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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission
Validation Report in the Higher Education Sector Author: Carla Basili
Ver: Final
"This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The present report constitutes the delivery D5.2 of the Work Package 5: Validation.
The core objectives of the EMPATIC project are to:
-‐ draw together and valorise the results of previous Information Literacy initiatives and projects across the school, university, adult and vocational learning sectors;
-‐ use this evidence to influence policy makers’ perceptions and actions to support a marked increase in piloting and mainstreaming of Information Literacy;
-‐ have a significant impact on validating new learning paradigms and strategic thinking on curriculum reform.
Within the work plan of EMPATIC, Work Package 5 aimed to validate the models, standards, performance measures and case approaches developed in the previous work packages.
Round-‐table workshops were facilitated for each of the four transversal sectors, bringing together invited policy makers together with expert stakeholders (including researchers and representatives from the learning/teaching professions).
Brief summaries of each workshop are provided, together with outlines of key issues identified.
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Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................... 3
SECTION 1: INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP “INFORMATION LITERACY POLICIES: METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS”, 24TH MAY 2011, ATHENS, GREECE ................................................................................................................... 6
1.1. VENUE, DATES, WEBSITE, AND PARTICIPANTS ............................................................................................................ 6 1.2. WORKSHOP CHAIR, COMMITTEE AND INVITED SPEAKERS .......................................................................................... 6 1.3. PROGRAMME WITH SPEAKERS .................................................................................................................................... 7 1.4 BRIEF OUTLINE OF POINTS DISCUSSED ......................................................................................................................... 7
1.4.1 SCOPE AND RATIONALE OF THE WORKSHOP .......................................................................................................... 7 1.4.2 MODELS OF INFORMATION LITERACY POLICIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION ...................................................................... 8 1.4.3 SELECTED METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES IN CREATING THE INFORMATION LITERACY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES ...................... 8 1.4.4 INFORMATION LITERACY IN THE EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION AREA: EPISTEMOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL ASPECTS ....... 9 1.4.5 STRATEGIC AND INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS .................................................. 9 1.4.6 ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS, SOME EXPERIENCES FROM UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN ............................. 10 1.4.7 INFORMATION LITERACY STRATEGIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CRETE LIBRARY ............................................................. 10
1.5 MAJOR ISSUES IDENTIFIED .......................................................................................................................................... 10 1.5.1 IS INFORMATION LITERACY A DISCIPLINE OF STUDY? ............................................................................................................. 11 1.5.2 CAN INFORMATION LITERACY BE INSERTED INTO UNIVERSITY CURRICULA LIKE COMPUTER SCIENCE? .............................................. 11 1.5.3 HOW CAN BE INFORMATION LITERACY INSERTED INTO THE BOLOGNA PROCESS? ........................................................................ 11 1.6 FINALIZED BEST PRACTICES/CASE STUDIES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR .......................................................... 12 1.6.1 ALFIN-‐EEES. SKILLS AND COMPETENCES IN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FOR LEARNING TO LEARN WITHIN EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION. ........................................................................................................................ 12 1.6.2 GRADUATE INFORMATION LITERACY MODULE ........................................................................................................ 13 1.6.3 INFORMATION LITERACY PROJECT. STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY ........................................................................... 14 1.6.4 MA IN INFORMATION LITERACY. UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD ................................................................................... 15 1.6.5 SWIM STREAMING WEBBASED INFORMATION MODULES. SWIM TUTORIAL (INFORMATION SEARCH STRATEGY) AALBORG UNIVERSITY LIBRARY. .............................................................................................................................................................. 15 1.7 MODIFICATIONS/ADDITIONS SUGGESTED TO CASE STUDIES ..................................................................................... 17
1.7.1 POLICY AWARENESS IS A CRITICAL ISSUE ............................................................................................................. 17 1.7.2 BOTH SIDES OF EDUCATION (TEACHING AND LEARNING) TO BE ADDRESSED ............................................................... 17 1.7.3 WHO SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TEACHING? .................................................................................................. 17
SECTION 2: DESCRIPTION OF THE “REAL-‐LIFE” IL ACTIVITIES IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR ................. 18
