igniting the information literacy flame --final the...igniting the information literacy flame...

27
Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself on delivering student-centered education that will make a lasting impact on students as they pursue careers, further education, and engage with their communities. Last year, the university conferred more than 2,000 bachelor degrees from nearly 80 different majors. One common variable underlying the education and future experiences our NKU students will face is information. More than ever, graduates will have access to overwhelming amounts of information, from their workplace to their social media feeds. Our students need skills to navigate, evaluate, and use a staggering flux of information. Our students also need a conceptual foundation regarding the authority, context, creation, and dissemination of information in the 21st century so that they can draw their own conclusions and add their own voices to ongoing conversations. Technological advances make it easier than ever to create and share ideas - both fact and fiction. Our graduates, no matter their field of study, need to be critical consumers and responsible creators of information. A quality enhancement plan that emphasizes the development of information literacy, across the curriculum, will better prepare our students to engage with information in academic, professional, and personal contexts. Information literacy is recognized as a vital component of education in the digital and information age. The Association of American Colleges and Universities lists information literacy as an essential learning outcome that should be “practiced extensively, across the curriculum” (AACU, 2007). Several accrediting agencies, most notably the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, explicitly requires information literacy be integrated in university curriculum (MSCHE, 2015). Since 2013, seven SACS-accredited institutions have implemented quality enhancement plans with a direct focus on information literacy (SACS, 2017), and it’s likely several others integrated related concepts within a broader focus. Harris (2013) conducted an in-depth analysis of QEPs submitted to the SACS accrediting body between 2007 and 2011 and found 18 focused on information literacy as the main QEP topic and 58 integrated information literacy within a broader topic, such as critical thinking, inquiry development, or delivery of high-impact practices. An additional 30 plans incorporated an optional IL component. The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has long advocated for the development of information literacy in higher education. Recognizing the rapidly changing and always evolving information environment, the ACRL recently redefined information literacy for the 21st century with the publication of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. According to the Framework authors, information literacy is “the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of

Upload: others

Post on 24-Jun-2020

25 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

IgnitingtheInformationLiteracyFlameCurrentCampusEnvironmentandFittoPlaceNorthernKentuckyUniversitypridesitselfondeliveringstudent-centerededucationthatwillmakealastingimpactonstudentsastheypursuecareers,furthereducation,andengagewiththeircommunities.Lastyear,theuniversityconferredmorethan2,000bachelordegreesfromnearly80differentmajors.OnecommonvariableunderlyingtheeducationandfutureexperiencesourNKUstudentswillfaceisinformation.Morethanever,graduateswillhaveaccesstooverwhelmingamountsofinformation,fromtheirworkplacetotheirsocialmediafeeds.Ourstudentsneedskillstonavigate,evaluate,anduseastaggeringfluxofinformation.Ourstudentsalsoneedaconceptualfoundationregardingtheauthority,context,creation,anddisseminationofinformationinthe21stcenturysothattheycandrawtheirownconclusionsandaddtheirownvoicestoongoingconversations.Technologicaladvancesmakeiteasierthanevertocreateandshareideas-bothfactandfiction.Ourgraduates,nomattertheirfieldofstudy,needtobecriticalconsumersandresponsiblecreatorsofinformation.Aqualityenhancementplanthatemphasizesthedevelopmentofinformationliteracy,acrossthecurriculum,willbetterprepareourstudentstoengagewithinformationinacademic,professional,andpersonalcontexts.Informationliteracyisrecognizedasavitalcomponentofeducationinthedigitalandinformationage.TheAssociationofAmericanCollegesandUniversitieslistsinformationliteracyasanessentiallearningoutcomethatshouldbe“practicedextensively,acrossthecurriculum”(AACU,2007).Severalaccreditingagencies,mostnotablytheMiddleStatesCommissiononHigherEducation,explicitlyrequiresinformationliteracybeintegratedinuniversitycurriculum(MSCHE,2015).Since2013,sevenSACS-accreditedinstitutionshaveimplementedqualityenhancementplanswithadirectfocusoninformationliteracy(SACS,2017),andit’slikelyseveralothersintegratedrelatedconceptswithinabroaderfocus.Harris(2013)conductedanin-depthanalysisofQEPssubmittedtotheSACSaccreditingbodybetween2007and2011andfound18focusedoninformationliteracyasthemainQEPtopicand58integratedinformationliteracywithinabroadertopic,suchascriticalthinking,inquirydevelopment,ordeliveryofhigh-impactpractices.Anadditional30plansincorporatedanoptionalILcomponent.TheAssociationofCollegeandResearchLibraries(ACRL)haslongadvocatedforthedevelopmentofinformationliteracyinhighereducation.Recognizingtherapidlychangingandalwaysevolvinginformationenvironment,theACRLrecentlyredefinedinformationliteracyforthe21stcenturywiththepublicationoftheFrameworkforInformationLiteracyforHigherEducation.AccordingtotheFrameworkauthors,informationliteracyis“thesetofintegratedabilitiesencompassingthereflectivediscoveryofinformation,theunderstandingofhowinformationisproducedandvalued,andtheuseof

