or Optional)• Degree-Credit Course (Required or Elective)• Fluency Across-the-Curriculum

Measure/Certify the Results

• Grade for Course• Threshold Proficiency Test• Fluency Certificate

Possible Roles for the Library

• Politic for “Information Fluency”• Purchase & Manage Electronic Databases• Suggest All College Standards• Train All Students (Just in Time)• Train Faculty and Staff• Certify Information Fluency

Possible Roles for the Faculty

• Define “information fluency” minimums• Set policies for the use of technology• Teach assuming “information fluency”• Judge the wisdom of a requirement• Politic for adequate funding• Monitor the quality of “fluency” training

Possible Roles for IS

• Research & Recommend Hardware and Software

• Choose “back office” components• Implement and maintain infrastructure

Possible Role for the Consortium Suggested by Participant Teams

• Facilitate discipline specific conversations.• Nurture a critical mass of faculty & even deans

& vps on my campus.• Provide more training opportunities.• Swim with the Eager.• Raise awareness of presidents etc.• Get faculty more involved in a collaborative

effort.

Possible Role for the Consortium Suggested by Participant Teams

• Well defined goals & outcomes.• Gallery of ways to achieve goals• Provide funding for VIPs who really help.• Assess where we are now.• Help us develop a campus strategy, even a

coordinator. • Find fundg for a mandatory faculty-staff boot

camp.

Possible Role for the Consortium Suggested by Participant Teams

• Mentors within each department. • Then student boot camp.• Issue a report on the miracles already taking

place on our very own campuses• Share info on curricular change as it is tied to

inf fluency.• Underwrite skills develop for faculty. A good

excuse for cross pollination.

Possible Role for the Consortium Suggested by Participant Teams

• Help with juried validation of technology projects for faculty who want more goodies.

• Road maps are important! How do we get there from here?

• More neat meetings with good dinners• Assessment tools!!!!• Curriculum enhancement opportunities.

Possible Role for the Consortium

• Coordinate Collaborative Teaching• Design & Staff Hybrid Courses• Coordinate Hybrid Courses for Alums• Advance e-mail Forwarding-for-Life• Swim with the Eager

Possible Role for the Consortium

•Suggest Standard Hardware & Software•Coordinate Help Desks and Other Support•Sponsor STARS Program•Certify Information Fluency•Solicit Funding

Who Must Approve a Consortium Initiative in Information Fluency?• Dean or Provost 34• Faculty Senate (or committee) 24• Library Director 24• Consortium Board (ACS Presidents) 23• All Colleges (in the consortium) 21• Chief Information Officer 16• Students 7• Chief Financial Officer 4

Check all that apply & add others.

Issues for Tomorrow

• Concepts• Leaders• Necessary

Approvals• Funding

David G. BrownWake Forest University

Winston-Salem, N.C. 27109336-758-4878

email: brown@wfu.eduhttp//:www.wfu.edu/~brown

fax: 336-758-4875