2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................ 18 2.1.1 INFORMATION LITERACY AND THE EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION AREA ................................................................. 18 2.1.2 INFORMATION LITERACY IN ROMANIA ............................................................................................................... 18 2.1.3 INFORMATION LITERACY STRATEGIES AT UNIVERSITY OF CRETE LIBRARY .................................................................. 19
SECTION 3 CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................................. 21
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APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................................. 22
APPENDIX 1: WORKSHOP DOCUMENTS PRESENTED FOR DISCUSSION ............................................................................ 22 APPENDIX 2: WORKSHOP LIST OF PARTICIPANTS ............................................................................................................. 22 APPENDIX 3: WORKSHOP COPIES OF PRESENTATIONS .................................................................................................... 23 APPENDIX 4: COPIES OF PHOTOS, PRESS RELEASES AND MEDIA COVERAGE FROM THE WORKSHOP ............................ 23
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SECTION 1: INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP “INFORMATION LITERACY POLICIES: METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS”, 24TH MAY 2011, ATHENS, GREECE
1.1. VENUE, DATES, WEBSITE, AND PARTICIPANTS Venue: The National Hellenic Research Foundation, 48 Vassileos Constantinou Avenue - 11635, Athens, Greece Date: 24 May 2011 Website: http://www.isast.org/qqml2011/keynotetalkssessions.html Participants: about 30 people, researchers in the field of Information Literacy, academics and librarians from Canada, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Hong kong, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
1.2. WORKSHOP CHAIR, COMMITTEE AND INVITED SPEAKERS Workshop Chair: Professor Carla Basili, The National Research Council, Italy, The European network on Information Literacy (EnIL)
Workshop Committee: Professor Carla Basili, Professor Maria Próchnicka, Professor Sabina Cisek, Professor Angela Repanovici Invited International Speakers: Professor Armando Malheiro da Silva, Faculty of Humanities, University of Porto, Portugal Armando Malheiro da Silva is the coordinator of the eLit.pt project, which, although focused on the specific case of Portugal, intents to make a scientific approach of the challenges of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and its impact in the field of the information literacy, considering the actual context of the Information Society. Professor Angela Repanovici, Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania Angela Repanovici teaches in the University Transilvania of Brasov, Romania to Mechanical Engineering Faculty. Her research is focused on information literacy, informatization systems, mechatronics systems used in archives and libraries, marketing research and scientometric studies. Since 2009, she is president of Information Literacy section of the Romanian Library Association and organizer of the First information literacy international conference in Romania on 2010. Dr. Ane Landoy, Bergen University Library, Norway Ane Landoy is member of the IFLA standing Committee on Academic and Research Libraries and her research concentrates on the assessment of information literacy skills of university students, with particular focus on the different assessment methodologies which can be applied. Dr. Manolis Koukourakis, Crete University Library, Greece Manolis Koukourakis authored a number of papers describing his experience in the academic project aimed at promoting and supporting information literacy in the University of Crete.
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1.3. PROGRAMME WITH SPEAKERS Opening and introductory remarks
Carla Basili, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
Models of Information Literacy Policies in Higher Education
Carla Basili, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
Selected methodological issues in creating the Information Literacy development strategies
Maria Próchnicka, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland
Information Literacy in the European Higher Education Area: epistemological and theoretical aspects
Armando Malheiro da Silva, Faculty of Humanities, University of Porto, Portugal
PANEL ON STRATEGIC AND INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES TO INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS
Strategic and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Information Literacy Skills
Angela Repanovici: Transilvania University Brasov, Romania
Assessment of information literacy skills, some experiences from University of Bergen
Ane Landoy: Bergen University Library, Norway
Information Literacy strategies at the University of Crete Library
Manolis Koukourakis: Crete University Library, Greece
1.4 BRIEF OUTLINE OF POINTS DISCUSSED
1.4.1 Scope and rationale of the workshop Aim of the Workshop was to point out the strategic role of methodological approaches in Information Literacy Policy Analysis. Policy formulation and implementation is a complex process, deeply rooted in awareness of problems and prediction of impacts. The latter element constitutes the most fragile side of the process, since even the best model of prediction cannot cope against unexpected events. A vast amount of «policy theory» literature has been produced, which proposes different models for predicting realistic system behaviours, without ever reaching a common consensus. Alternatively, a major trend towards effective policy formulation is a pragmatic approach based on evidence: policies are adopted on the basis of «what works» rather than ideology or intuition. Despite its more pragmatic positioning with respect to policy theories, the
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evidence–based approach privileges data and data structures, which are analysed through a systematic process of enquiry. The methodological dimension is evidently crucial in this approach, as a way to perform policy analysis by applying scientific criteria.