Page 2: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

2

informationincreatingnewknowledgeandparticipatingethicallyincommunitiesoflearning”(ACRL,2016).Thedefinitionemphasizesametacognitiveapproachtoresearch,integratescriticalconsiderationabouthowinformationiscreatedandvalued,andrecognizestheresponsibilitiesassociatedwithcreatinginformation.InadditiontoarticulatinganewILdefinition,theFrameworkemphasizestheco-curricularnatureofinformationliteracyandpositionsILas“extendingthearcoflearningthroughoutstudents’academiccareers”(ACRL,2016,p.3).Multipleacademiclibraries,includingNKU’sSteelyLibrary,haveembracedtheFramework’sapproachtoinformationliteracyeducation.SteelylibrarianshaveusedtheFrameworkasaguidetodevelopinformationliteracylearningoutcomesforNKUstudentsatthreelevels:foundational,advanced,andgraduate.Theseoutcomesemphasizetheneedforstudentstodevelopskillsandconceptualunderstandingstoeffectivelyengagewithinformationinavarietyofcontexts(seeAppendixAforoutcomes).Ideally,librariansteachfoundationaloutcomeswhenworkingwithstudentsintraditionalfirst-yearcourses,suchasUniversity101and/orEnglish101.Thosefoundationaloutcomesarebuiltuponwhenworkingwithstudentsintheir291writingcourses,andtheadvancedoutcomesareadaptedfordiscipline-specificcourses.Inrecentyears,librarianshaveidentifiedandtargetedspecificcoursesforinformationliteracyinstruction.Thegoalisforstudentstoattendmultipleinformationliteracysessions,acrosstheirNKUcareer,whichbuilduponpriorsessions.However,therealityofinformationliteracyinstructionismuchlessconsistent,withsomestudentsattendingmultiplesessions,somestudentsattendingone,andotherstudentsneverattendinganyinstructionsessions.InformationliteracyeducationatNKUisprimarilydeliveredasaone-shotsession.Aone-shotsessionmeansinstructionisprovidedduringoneclassperiodandisusuallytailoredtoaspecificresearchassignment.Thefocusonaparticularresearchassignment,whilebeneficialforsuccessinthatclass,hinderseffortstointegratemoreconceptualunderstandingsofinformationthatencouragestudentstomakeconnectionswithinformationbeyondanacademicsetting.Beyondtheone-shotinstructionsessions,Steelylibrariansteachathree-creditinformationliteracycourse(LIN175).TheinformationliteracycourseisrequiredforLibraryInformaticsmajors,andisoneofseveralcourseswithintheIndividual&SocietycategoryoftheFoundationofKnowledgeprogram.Asa100-levelcourse,librariansfocusonintroductoryconcepts,encouragingstudentstocompareandcontrastwebanddatabasesearches,consideringtheauthorityandperspectiveofpopularandscholarlysources,andformulatingresearchquestions.Aftercompletingthecourse,studentshavecommentedonthevalueofathree-creditinformationliteracycourse(seeTable1).WhileLIN175courseispartofthegeneraleducationofferings,itreachesonlyasmallpercentageofNKUstudents.

