How to lead the students to necessary

academic skills

Astrid Heltne and Toril Sigstadstø

Students in the academic jungle

Jungle - Taranaki, New Zealandimage by Claude@Munich

Setting the scene• EU perspectives:– The Lisbon summit 2000: Knowledge economy by 2010– The Bologna process– Ongoing EU project“Lifelong Learning Society in Europe”

• Norwegian perspective:– ”National qualifications framework”

Ministry of Education and Research, 2009

• BI perspective:– Bachelor and Master reforms

National qualifications frameworkMinistry of Education and Research, 2009

Skills – Bachelor (1st cycle)

• Be able to find, evaluate and cite information and subject related literature in order to clarify a research question.

Skills – Master (2nd cycle)

• Analyse and relate critically to a variety of information sources and use these in order to structure and formulate academic arguments

(Our translation)

The google generation

• Born after 1993

• Constant connectivity – always ”online”

• To find information –they go to the internet = Google (Wikipedia)

• They scan, flick and power browse their way around.

• They share: files, music, pictures, movies, assignments, essays… ....everyting!

British Library and JISC, 2008

The google generation’s information behaviour

• Web searching: little time spent in evaluating information, either for relevance, accuracy or authority

• Poor understanding of their information needs: do not know what to search for

• The information literacy has not improved with the widening access to technology

British Library and JISC, 2008

Information literacy

“Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner”

From Chartered institute of library and information professionals (CILIP)

Also called: “information skills” or “Information for learning”

Why is information literacy important?

• Pre-requisite for student-centred learning

• Academic integrity in the use of information and the avoidance of plagiarism

• Enables students to take advantage of the information resources available

• Contributes to students' ability to think critically

• Key to lifelong learning in our knowledge society

• Increasingly demanded by employers Cardiff University

Information literacy at BI through library glasses

• Student handbook• BI webpages on cheating• Library webpages• Aspects of information literacy skills integrated in certain courses by

lecturers with or without library involvment• Assessment• Typical feedback from students:

– BI is not consistent in how and when to cite sources– ”Why haven’t we been introduced to this before?”

• Lack of systematic approach dispersed, focus vary and initiative depends on course responsible or lecturer

Cases of good practice

BI: Study skills course, 1st year bachelor

• Optional course taken by 10% of the students• Content: General study skills, including essay

writing, search for literature and reference techniques

• Staff involved: pedagogical staff, librarian

Cases of good practice

BI course: Market communication, final bachelor project:

• Focus: Training students to work independently search for and cite literature

• Staff involved: Lecturer and librarian • Session outline: – Classrom session with lecturer and librarian– Library workshop

Idunn Bøyum, Kjell R. Bygnes

Cases of good practiceØstfold university college: Research

methodology in social sciences• Focus: secondary sources, how to search for

and evaluate sources, citing and referencing• Staff involved: lecturer and librarian. –Planning, lectures, assignments and

examination• One part of the 3 hours final exam made and

graded by the librarianBoger og Tufte. 2009.

Cases of good practice

University of Sheffield: Architechture curriculum (undergrad. – grad. – phd)

• Aim: Integrating study skills into the whole programme• identifyed gaps and contradictions in the existing

curriculum including all three cycles • Identified anchor points on each level where information

skills should be introduced, trained and assessed.• Staff involved: faculty, librarian, students• Activities: induction, essay writing, workshops, self-help

quizzies, formal assessment

Walker and Harrison, 2009.

Information literacy skills Principles of good practice

• Cross institutional initiative• Identify relevant courses for embedment and

assessment during a programme • Criteria for assessment made clear to the

students• Online tutorials to support class room teaching

LILAC 2009, Bent and Stockdale. 2009.

Literature list and further reading• Bent and Stockdale. 2009. Integrating information literacy as a habit of learning - assessing the

impact of a golden thread of IL in the curriculum. Journal of Information Literacy (preprint)• Boger, Torunn Skofsrud og Geir C. Tufte. 2009. Erfaringer fra samarbeid mellom fagseksjon og

bibliotek i emnet samfunnsvitenskapelig forskningsmetode. Uniped (32)1: 52-58• Bowler, M. and Kori Street. 2008. Investigating the efficacy of embedment: experiments in

information literacy integration. Reference service review, 36 (4): 438-449 • information behaviour of the researcher of the future. A ciber briefing paper. 2008.

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/reppres/gg_final_keynote_11012008.pdf

• National Qualifications Framework http://www.uhr.no/documents/kvalifikasjonsrammeverket.pdf

• IL toolkit: Newcastle University. http://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/staff/infolit/toolkit/• EU-project: http://lll2010.tlu.ee/• Bologna –prosessen: http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/about/• cases presented at LILAC 2009 (www.lilacconference.com) , • Sconul; seven pillars of information literacy.

http://www.sconul.ac.uk/groups/information_literacy/seven_pillars.html