1.4.2 Models of Information Literacy Policies in Higher Education
Carla Basili Over last decades, a meaningful transformation has occurred in the organisation and operation of the university system: a shift from a self-referential, auto-regulatory management to a market-driven regime. These trends are confirmed for the European Higher Education by the position of the EC expressed through the Communication “Delivering on the modernisation agenda for universities: education, research and innovation” where is underlined the “interlinked roles of education, research and innovation” of universities and that Higher Education is a “crucial sector of the economy and of society”. This scenario leads to assign growing importance to the so-called “transversal or soft skills”, considered crucial in the moving from university to the labour market. Within this major goal and since the Lisbona strategy (2000), the Commission has pointed to three broad areas of reform in Higher Education: − curricular reform; − governance reform; − funding reform The area of major concern for IL is the curricular reform, where a number of elements are to be considered: − learning outcomes; − recognition of informal learning; − flexible, modernised curricula at all levels which; − correspond to the needs of the labour market (transversal skills)
1.4.3 Selected methodological issues in creating the Information Literacy development strategies
Maria Próchnicka, Sabina Cisek In formulating strategies or strategic models for Information Literacy development two main dimensions have to be considered, that is its formal structure, e.g. components, frame, length, appendices, and its subject content related to – inter alia – the level and context of Information Literacy, formal and informal learning environments, implications for teaching. During the designing process the crucial elements of strategic modeling: 1. context (meaning and dimensions of IL, role in the civic/knowledge society), 2. mission (mainstreaming of information literacy at the national and EU level), 3. vision (information literate citizens, business, government, society), 4. goals (raising society-wide IL awareness, institutionalization of IL, integrating IL in curricula in all levels and sectors of education system in Europe), 5. actions, 6. standards and performance indicators, and 7. stakeholders have to be taken into account.
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The analysis of 87 projects in the Information Literacy area from years 1994-2010, supported in most cases by the European Union, is used as the basis for developing generic strategic models for Information Literacy as well as defining its implications for training of teachers, IL standards and associated performance indicators.
1.4.4 Information Literacy in the European Higher Education Area: epistemological and theoretical aspects
Armando Malheiro da Silva The eLit.pt project articulates along two important phases: diagnosis and design of strategies. Final aim is to define an information skill strategic plan in order to adapt the Portuguese universities to European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and Information Era. A further goal of the eLit.pt project is to sensitize academic and political authorities on information literacy problematic. The main questions that eLit.pt intents to answer are: understand how the university students face the new competences required by the creation of the EHEA; know how these students are prepared in terms of information competences, in three different moments, i.e., prior to the university, during the university frequency period and at the end of the university degree. An important part of the project is a survey based on a questionnaire including the following four kinds of questions: Basic group: Included familiar and scholar context. We define context as a space where the students develop his/her information behaviour structure. Where they configure a way to face to the information literacy. Functional group: Integrated by mediation role of institution as library and school. Transversal group: Included all the question relation with the way that students mixer and use diverse information. For example: information access, information evaluation and use. Introspective group: Internal mechanisms (motivations) linked with information needs. The results of the survey can be summarised in the following points: motivation determines information behaviour, information literacy in university’s students is better that high school students, students shows great familiarity with Information Technologies but still miss awareness of how to deal with the information reachable through those tools.
1.4.5 Strategic and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Information Literacy Skills
Angela Repanovici Angela Repanovici summarised the results of an exploratory workshop aimed at capturing all aspects and issues in addressing Information Literacy in all fields of knowledge. Focal points of the discussion: different educational approaches and interdisciplinary elements among the following knowledge domains: human, medical, technical and economic sciences.
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1.4.6 Assessment of information literacy skills, some experiences from University of Bergen
Ane Landoy In many universities in Europe, the teaching of information literacy is the domain of the library, in larger or smaller degree in cooperation with faculty. Information literacy may be included as a small part of ordinary courses, or as a subject that the library has control over. The information literacy skills of the students are therefore not assessed especially. One of the consequences may be a lack of understanding of the importance of information literacy skills among the students, and following lack of participation in the training opportunities. Pedagogical research has found that students place more emphasis and more importance to subjects that are assessed and given feedback. Maybe, to find a way of assessing the information literacy skills will be one of the ways for institutions of higher education to ensure that the students have these important skills? Different assessment methods can be applied. Assessment must be depending on and closely connected to the learning goals/learning outcomes. Assessment methods can be most useful and relevant, depending on whether the teacher of information literacy is the subject teacher or the librarian.