Page 3: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

3

Table1:CommentsfromstudentswhocompletedLIN175

IusedeverythingIlearnedinthiscoursetoaidinallmyothercoursework.IusedthethingsilearnedhereanditimprovedthewayIcompletedassignmentsforotherclassesandjobsImighthaveinthefuture.

ThiscoursewassohelpfulandIlearnedsomuchthatwillhelpmeinmycollegecareerandon!

Itshouldbeamandatoryclassinmyopinion.

IwillrememberforevertheskillsonresearchingthatIlearnedthesepast8weeks.

Thisclasswassoenlightening.

Justknowinghowtoevaluateawebsitewillhelptomakemeverysuccessfulinthefuture.Iknowwhatwouldbegoodforacollegelevelpaperandwhatwouldnotbe.IknowthatIstillhaveseveralpaperstowriteinmyfutureandthiscoursewillbesomethingthatIcanreferbacktoduringthesetimes.

HonestlythisclassshouldbearequirementatNKU.Consideringhowaggressivesocialmediaandinformationisbeingthrowntoeveryoneandtheradicalthingspeopledo.Everyoneshouldhavetotakethisclass.

AtNKU,informationliteracyisnotformallyrecognizedasanoutcomeofanyprogramoncampus,withtheexceptionofLibraryInformatics.Withoutformalrecognitionofinformationliteracy,anddespitetargetedefforts,itisdifficulttoensureallstudentsreceiveconsistentILeducation,evenforstudentsstudyingthesamemajor.ForthepurposeofthisQEPproposal,NKU’sOfficeofInstitutionalResearchandAnalysiscollaboratedwithSteelylibrarianstofindouthowmanystudentshaveexperiencedsomeformofinformationliteracyinstructionduringtheiracademiccareerandhowmanyofthosestudentshaveexperiencedmultipleinstructionsessions.BeginninginFall2015,alittlemorethan10%ofNKUstudentshadtakenLIN175orattendedaninformationliteracysessioninpersonoronline.Theinstructioncouldhaveoccurredasearlyasfall2006forsomeofthesestudents.Oncetheywereflaggedashavingtheinformationliteracyinstruction,aslongastheycontinuedtomatriculate,theywereflaggedinsuccessivetermsashavinghadthatexperience.Byspring2017,around24%(almost1in4undergraduates)hadexperiencedinformationliteracyinstructioninsomeform.Thismeansthat75%ofNKUstudentshaveexperiencednoformalinformationliteracyinstruction(seeTable2).

Page 4: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

4

Table2:Percentofundergraduateswhohaveexperiencedinformationliteracyinstruction

Semester

ExperiencedLIN175orInstructionalModule

TotalUndergradEnrollment %YesNo Yes

Fall2015 11,453 1,353 12,806 10.57%

Spring2016 10,398 1,252 11,650 10.75%

Summer2016 2,651 217 2,868 7.57%

Fall2016 10,186 2,457 12,643 19.43%

Spring2017 8,656 2,703 11,359 23.80%

Additionally,institutionalresearchersuseddatatodeterminehowmanyundergraduatestudentshadexperiencedinformationliteracyinstructionmorethanonce.Table3illustratesthenumberoftimesundergraduatesreceivedinformationliteracyinstructionoverthecourseoftheiracademiccareers.Themajorityofstudentsonlyattendoneformofinstruction,andlessthanfivepercentofthestudentpopulationhasattendedthreeormoresessions.

