Librarian Faculty Collaboration:

A Blueprint for Integrating Information Literacy into the Curriculum

Karen HallidayJacqueline Limoges

Information Literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all

disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables

learners to master content and extend their investigations, become self-directed, and

assume greater control over their own learning.

- Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, ACRL

Goals for this Session

• Discuss rationale for the IL initiative.• Outline the model and theory of our approach. • Outline the steps used to integrate information literacy

into the nursing curriculum.• Provide information on the infrastructure that supported

our efforts.• Discuss the pedagogy we used.• Reinforce the benefits of collaboration & benchmarking.• Discuss strategies that helped us with our project and

that may be useful to you.• To generate discussion on information literacy activities.

Rationale

• With the emergence of the knowledge economy and the commodification of knowledge, higher education has a role in teaching students how to access and evaluate information.

• Knowledge enables innovation and growth in the economy.

• Information literacy enables access to the unique bodies of literature required by the professions.

• Information literacy contributes to graduates’ abilities to be full participating members of their professions and society.

Rationale (Ontario Learning Resources for Nursing Project)

• Changes to nursing education require the B.Sc.N. as the entry to practice and the increasing professionalization of nursing supports IL initiatives.

• The report of the Nursing Education Implementation Committee.

• Curriculum changes including critical thinking, research-based practice and access to electronic databases.

Rationale (Ontario Learning Resources for Nursing Project)

• The project generated the Ontario Learning Resources for Nursing: Electronic Nursing Resources to Support the Ontario Nursing Baccalaureate Program by Peg Allen in June 2001.

• Consortium deals with all colleges & universities to have access to the OVID databases.

Diversity, Equity and Access

• Support for information literacy initiatives helps the students learn and honour different ways of knowing and different knowledges.

• Assists all students with different backgrounds and abilities to learn these skills in a supportive environment.

• Multiples strategies assist different styles for learning.

Models

Knowledge Hub Model:– Both a physical place in the Library Commons

and virtual entity developed to support learning communities at Georgian College.

– Resources & pathfinders which support program areas.

– Nursing faculty liaison role within Knowledge Hub.

– Supportive environment for nursing students.– Strengthen relationship between librarian &

faculty.

Models

Information Literacy Integration Model:

Selected integration model based on evidence in nursing literature and best practices.

Evidence & Best Practices

• ACRL’s Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education.

• Best Practices Initiative Institute for Information Literacy, approved by ACRL 2003, entitled “Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline.”

• Guided by research:– Discipline specific information literacy.– Integration into curriculum.– Librarian/faculty collaboration.– Students must have built-in opportunities for success.– Transferability of Il skills from course to course and to

profession.

Research(Key Articles)

Brown, C., Murphy, T. & Nanny, M. (2003). Turning Techno-Savvy into Info-savvy: Authentically Integrating Information Literacy into the College Curriculum. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(6), 386-399.

Grafstein, A. (2002). A Discipline-Based Approach to Information Literacy. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 28(4), 197-204.

Johnson, C. (2003). InstructionalOutreach Across the Curriculum: Enhancing the Liaison Role at a Research University. Reference Librarian. Issue 82, 19-38.

Thompson, G. (2002). Information Literacy Accreditation Mandates: What They Mean for Faculty and Librarians. Library Trends, 51(2), 218-242.

Verhey, M.P. (1999). Information Literacy in an Undergraduate Nursing Curriculum: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Journal of Nursing Education, 38(6), 252-259.

Wallace, M.C., Shorten, A., P.A., McGurk, C., & Brewer, C. (1999). Integrating Information Literacies into an Undergraduate Nursing Programme. Nurse Education Today, 19(2), 136-141.

Steps Used to Integrate IL

• Assessment of needs and readiness of faculty and students.

• Identified key faculty members and librarian.• Assessments made for required supports, and

availability of resources.• Discussions were held related to possible

strategies.• Reviewed the literature for guidance.• First steps developed and reviewed with Dean

of Health Sciences and Director of Library.

Steps Used to Integrate IL

• Visited three college/university sites to benchmark with their IL initiatives: Queen’s University, York University, and Seneca College at King Campus.

Benchmarking

• Visited three sites that offer the Baccalaureate of Nursing program: 1) Queen’s University, Seneca College at King Campus and York University.

• Site visits allowed comparison of similar goals and recognition of best practices.

• Helped to identify the current position of our own initiatives and to determine areas for improvement.

• During our site visits we attended a nursing research class and assessed online tutorials.

• Consider benchmarking as a continuous process rather than a one time exercise.

Steps Used to Integrate IL

• Researched IL initiatives within the nursing literature.

• Concluded that we would like to integrate assignments into the curricula for years one and two and offer suggestions to faculty on required references for all assignments.

Steps Used to Integrate IL

• Assessed the nursing curriculum to see where IL initiatives could be placed.

• Contacted faculty who were currently teaching those courses for further input.

• Worked with Dean and Director of Library to gain support for our Knowledge Hub Model which included downloading a faculty for 6 hours to assist the librarian with IL initiatives and work in the Knowledge Hub area. This was supported.

Steps use to integrate IL

• Concurrent project to manage plagiarism was useful– This project supported appropriate

use of literature– Helped us as a faculty to understand

IL– Provided some additional frameworks

for integration

Steps Used to Integrate IL

• Worked with faculty during period of curriculum revision through informal conversations.

• Provided a formal presentation on the benefits and characteristics of IL to the full nursing faculty.

• Provided information on various strategies to support and encourage student development.

• From here, we devised two different strategies for the written curriculum, and one strategy for ongoing support.