1.4.7 Information Literacy strategies at the University of Crete Library Manolis Koukourakis Libraries have always been dealing with collecting, organizing, storing and providing information, as well as with instructing their patrons on how to use it effectively for their own needs. As such, libraries are privileged players in the IL field, provided they can adapt the dynamics of new IT, tools and facilities and orient their services towards instructing their users to apprehend the possibilities of the new ways information is produced and made available in the digital era. A prerequisite to achieve this goal is the comprehensive involvement of all agents of an academic institution, in a common, collective effort for the overall re-organization of the structures and services provided within the academic community. Within this approach the University of Crete Library has developed strategies and practices to support and promote information literacy.
1.5 MAJOR ISSUES IDENTIFIED
The workshop was focused on the methodological issues behind the process of IL policy formulation in Europe. As starting point of the discussion, the Empatic’s framework (described in the Empatic deliverable D1.1) was used. The framework is shortly recalled below in its three different perspectives of analysis: Culture of Information, Education to Information, Information Skills. Information Literacy as a discipline of study (Culture of Information) which is: − a branch of the documentation-information science domain; − a knowledge independent from every application domain; − a kind of transversal knowledge; − distinct from the Informatics culture
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Information Literacy as social objective (Education to Information) since it is: − a requisite of the Information Society; − an objective of educational policy; − a massive operation; − requires changes in the education system Information Literacy as cognitive acquisition of individuals (Information Skills) is − a set of Information competencies (or i-skills) that must be certificated This grid – that in D1.1 was given as a theoretical framework – at the test-bed of the workshop revealed to be a valuable tool both for analysing IL within the European Higher Education context, and for preparing the way to the policy recommendations to be addressed in the Empatic final conference. With respect to the grid above summarised, the discussion concentrated in particular on the following points.
1.5.1 Is Information Literacy a discipline of study?
A strong assumption underlying the institutionalisation of IL is to recognise it as a discipline in its own, to be conceived mainly as "knowledge" then as mere "ability", independent from any subject discipline, except for its applicative component, which can be related to a specialised IL competency level. This point was the first addressed since it is the base for further analysis on how IL could be inserted into the Bologna process. A debate started as to consider IL a discipline or simply a skill.
1.5.2 Can Information Literacy be inserted into university curricula like Computer Science?
A major problem with IL is a diffused degree of misconception of the distinction between IL and Computer Literacy. The idea of replicating – mutatis mutandis – an institutional configuration path similar to that of Computer Literacy can be suggested. Both disciplines, in fact, are transversal and useful to every course of study.
1.5.3 How can be Information Literacy inserted into the Bologna process?
The EU Higher Education landscape is governed by the Bologna Process, a process started in 1999 and aimed at creating a European Higher Education Area, in which students can choose from a wide and transparent range of high quality courses and benefit from smooth recognition procedures.
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In an ideal Bologna process for Information Literacy, a first step should be promoting among academics and policy makers the awareness of both the need of IL and the distinction between IL and Computer Literacy. A second step could be to insert IL among the learning outcomes of European universities and, particularly, among the so-called “generic instrumental competencies”. A viable solution could be to integrate the ACRL Competency Standards for Higher Education into the Tuning project activities
1.6 FINALIZED BEST PRACTICES/CASE STUDIES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR
During the previous stages of the EMPATIC project five IL development best practices for the Higher Education sector have been chosen and described. The participants were mainly attracted by the focus of the workshop on methodological issues of Information Literacy policy development. Therefore, they concentrated their attention on these aspects more than on the deep analysis of the best practices, which, anyway, were not criticised (see section 1.7 below).
A short description of the Higher Education best practices is given below.
1.6.1 ALFIN-‐EEES. SKILLS AND COMPETENCES IN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FOR LEARNING TO LEARN WITHIN EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION
GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Country: Spain 2. Funding: the project is held by Universidad de Granada es Catedrática de
Biblioteconomía y de Documentación from Granada, supported by Spanish Ministerio de Educacion and Spanish IL EHEA
3. Focus: project aimed at the development of IL as a social objective and as a cognitive acquisition of individuals.
4. Learning sector: Higher Education 5. Literacy area: IL with the impact on Computer Literacy and Digital Literacy. 6. Geographical/ social range: national. 7. Type of institution, organization, stakeholder: official (governmental) bodies and
non-official bodies.