Table3:Undergraduateswhoreceivedinformationliteracyinstructionmultipletimes

Semester Once TwiceThreeormore

Times Total

Fall2015 1,150 85.00% 180 13.30% 23 1.70% 1,353

Spring2016 1,063 84.90% 166 13.26% 23 1.84% 1,252

Summer2016 195 89.86% 19 8.76% 3 1.38% 217

Page 5: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

5

Fall2016 1,869 76.07% 478 19.45% 110 4.48% 2,457

Spring2017 2,058 76.14% 530 19.61% 115 4.25% 2,703

DespitechallengestothestructureanddeliveryofinformationliteracyinstructionatNKU,thereisevidencethatsupportstheinclusionofinformationliteracyineducation,especiallywhenintegratedacrossthecurriculumandwithinthecontextofstudents’majors.ProjectInformationLiteracy(PIL)haspublishedmultiplereportsonstudentbehaviorsandattitudestowardresearch.Onereportanalyzedinterviewswithtopemployersacrossthecountry,andwhileemployerswereimpressedwithrecentgraduates’technologicalabilities,theywerelessenthusedwithinformation-seekingskillsandreported“mostcollegehireswerepronetodeliverthequickestanswertheycouldfindusingasearchengine…”(Head,2012,p.3).AnotherPILreportsummarizedsurveyandinterviewdatafromrecentcollegegraduatesandfoundthatnotonlydidgraduatesreportitwasdifficultto“stayinformedintherapidlychangingdigitalage,”(Head,2016,p.5)buthalfofthesamplealsofeltfrustratednothavingaccesstoformerinstructors,lectures,orcampuslibrarydatabases.AtNKU,Steelylibrarianshaveconductedsomeinternalassessmentstogaugetheeffectivenessofone-shotinformationliteracyinstructionanddocumentevidenceofstudentlearning.Assessmentsduringthe2016/2017academicyeardoindicatethebenefitsofinformationliteracyinstructionforstudentsintheirmajor,butalsoilluminatethechallengesstudentscontinuetofacewheninteractingwithinformation.Forexample,informationliteracyinstructiondoesimproveawarenessanduseofsubject-specificdatabases.Apre-andpost-testadministeredtostudentsinapublicrelationsresearchcoursefoundanincreasedawarenessofdatabasesandaninclinationtouseone.Similarly,nursingstudentsinaresearchcourseincreasedtheirreporteduseofCINAHL,anursingdatabase,from47%onapre-testto90%onapost-test,afterattendinginformationliteracyinstruction.Further,33%ofpsychologystudentsinaresearchmethodscoursewereabletonameonepsychologydatabaseonapre-test,butafterinstruction,75%ofstudentswereabletonametworecommendeddatabasesforresearchintheirfield.Assessmentsalsoprovidesomeindicationthatinstructionimprovesknowledgeaboutscholarshipandresearchinone’sfield.Forexample,aspartofthepre-andpost-test,thepublicrelationsstudentsreadandevaluatedanacademicarticle.Studentsshowedimprovementinbeingabletoidentifythemajorfindingsofthearticleandidentifyingareasforfurtherresearch.Inanengineeringwritingclass,allstudentswereabletoidentifythelevelofauthoritynecessaryforanacademicneedafterviewingavideoonsourceevaluation,andinahistoryresearchcourse,studentsdemonstratedimprovementin

Page 6: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

6

theirunderstandingoftheconceptof“scholarshipasconversation”(30%onthepre-testversus69%onthepost-test).Finally,thepsychologystudentsdemonstratedanimprovedunderstandingofthepurposeofaliteraturereview.Onthepre-test,morethan40%indicatedoneofthepurposesofaliteraturereviewwaslocatenovelsandnearly20%indicatedtheydidnotknowatall.Onthepost-test,73%demonstratedanunderstandingoftheliteraturereview.Assessmenthasalsoshownareasthatstudentscontinuetostruggle.Whereasthepsychologystudentsdemonstratedincreasedawarenessofthepurposeofaliteraturereview,thehistorystudentscontinuedtoexhibitconfusionabouttheliteraturereviewandtheappropriatetypesofsourcestoincludeintheirresearch,evenaftertheinstructionsession.Publicrelationsstudents,whiletheyimprovedtheirawarenessofresearchdatabases,stillexhibitedconfusionaboutwhenitismostappropriatetousearesearchdatabase,andwhilestudentscouldidentifysomekeyaspectofscholarlyarticles,theystruggledtounderstandthepurposeofthearticleandthegapsguidingtheresearch.Additionally,afterinstruction,nursingstudentscontinuedtostruggletouseadvancedsearchingtechniquesinthedatabasesandengineeringstudentsstruggledwiththeconceptofauthoritywhenconsideringpersonalneeds.AQEPfocusedoninformationliteracywouldformalizepastinstructioneffortssothatinformationliteracyisbetterintegratedinapurposefulmanner.Indoingso,morestudentswouldbeexposedtoinformationconceptsthatwillhelpthemsucceedacademically,butalsohelpthembetterprepareforcareersinachosenfield.ThisQEPproposalalsoinherentlyaddressesmanyofthetopicsidentifiedasprioritiesbytheNKUcampuscommunity,includingimprovedcommunicationskills,criticalthinking,studentsuccessskills,andtheneedtoprepareourstudentsfortheworkplace.Additionally,theuniversity’sstrategicplanemphasizesstudentsuccessandcallsforestablishingandmaintainingrigorousacademicstandardsandexpectations,whilealsostrengtheningcriticalthinkingacrossthedisciplinesandincreasingopportunitiesforstudentresearch(NKU,2013).Thestrategicplanalsoenvisionsmoreprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforfacultyandstaff.Thelong-termgoalofthisQEPproposalistoformallyintegrateaninformationliteracycomponentintoeverydisciplineoncampus.Integrationwillbeuniquetoeachprogramandmayevenvarywithindepartments,butallNKUstudentswillbeexpectedtocriticallyengagewithideasrelatedtoinformationcreation,dissemination,access,anduse.Notonlywillthisplanbetterpreparestudentstosucceedacademically,butbyplacingILinthecontextofstudent’smajors,itwillalsohelpthemnavigateandmanageinformationintheworkplace.Inordertoachievethisgoal,atleastonefacultymemberfromeachdepartmentwouldattendaseriesofinformationliteracyworkshopsthatwould

