lorna dodd lilac 2008
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Problem-Based Learning at University
College Dublin
Lorna Dodd
Liaison Librarian
Human Sciences
University College
Dublin,
Belfield, Dublin 4,
Ireland
Lorna.dodd@ucd.ie
Supporting Information Literacy in different educational
approaches
Ursula Byrne
Head of Academic
Services,
Humanities & Social
Sciences,
University College Dublin,
Belfield, Dublin 4,
Ireland
Urusla.Byrne@ucd.ie
Background
• Largest university in Ireland
• Problem-Based Learning (PBL) currently in practice within several programmes
• Government funding (SIF) to support development of further initiatives across campus
What is PBL?
• Centres on the student
• Work in small tutorials
• Presented with complex, real-life ‘problems’
• Identify what they know from their existing knowledge
• Identify gaps in their existing knowledge
• Formulate ‘learning issues’ for next session
The flashy trainers
Why is Information Literacy important in PBL?
• Self-directed learning
• Development of life-long transferable skills
• Critical and reflective thinking
Identify an information
need
Convert Learning Issues
into search strategies
Identify most
appropriate source
Identify kind of information &
resource
Effectively retrieve relevant
information
Evaluate reliability, relevance, currency
& appropriateness
Use the information
in an ethical way
Apply information to problem &
integrateinto existing knowledge
APPLYING INFORMATION LITERACY TO
PBL
• Anatomy of the lung Factual Information –
Textbooks
• Allergens and treatment Current Research – Journal
Articles or Websites
• Is the information reliable?
• Is the information relevant to problem? Location Availability of treatment
The Coughing Horse
Information Literacy Instruction in PBL
• Traditional lectures clashes with philosophical foundations of PB L
• Usefulness of traditional workshops
• In PBL context students need to use a range of information resources in order to find a range of information types
• Often need to explain to academics that a change in educational approach requires ALL aspects of student instruction to change
Workshop approach
• Keep students in their PBL groups
• Identify common “Learning Issues” across all groups
• Let students search for information without any guidance or instruction
• Each group reports back Which resources they used Why they chose each resource How useful each resource was What strategy/language they used
Workshop approach
• Librarian then looks at “Learning Issue” Identify which ‘type’ of information is required Identify appropriate sources Think about language, keywords, alternative terms
• Students then repeat exercise and report back
• Students also asked how the information they find applies to the problem
Using a ‘problem’ approach
The M50 - Europe’s Largest Car park?
Using a ‘problem’ approach• Psychology/sociology
Research on stress associated with long commutes
• Environmental Studies Comparative literature on impact of new motorways on
developing countryside
• Planning & Policy Government reports in infrastructure planning
• Economics Current Irish & European statistics
Conclusion
• Information Literacy is increasingly consciously developed encourage students to think about information they
need challenge students to critically evaluate the
information they find and the source
• Information Literacy is often: Included as a learning outcome An assessment criteria
• Librarians are more involved in curriculum development: Ensure there are sufficient resources Help students develop necessary skills
Conclusion
• Introduction of PBL can dramatically change library & librarian’s role
• Librarians often act as group facilitators in PBL Significant departure from their traditional role New skill set
• Information literacy essential component Many academics begin to understand the importance of
IL and librarian as a result of PBL This often leads to a ‘spill over’ effect
How do we strike the balance between taking advantage of new opportunities and managing growing workloads?
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