CHARACTERISTICS Consortium The project is held by Universidad de Granada es Catedrática de Biblioteconomía y de Documentación from Granada, Spain and represented by Prof. María Pinto Molina and supported by Spanish Ministerio de Educatio and Spanish IL EHEA (Information Literacy European Higher Education Area) Background ALFIN-EEES is an initiative that proposes the implementation into the curricula and education so called GENERIC COMPETENCES related to the information literacy, developed and educated for any university student who needs to search for, to manage, to organize and to evaluate information gathered in very diverse sources.
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Core objectives ALFIN-EEES serves to promote the above mentioned literacy in information of those who consult it, multiplying the opportunities of electronic self-guided learning and implementing resources and tools for learners, teachers and users development. Details As generic target, ALFIN-EEES tries to form the student in the mastery of the following generic competences: systemic, informative, personal and evaluative. The institutions, organizations and stakeholders that promote the project are: National governments, parliaments and their official agencies and non official bodies like academia, LIS community, NGOs and professional bodies.
1.6.2 GRADUATE INFORMATION LITERACY MODULE
GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Country: Ireland 2. EU funding program: initiative of three collaborated universities with no funding
from the UE 3. Focus initiative type: project aimed at development of IL as a discipline of study;
as a social objective and as a cognitive acquisition of individuals. 4. Learning sector: HE- Higher Education 5. Information Literacy area: IL and its application to the research 6. Geographical/ social range: national 7. Type of institution, organization, stakeholder: official and non official bodies.
CHARACTERISTICS Consortium This initiative in promoted with no funding from the UE. This is the joint initiative of three universities and university libraries: National University of Ireland Galway, Trinity College Dublin, and University College Cork. Initiative supported by Higher Education Authority (a member of international organization ENQA - the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and National Department Plan (NDP) Transforming Ireland, the national investment programme 2007-2013NDP Transforming Ireland is Funded by the Irish Government and part financed by the European Union under the National Development Plan Background The initiative is an attempt to establish the competence of the course trainee students at master, doctoral and young academic staff (post-doctoral). The module was incorporated into the curricula, and is the example resource of credited courses available at universities collaborating with one another. The project promotes the achievement of educational goals and strategies and curricula development. Core objectives The module is aimed at postgraduate research students completing a PhD or a Research Masters, as well as Post-Doctorate staff. It consists of 6 units in total, and each unit will
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introduce to the topic through a series of slides explaining the subject area, and provide with an opportunity to practice and explore its themes by means of short reflective tasks. This tutorial supplements the important work of the subject area librarian, and is designed to allow users to review the topic at the own convenience. Details The project also develops and educates within the Information Literacy personal skills and it is prepared for postgraduate research students completing a PhD or a Research Masters, as well as Post-Doctorate staff.
1.6.3 INFORMATION LITERACY PROJECT. STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITY
GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Country: Staffordshire, England. 2. EU funding program: non UE funding 3. Focus initiative type: project aimed at development of IL as a discipline of study
and as a social objective. (R&D, surveys and theory development) 4. Learning sector: HE- Higher Education. 5. Information Literacy area: IL skills development 6. Geographical/ social range: local 7. Type of institution, organization, stakeholder: local and non official bodies.
CHARACTERISTICS Consortium This initiative is held by the Staffordshire University, local and academic environment. Background Information literacy project at the Staffordshire University is a kind of strategic approach to integrating information literacy into the learning landscape, promoting educational goals and strategic and curricula development, implementing resources and tools for learners, teachers, users development. The Statement of good practice have been implemented as a initiative in e-learning. Widening Participation and Quality can be supported by greater emphasis on information literacy. The information literacy statement can work in tandem with the e-learning policy and the employability policy to enrich and deepen the student experience of learning at Staffordshire University. This statement can be used to underpin modular undergraduate courses, postgraduate courses, distance learning courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate) and Staffordshire University Regional Federation SURF courses. Core objectives Researches into various aspects of Information Literacy and its implementation that have been undertaken at the Staffordshire University are: ASK or the Assignment Survival Kit, embedded support sessions, information Skills module, VLE Folder support activity and Staffordshire University Information Literacy Community of Practice.