Page 7: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

7

culminateinaplantointegrateILwithintheirdepartment’smajors.ItisexpectedfacultymemberswillalsobenefitfromtheILfocusthroughworkshopparticipationandprofessionaldevelopmentinthearea.

LiteratureReviewInformationLiteracy:HistoryandDefinitionAlthoughthephrase“informationliteracy”hasbeeninuseformorethan40years,manypeople,especiallythoseoutsideofthelibraryworld,remainuncertainastoitsmeaning.Informationliteracyhasoftenbeen,inaccurately,conflatedwithliteracy,computerliteracy,ortechnologyliteracy.ThefirstuseoftheterminformationliteracyisattributedtoPaulZurkowskyin1974,whodefineditas“learnedtechniquesandskillsforutilizingthewiderangeofinformationtoolsaswellasprimarysourcesinmoldinginformationsolutionsto[one’s]problems”(Witek,2016).Intheyearssince,librarianshavebeenprimarilyresponsiblefordefiningexactlywhatitmeanstobeinformationliterate.A1989reportfromtheAmericanLibraryAssociation(ALA)statedthat,inordertobeinformationliterate,“apersonmustbeabletorecognizewheninformationisneededandhavetheabilitytolocate,evaluate,anduseeffectivelytheneededinformation.”Then,in2000,theAssociationofCollegeandResearchLibrariespublishedtheInformationLiteracyCompetencyStandardsforHigherEducation,whichdescribedstandards,performanceindicators,andoutcomesrelatedtoinformationliteracy,whichwereusedbymanylibrarianstoguidethedevelopmentoftheirinformationliteracyinstructionprograms.However,atasignificantnumberofuniversities(includingNKU),informationliteracyinstructioncontinuedtobeprimarilyconfinedtoone-shots. Inrecentyears,therehasbeenagrowingconsensusamonglibrariansthatthisdecontextualized,primarilyskill-basedmethodofprovidinginformationliteracyinstructionisinadequate.ThechangingviewofinformationliteracywasreflectedinthepublicationoftheFrameworkforInformationLiteracyinHigherEducation(2016).Asstatedabove,thisdocumentdescribesinformationliteracyas“thesetofintegratedabilitiesencompassingthereflectivediscoveryofinformation,theunderstandingofhowinformationisproducedandvalued,andtheuseofinformationincreatingnewknowledgeandparticipatingethicallyincommunitiesoflearning.”TheFrameworkdescribesasetof“interconnectedcoreconcepts”thatarecentraltoinformationliteracy.

● AuthorityisConstructedandContextual:Informationliterateindividualsrecognizetheimportanceofcontextfordeterminingwhetherornotasourceis“authoritative.”

