Workshop Discussion Sample
Summary of Discussion Table Activities at the Preconference "Reaching Students and Faculty: Putting the Information Literacy Standards to Work", ALA National Preconference, San Francisco, June 15, 2001
Legend to the Standards discussions
Outcomes to discuss are in blue (links)
Practice described is in bold
Changing from Bibliographic Instruction to Information Literacy is in normal text
1C: Explores general information sources to increase familiarity with the topic.
Student creates a pathfinder thereby identifying a variety of sources on a specific topic.
Work with course faculty before library instruction to insure that pathfinder has context within the overall class. Suggest a multi-session class giving students the opportunity of active participation during each session.
2C: Identifies the value and differences of potential resources (e.g., popular vs. scholarly, current vs. historical)
Having the students evaluate the nature of the information needed.
Faculty interaction with the librarian. The back and forth here is imperative. Call them and talk several times
2A, 2B, 2-3: [Seen as addressing identification as an issue]
Librarians pro-active in presenting information in different ways (web page, class, walk-ins, one on one with students, email to faculty on ideas for assignments and research .
Librarians must be proactive to be integral to curriculum--get well known on campus as being an expert in solving problems at beginning of research process.
2A: Develops a research plan appropriate to the investigative method
Work with faculty to define common language for research techniques.
Have students: Write out theses statement detailing what is the question or need. Break up the assignment into steps. Create a list of keywords (after instruction on controlled vocabulary). Encourage utilization of reference librarian services.
The table agreed the most significant change is in the scope of the intended outcomes. When the outcomes shift from instruction to insure completion of a specific assignment (BI) to instruction to instill skills that can be applied to all information settings (IL).
3A: Uses various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats
--Partnering with faculty with basic freshman English course, librarian has 7 hours throughout semester (sustained interaction).
--Faculty workshops to introduce broad range of resources available to students.
Pre- and post-testing after sessions.
2A: Examines and compares information from various sources in order to evaluate reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point of view or bias.
Librarian-led web site assessment
Intro writing instructors. Assign web site evaluation as part of research assignment. To keep evaluations from devolving into site software/design critiques, librarian must introduce the assignment to instructors every year, or semester even--review and review.
1D: Manipulates digital text, images, and data, as needed, transferring them from their original locations and formats to a new context.
Providing the technology, such as scanners, computers etc, for students to access text, images, and data to incorporate into their product; providing both hardware and software.
--We need to partner with faulty to let them know the technology is available.
--Assist faculty to incorporate things such as how to use a scanner in their classes.
--Don't take all this on as librarians, but share the responsibility.
2A: Maintains a journal or log of activities related to the information seeking, evaluating, and communicating process
Practice: Have students document the research process through the use of a journal or by recording their searches on a worksheet (the latter is suggested since it guides the process more.) This worksheet or journal entry would record and track some of the following: keywords used, number of records found, relevance of records, databases selected, etcï¿½
Many of us already use these types of worksheets in the class. The challenge for the group was figuring out a way to make the worksheet more meaningful by adding an assessment component to it. The group also talked about modifying the worksheet to incorporate some of the evaluative aspects of IL. It was also mentioned that this is an important exercise to go through with post-graduate students since the record will be very meaningful to them as the work through their dissertations and projects.
1B: Identifies and discusses issues related to privacy and security in both the print and electronic environments [we teach this when we discuss databases, passwords.]
1D: Demonstrates an understanding of intellectual property, copyright, and fair use of copyrighted material [photocopying and fair use]
2C: Institutional polices regarding porn and violence, intellectual freedom versus these access restrictions.
2F: discuss plagiarism at length
3A: always discuss need to cite sources.
It's a process not an end of itself. Librarians and faculty collaborate with a focus on student learning. BI is part of IL. Standards are collaborative interconnected. We need to market. GOOD: "Scavenger hunts are really opportunities for unethical behavior: hiding sources, cutting pages, copying from each other, etc." Standard 5 gives us an opportunity to have faculty workshop on the entire standard since really none of us is an expert on ethical and legal issues in information age.