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1.6.4 MA IN INFORMATION LITERACY. UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Country: Sheffield, United Kingdom. 2. UE funding program: university initiative with no EU funding 3. Focus initiative type: project aimed at development of IL as a social objective. 4. Learning sector: HE- Higher Education 5. Information Literacy area: IL- Education with Computer Literacy, Digital Literacy,
Internet Literacy, and Media Literacy. 6. Geographical/ social range: national, international. 7. Type of institution, organization, stakeholder: local and non official bodies.
CHARACTERISTICS Consortium This project is a university initiative with non UE funding. Background MA in Information Literacy it is the university initiative that gives the knowledge, understanding and skills to succeed in an exciting and fast-moving field. The University, Information School has a flexible approach to teaching and learning, and it is possible to study part time or full time, and take the programme as a Postgraduate Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate as alternatives to the full MA. It is also possible to choose to study individual modules, accumulating credits towards a qualification to be completed later. Core objectives The course aims to develop specialist practitioners, who understand the theory and practice of information literacy, and who are qualified and motivated to educate members of the public in their lifelong development of information literacy skills. It provides an in-depth understanding of information literacy and information behaviour in different contexts, as well as preparing participants for roles as information literacy teachers. Details The MA in Information literacy is divided into the core modules: Dissertation, Education for Information Literacy, Educational Informatics, Information Literacy Research, Information Resources and Information Literacy, Information Retrieval, Research Methods and Dissertation Preparation, Practical Computing. It is also divided into modules to be chosen.
1.6.5 SWIM Streaming Web based Information Modules. SWIM tutorial (information search strategy) Aalborg University Library.
GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Country: Denmark 2. EU funding program: the project is the national and local (Aalborg University)
initiative funded by local and national organisations (Denmark’s Electronic Research Library)
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3. Focus Initiative type: project aimed at development of IL as a social objective and as a cognitive acquisition of individuals.
4. Learning sector: HE- Higher Education 5. Information Literacy area: IL, Computer Literacy and Digital Literacy. 6. Geographical/ social range: local, national. 7. Type of institution, organization, stakeholder: non official bodies.
CHARACTERISTICS Consortium The project and the tutorial was funded by Denmark’s Electronic Research Library and developed by Aalborg University Library in collaboration with · The Aarhus School of Business Library, The Royal Library, Roskilde University Library. − The project partners of the SWIM group are: − The Aarhus School of Business Library − The Royal Library − Roskilde University Library. Background Aalborg University Library is in charge of the SWIM project and its development, and works in collaboration with the Aarhus School of Business Library, The Royal Library and Roskilde University Library that function as user test environments. In order to render the project visible, secure exposure, and further the exchange of knowledge and interplay with other projects, the SWIM group has formed a number of attachments to centres and institutions both within and outside Aalborg University. The type of attachment depends on the characteristics of the individual network partner. However, it will primarily involve sparring and the exchange of experiences in connection with specific problems. Core objectives The aim of the SWIM project is to develop a web-based multimedia programme that furthers the development of students' information literacy skills. The programme is designed as a contextually relevant, interactive tutorial, which is divided into well-defined modules and integrated in various web environments relevant to library users and teaching environments. The project objective is to support students in the acquisition of information literacy skills, particularly when using web-based information resources supported by Denmark's Electronic Research Library. The SWIM group will develop an easy to use tutorial consisting of modules that relate to relevant information resources, thus offering the user the possibility of just-in-time learning when using e.g. a specific database. Another objective is to secure the integration and use of those information resources and facilities that can be accessed through the research libraries in the teaching environments of the various educational institutions. Details The indirect target group is the universities' teaching environments, in connection with curriculum planning and other activities that further the integration of information
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literacy in the learning process. Furthermore, the target group also includes a number of different users in various web environments e.g. The Virtual University of Denmark (DVUNI) and those involved in Denmark's Electronic Research Library.
1.7 MODIFICATIONS/ADDITIONS SUGGESTED TO CASE STUDIES The discussion on the Higher Education best practices selected in the previous phases of the EMPATIC project, besides the points described in the section 1.5 of this report, raised the following further issues.
1.7.1 Policy awareness is a critical issue The ALFIN-EEES case study (see 1.6.1) was appreciated as an example of involvement of the Ministry of Education as supporting body, and a variety of public and private stakeholders as promoters.
1.7.2 Both sides of education (teaching and learning) to be addressed The need to promote Information Literacy among both the teachers and the students (see 1.6.3) was recognised as a need, but quite difficult to reach, given the hard task of make academics being “receivers of education”.