Page 8: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

8

● InformationCreationasProcess:Informationliterateindividualsrecognizethatinformationproductsarecreatedforanumberofdifferentpurposesandbydifferentprocesses.

● InformationHasValue:Informationliterateindividualsrealizethereareareanumberoffactorsthatinfluenceone’sabilitytocreate,distribute,andaccessinformation.

● ResearchasInquiry:Informationliterateindividualsunderstandresearchisaniterative,open-endedprocessfocusedonansweringquestionsorsolvingproblems.

● ScholarshipasConversation:Informationliterateindividualsunderstandthatscholarsareengagedinongoing“discussions”inwhichideasarecontinuallybeingdeveloped,debated,and,insomecases,rejected.

● SearchingasStrategicExploration:Theinformationliterateindividualmakesinformedchoiceswhendeterminingsearchsystem,searchstrategy,andsearchlanguage.

OurQEPproposesusingtheexpandeddefinitionprovidedintheFrameworktoguidetheintegrationofinformationliteracyacrosstheNKUcurriculum.TheNeedforInformationLiteracyAlthoughmisunderstandingsrelatedtotheconceptofinformationliteracyhavecontinuedtoexist,theneedforincreasedinformationliteracyincollegestudentsissupportedbynumerousstudies.ArecentstudybytheStanfordHistoryEducationGroup(SHEG)assessedtheabilityofstudentsfrommiddleschooltocollegeandfoundthat“youngpeople’sabilitytoreasonabouttheinformationontheInternetcanbesummedupinoneword:bleak.”Studentsatalllevelsdisplayeda“stunninganddismayingconsistency”intheirinabilitytoevaluateinformationfoundonline.Numerouspreviousstudieshavehadsimilarfindingsconcerningstudents’abilitiestofind,evaluate,anduseinformationeffectively.In“LessonsLearned:HowCollegeStudentsSeekInformationintheDigitalAge,”aProjectInformationLiteracyreport,researchersfoundthatstudentsusedalimitednumberofinformationsourcesandthatthey“exhibitedlittleinclinationtovarythefrequencyororderoftheiruse,regardlessoftheirinformationgoalsanddespitetheplethoraofotheronlineandinpersoninformationresources”theyhadattheirdisposal.(Head&Eisenberg,2009).TheERIALProjectfoundthat“whenitcomestofindingandevaluatingsourcesintheInternetage,studentsaredownrightlousy”(Kolowich,2011).ResearchersfoundthatcollegestudentsreliedheavilyonGoogleforanyinformationneed,butwere“basicallycluelessaboutthelogicunderlyinghowthesearchengineorganizesanddisplaysitsresults”(Kolowich,2011)And,whenstudentsdidattempttouselibrarydatabases,mostdidnotknowhowtoconstructaneffectivesearchandtendedtousedatabasesthatwereinappropriate.