Two Strategies for the Curriculum

Assignment in Assignment in CurriculumCurriculum

• Created an assignment in years one and two in the Professional Development courses called Development of Self as Nurse.

• Created specific learning outcomes for IL in this course.

Multiples Strategies Multiples Strategies for Referencingfor Referencing

• A list of possible strategies were provided to the faculty (with rationale). The faculty chose the appropriate strategies for their course work.

StepsSteps Used to Integrate ILUsed to Integrate ILCourse AssignmentCourse Assignment

• Collaborated to create two assignments supporting literature searching skills of the nursing database, CINAHL.

• The assignments were for both year one & two B.Sc.N. and Practical Nursing students.

• Librarian provided hands on training session to students on literature searching (faculty member present to reinforce importance and content).

• Nursing faculty member present in the library to offer support to students for this assignment and for the integration of research into essays.

Pedagogy

• Used active learning in computer labs.

• Created assignments demonstrating incremental learning.

• Integrated within curriculum of 1st and 2nd year nursing students and PN students with instructor’s approval.

• Encompasses critical thinking and reflection.

• Accommodated different learning styles.

• Created opportunity for contact between librarian/faculty & nursing students for assistance.

• Identified competencies to be achieved.

• Built on student’s existing knowledge and/or experiences.

Learning Outcomes

• Navigate through the CINAHL database by correctly using the search features.

• Employ effective search strategies to retrieve relevant articles that support future learning assignments.

• Determine location and availability of articles.

• Evaluate search results to determine relevancy and reliability of information.

Steps used to Integrate Steps used to Integrate ILIL

Other optionsOther options• Faculty for other courses

integrated various IL strategies to support further learning.– Required search strategies to be

included with reference lists.– Provided feedback related to

acceptable web sites.– Increased standards for supporting

literature

Other OptionsOther Options

• From the initial list given to faculty, common strategies were used, but not all were adopted the second year of the project.

• For example, practicum assignment was deleted the second year, and then reinstated.

• What do we need to do to continue the momentum for this?

Internet

• Students are able to obtain information quickly from unknown sources without peer review.

• Students know how to use the Internet but lack skills to evaluate web sites.

• Quality of literature suffers when students accept readily accessible information from Internet or full text databases.

Strategy for Ongoing Strategy for Ongoing SupportSupport

• Nursing faculty member in the library for office hours every week.

• Ongoing liaison person for faculty related to information literacy.

• Visible and accessible for consultation.• Able to offer ongoing support at

faculty meetings related to scholarship.

Knowledge is of two kinds: we know a topic for ourselves, or we know where we can find

information upon it.

-Dr. Samuel Johnson, 1775

Benefits of Collaboration

• Faculty know their curriculum and where IL initiatives may best be placed for maximum effectiveness.

• Faculty influence others that IL is beneficial to students and to adopt Il outcomes in their course work.

• Collaboration ensures that students are required to use library resources as a part of higher learning.

Benefits of Collaboration

• Faculty have a voice in curriculum meetings, committees, councils and academic senates lending support to IL initiatives.

• Collaboration with instructional designers. Instructional designers assist with learning pedagogy and creation of Il assignments.

Things You Need to Consider

• Time to create, evaluate and maintain assignments as courses, instructors or expectations change.

• Your budget must have funds for initiatives.• Do you want your IL to be discipline specific

or generic? Stand alone or integrated into curriculum?

• You need faculty who value information literacy and the benefit of IL on student’s lifelong learning.

Things You Need to Consider

• Do you have instructional designers to help you create assignments and rubrics etc.

• Do you have to educate the faculty on databases or IL in general?

• Are you perceived as a colleague?• Do you have a supportive culture for

your initiatives?

Things You Need to Consider

• Readiness of students and faculty.

• Where is the best place for an initiative in your curriculum? For example, when are students asked to write and research in the curriculum? The need for this information makes it easier to integrate.

Supporting Infrastructure• The Knowledge Hub Model.

• Nursing Program ready for the initiative.

• Perception of the librarian’s status status as faculty.

• Faculty support of information literacy.

• Instructional designers to support our own teaching and learning.

• Administrative support from library directors, co-ordinators and deans.

• Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Guidelines & Standards.

Recommendations

• Visit other sites for benchmarking purposes.

• Read the IL literature to see what is relevant and effective – this includes literature on teaching and learning.

• Collaborate with key people such as faculty, administrators, instructional designers, students and other librarians.

Recommendations

• Ensure faculty have knowledge of IL and any literature that can assist with their understanding.

• Select the right faculty to collaborate with.

• Have your administrator take your cause to academic councils or other influential committees.

Jacqueline’s Experience

• PD• Collegial relationships• New role with students• Chance to critically examine the

curriculum with another set of lenses• Changes to quality of assignments

Karen’s Experience

• The power of collaboration.• Gained knowledge of curriculum.• The importance of networking.• Teaching and learning component.• Persistence.

Students’ Perspective

• Feel supported to learn.• Researching this way becomes the norm to

them because they learn this in first year.• They like being able to get help with their

assignments.• Many come to understand the connections

among literature, critical thinking and writing.• They feel connected with the library when

working on assignments.

Where are we going with this?

• Nursing student awards for competence in information literacy.

• Foster more critical thinking within the curriculum.

• Create more authentic learning opportunities within the curriculum.

• Increase evaluation of our initiatives.• Maintain and increase awareness of information

literacy among faculty and students.• Branch out into other disciplines/program areas.

To know where you can find anything, that in short is the

largest part of learning.- Anonymous

Questions for discussion

• What are other universities – colleges doing?

• Are there other approaches?• Next steps…

Thank you

Comments?