1.7.3 Who should be responsible for teaching? This point is also linked to the (still open) question of credit assignment or not to the discipline. Among the best practices, the MA in Information Literacy (see 1.6.4) was an example of a curricular initiative, while the SWIM tutorial (see 1.6.5) constitutes an example of library initiative.
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SECTION 2: DESCRIPTION OF THE “REAL-‐LIFE” IL ACTIVITIES IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR
2.1 Introduction
The key finding of the Arcadia Project at the Cambridge University Library (recently released on July 2011) can be summarised as follows. − the way in which information literacy is taught, structured and implemented is as
important as the topics that are covered in any new curriculum; − information literacy needs to be embedded into the academic curriculum as far as
possible; − it also needs to be ongoing throughout a student’s academic career and adapted
according to the specific requirements of the discipline; − the curriculum needs to include opportunities for students to work collaboratively and
to reflect on their learning; − it should be based on real needs, ideally following an audit; − meaningful assessment forms an important part of this curriculum, while recognising
that information literacy can be difficult to assess summative. Therefore approaches such as peer assessment are key
2.1.1 Information Literacy and the European Higher Education Area Based on contribution from Armando Malheiro da Silva and Viviana Fernández Marcial (University of Coruña -Spain) It is nodal to consider the new educational environment - the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) – focused on a different teaching-learning process based on: the active student’s participation in constructing their own knowledge; the promotion of continuous training and lifelong learning; the emphasis on the full integration of information and communication technologies in education systems, thus enabling a system of interactive learning to take root; the creation of the ECTS (European Credits Transfer System) as a new measure that recognizes the student's academic knowledge and brings major changes in the transmission and acquisition of knowledge when valuing the hours the student devotes to acquiring specific knowledge, rather than a definition based on the number of hours the lecturer teaches; the promotion of integrated education for the student, embracing the acquisition of generic, transversal and specific competences (knowledge, capacities and skills), in which access to and use of information is prioritized.
2.1.2 Information Literacy in Romania
Based on contribution from Angela Repanovici In Romania, IL developed very slowly. The Romanian library science has been very receptive to the requirements imposed by the development of informational society and imposed the implementation of the initial forma of education in the university centres: Bucuresti, Timisoara, Sibiu, Brasov, Targoviste.
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Likewise, the Library Association in Romania played a special part in specializing the staff within the libraries. With respect to the other professional categories, there has been little done. During the initiation of a marketing research, with respect to the existence within the curricula for other specializations and fields of knowledge, there could be noted that there were singular cases in which the students have in the curricula courses of information and documentation, that the libraries offer courses of initiation or that there are online tutorials aiming at initiating the search and the use f the informational resources. Students in Romania prefer the Internet as information source accessed from home, however they are not acquainted with the rigorously scientific documentation sources, with the academic literature, with the scholar internet, with the invisible web, with the evaluation of the resources, with the ethic notions, with the plagiarism and the communication of the results in the scientific research. MECT started a praiseworthy action, of professional reconversion of the schools librarians. The action of development of a new socio-professional category: documentaries teachers and professors has implications in the development of informational society, in the quality of the population’s life through obtaining the abilities of information, documentation, evaluation of the information starting from the pre-university education through developing pedagogical abilities in the documentaries teachers and professors. Numerous researches and studies proved that youth, since young times, spend more and more time interacting with the information and documentation technologies. There is compulsorily necessary for the introduction of IL in education and schools curricula for generating the knowledge of the media role and of the information services.