Page 9: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

9

Thereisalsoevidencethatstudentsstruggletoeffectivelyengagewithsourceswithanydepth.TheCitationProjectdevelopedastudythatexaminedsophomores’source-basedwritingat16differentcollegesanduniversities.Theyfoundthatstudents,“rarelyanalyzeorengagewiththesourcestheyciteandtendtosimplifytheargumentswithinthem,perhapsbecauseonly30.5%oftheircitationsaretomaterialbeyondthesecondpageofthesourceandonly23.6%ofthesourcesarecitedmorethantwice”(Jamieson,2013).Thelackofinformationliteracydoesnotjustimpactstudents’abilitytosucceedwhileincollege.Aspreviouslymentioned,aProjectInformationLiteracyReportfoundthatemployersconsideredthesearchskillsofnewlyhiredcollegegraduatestobe“dismayinglylimited.”Incomplexorambiguoussituationsinwhichtheywererequiredtoidentifytheirowndirection,decidewhichinformationwasrelevant,andcombineinformationfromseveralsources,recentgraduatesstruggled(Head,2012).InformationLiteracyQEPExamplesOurproposalisbasedontherecognitionthatinformationliteracyinstruction,ascurrentlyprovidedatNKU,doesnotadequatelypreparestudentstoeffectivelyengagewithinformationinthedigitalage.ThisrecognitionisnotuniquetoNKU,asdemonstratedbythenumberofotherschoolswhereQualityEnhancementPlans(QEP)relatedtoinformationliteracyhavebeenadopted.In2008,TrinityUniversityadoptedaQEPfocusedoninformationliteracy.Facultyworkshopswereestablished,wherelibrariansanddiscipline-facultyworkedtogethertoredesigncourses.FacultywerealsoabletoapplyforQEP-fundedgrantstoredesignordevelopcoursesintegratinginformationliteracy(Oakleaf,2011).AsurveyconductedaftertheQEPconcludedfoundthat90%ofthefacultycontinuedtointegrateinformationliteracyinthecourseforwhichtheyreceivedthegrant,while71%hadmadechangestointegrateinformationliteracyothercourses(Jumonville,2014).AtLincolnMemorialUniversity,aQEPfocusedoninformationliteracywasadoptedin2009.Aspartofthisplan,informationliteracywasintegratedacrossthecurriculum,firstbyfocusingspecificallyontwogeneraleducationcompositioncourses,theninupper-leveldisciplinecourses.AccordingtoSmith(2016),allassessmentmeasures“indicatedhigherlevelsofstudentILproficiencybytheendofthecurriculumintegration”(p.230).AQEPoninformationliteracywasadoptedatNorthCarolinaWesleyanCollegein2009.EntitledGIST(GettingInformationSkillsToday),theplanfocusedonensuringthatallmajorswouldhaveatleastone“GIST”coursethatemphasizedadvancedinformationliteracy.Facultyteachingthesecoursesattended

Page 10: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

10

workshopstoassistincourseredesign.Assessmentfoundthat79%ofstudentsinGISTcoursesmetorexceededtheidentifiedminimumstandardsforperformance(Brake,2016).Morerecently,QEPsfocusedoninformationliteracyhavebeenadoptedattheUniversityofTennesseeatMartin(2013),HowardPayneUniversity(2014),andGreensboroCollege(2016).WhileitisnotpossibletoprovideinformationonallQEPsrelatedtoinformationliteracy,thisbriefreviewshoulddemonstratethatitispossibletoinstituteaninformationliteracyfocusedQEPthathasasignificantimpactonstudentlearningandsuccess.IntegratingInformationLiteracyViaAcademicDisciplines

OurproposedQEPisfocusedonintegratinginformationliteracyintomultipledisciplinesacrosscampus.Whileinformationliteracy(IL)instructionhasmostfrequentlybeenprovidedingeneraleducationcourses,especiallyEnglishcompositioncourses,theideaofintegratingILacrosstheacademicdisciplinesisnotanewone.Thisissuehasbeendiscussedfordecadesandhasbeensubsequentlyimplementedinavarietyofformatsatcollegeanduniversitycampusesacrossthecountry.TherationaleforamorewidespreadILintegrationstemsfromavarietyoffactors.PerhapsthemostprolificideaaddressedisthatstudentscouldbettergraspILifitwerewovenintotheircoursework,thereforeprovidingamoreholistic,relevantandauthenticexperiencefortheirlearning(Grafstein,2002;Middendorf&Pace,2004;Winterman,Donovan&Slough,2011;Weiner,2013;Farrell&Badke,2015;Kuglitsch,2015;Johnson-Grau,Archambault,Acosta&McLean,2016;Cowan&Eva,2016).

AdvocatesfordisciplineintegratedILrecognizethatfacultymembersinaspecializedacademicdisciplinearebetterpositionedtoincorporatetheskills,languageandscenariosthatareassociatedwiththatfieldofstudyastheyteachtheILconcepts.Proponentsofthisviewpointassertthatthiscustomized,contextualizedapproachcanthenfacilitateamoreseamlessunderstandingforstudentsinthedisciplineastheymodelandapplytheconceptswithintheclassesfromtheirmajorofstudy(Grafstein,2002;Middendorf&Pace,2004;Winterman,Donovan&Slough,2011;Farrell&Badke,2015).Kuglitsch’s(2015)exampleofconstructionstudentslearningILthroughthedisciplinarylensofbuildingabridgesupportsthisideaoftailoringtheILteachingtothespecificdisciplines(p.462).FarrellandBadke’s(2015)observationthat“Studentswhohavebeenenculturatedorsocialized,evenpartiallyso,intotheembodiedinformationprocessesofadisciplinehavetheadvantageofhavinglearnedtobecomeapartofacommunityofpractice”(p.334)encapsulateswellthemotivationsofthosewhoadvocatefordiscipline-integratedIL.LeckieandFullerton(1999)concludethatwhilelibrariansshouldconsultandcollaboratewithteachingfaculty,itisultimatelythefacultymember’sresponsibilitytodeliverILthroughtheircoursecontent.InadditiontothesepedagogicalmotivationsforstudentslearningILinthecontextoftheirdiscipline,otherinfluencesincludetheneedtoalignIL