2.1.3 Information Literacy strategies at University of Crete Library Based on contribution from Manolis Koukourakis Information Literacy at University of Crete Library has developed a comprehensive and integrated approach that includes all library facilities, tools and services, extending from library premises to electronic tools design, and employs a multifaceted strategy, that involves all UOC agents, in an effort to help users achieve information literacy, as a life-long process of turning information into knowledge. In this conception, the library is a lively cell in the heart of the university, which at the same time is a meeting place, a place for search and study, and a place to find help and instruction in study and research. A need exists to work with the university administration and the faculties in order to formally establish a course on information literacy either as a separate, core course in the curricula (adapted for different faculties), or one 2-3 hours core session within each course. A further need is to develop subject-focused, interactive training material, which will be available through our e-learning platform. The introduction and gradual implementation of Web 2.0 technologies, with its new functionality (blogs, wikis, mobile access, etc.) and even wider integration and transparency of electronic tools and resources provides a groundbreaking opportunity in online education and makes discernible a new e-space in education and the library horizon. In such a new library environment the various Library Information Systems & metasearch tools are going to be replaced by or transformed to Content Management Systems, which will deal with the various resources in a more comprehensive way. In the broader academic environment, the teacher-centered education system is gradually giving its place to a collaborative, student-centered education model, which uses “online technology to enrich education and foster relationships among students, faculty, and universities”. Organized in the form of Virtual Learning Environments, this collaborative distance education model “will increase the quality, accessibility, and diversity of online education opportunities”. In the library world, Digital Learning Object Repositories will integrate with Learning Management Systems, to provide re-usable and adaptable (even
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versioned for different courses) learning objects, shaping a very flexible and effective education platform. Libraries thus seem to still be a critical agent in the information society and the reshaped education system, crucially supporting the education process and even contributing to newly developed curricula. Their only way of proceeding in this rapidly changing information era is to reflectively accept innovation, activating their long experience in handling and providing information resources, as well as in user instruction, to facilitate implementation of new technologies into sustained educational practice.
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SECTION 3 CONCLUSIONS
The discussion in the workshop was deeply rooted in the EMPATIC framework of analysis, which has been tested and verified in its consistency.
Attempting a rude SWOT analysis, the main points raised can be summarised as follows.
Strengths
Information Literacy is internationally recognised as a requisite of the Information Society and of the Knowledge Economy.
Labour market requires flexibility in terms of professional self-‐requalification and lifelong learning attitude. This, in turn, requires – inter alia – to dominate the current information environment.
Weaknesses
Lack of awareness about the nature of IL and its differentiation with respect to Computer Literacy.
Being able to catch information from the network is considered enough.
Opportunities
The whole Higher Education landscape in the European Union is in a time of deep reconfiguration through the Bologna process and this fact can be a very good opportunity for suggesting entering Information Literacy in the ongoing curricular reform.
Threats
Academic staff can be resistant in accepting IL as a new discipline or even as a part of their own discipline.
When the responsibility of teaching is in charge of the library staff, academics can be resistant in assigning credits.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1: WORKSHOP DOCUMENTS PRESENTED FOR DISCUSSION
The workshop documents presented for discussion are available online through the webpage in English
APPENDIX 2: WORKSHOP LIST OF PARTICIPANTS International Workshop “Information Literacy POLICIES: Methodological
aspects” List of participants with affiliations:
Name Affiliation e-mail Axelsson Marie-Louise Linkoping University
Library, Sweden [email protected]
Balta Kyriaki University of Macedonia
Hatzilia Margarita Atei of Thessalonika [email protected]
Krakowska
Monika Jagiellonian University Institute of Information and Library Science
Suchojad Dr. Henryk Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce The Main Library, Poland
Aharony Noa Bar-Ilan University [email protected]
Basili Carla CNR, Italy [email protected]
Brage Christina Linkoping University Library, Sweden
Cavaller Victor Open University of Catalonia
Cuturic Daniel Tallin University, Estonia
Della Seta Maurella Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
Duncan Vicky University of Saskatchewan, Canada
Houlihan Meggan The American University of Cairo, Egypt
Koryanska Agniesrka Jagiellonian University Institute of Information and Library Science
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Kurbanoglu Serap Hacettepe University Department of Information Management
Lakshmana Nithin Tallin University, Estonia
Nagasawa Tayo Mie University, Japan [email protected]
Peony Tai University of Hong Kong Libraries
Pietruch-Reires
Diana Jagiellonian University, Cracov
Samanian Dr. M. Islamic Azad University Bojnourd Branch
Singh D.K. Banaras Hindu University, India
Tkacz Aneta Main Library of the Jan Kachanowski University in Kielce
Vahdat Mehrnoosh Tallin University, Estonia
Zupan Vesna The "Svetozar Markovic" University Library, Belgrade
APPENDIX 3: WORKSHOP COPIES OF PRESENTATIONS
The workshop presentations are available online through the webpage in English
APPENDIX 4: COPIES OF PHOTOS, PRESS RELEASES AND MEDIA COVERAGE FROM THE WORKSHOP
The workshop p h o t o s are available online through the webpage in English
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http://empat-‐ic.eu/eng/
Project funded by the European Commission
under the Lifelong Learning Programme