Page 11: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

11

outcomeswiththoseofthediscipline’saccreditingbodies(Kuglitsch,2015)andtheimpracticality/limitedworkforceassociatedwiththeideaoflibrariansteachingstudentsacrossalldisciplines(Johnson-Grauetal,2016).WhilelessintegratedmethodssuchaslibraryoneshotsessionsandembeddedlibrariansCANsuccessfullyteachstudentsthecriticalinformationliteracyconcepts,thisideaofdisciplinefacultyteachingstudentsontheirownplayingfield,seemstohavethepotentialforadeeper,morerelevantexperience.Thereismountingevidencethatsuchadiscipline-integratedapproachtoILcanbesuccessful,howeveranumberofbarrierscanimpedesuchacollaboration.Asindicatedabove,oneobstaclestemsfromthefactthatnotallfacultyareclearontheconceptofinformationliteracyandmaythinkitsimplyinvolvesbasiclibraryskills,orconcernsitselfwithcomputerknowledge(Saunders,2010;Weiner,2012).Thismisunderstandingcannegatethefacultymember’sdesireforILintheirclasses,sincetheybelievethattheirstudentsalreadypossessadequatetechnologyskills.Otherbarriersareassociatedwiththesometimesambiguousnatureofinformationliteracybecauseitcrossesboundariesandisnottiedtoanyoneacademicdiscipline(Weiner,2012).Informationliteracycanbeperceivedbyfacultyasmoreofanadd-on(likenedtoservicelearningoronlinelearning)ratherthanapartofthecurriculum.Facultyarealreadyoverwhelmedwithsimplycoveringtheircoursecontent,andmayresenttheideaofaddingonemorethingtoanalreadycontent-ladencourse(Saunders,2010;Weiner,2012).Somequestionthevalidityofinformationliteracy,citingalackofempiricaldata(Weiner,2012).AnotherbarriertosuccessfulILintegrationacrossdisciplinesisterritorialinnature,andcomesfrombothsidesofthefence.SomecoursefacultyarehesitanttoallowlibrarianstobepresentintheirLMS,ortoaccessanyoftheircontentforpurposesofcollaboration(Farrell&Badke,2015;Johnson-Grauetal,2016).Librariansontheotherhand,maynotwanttoshareInformationliteracywiththeirfacultycounterpartsacrosscampus,becausetheyfeelthatitisexplicitlytheirroletoimpartthisknowledge(Saunders,2010).ThisterritoryimposedinformationliteracytugofwarcandetereffortstointegrateILacrosstheacademiclandscapeofauniversityorcollege.Despitetheseterritorialdisputes,itisclearthatlibrariansalonecannotproductinformationliteratestudents,inadisciplinarycontext.Thesix“coreconcepts”describedintheFrameworkcannotbetaughtinasingleinformationliteracysession.Onlythroughrepeatedexposureandinstructionwillstudentsbeabletograspsuchbroadconceptsanddeveloptherangeofinformationbehaviorsneeded.And,duetotheirlevelofinfluenceonstudentlearning(nottomention,onstudents’grades),classroomfacultyareideallyplacedtohaveamajorimpactonstudents’informationliteracy(Cowan&Eva,2016).Ourproposalthereforecallsforinformationliteracytobeintegratedintothedisciplinesbyincorporatingthe“trainthetrainer”modelwithsignificantcollaborationbetweenlibrariansandsubjectfaculty.

Page 12: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

12

DesiredStudentLearningOutcomesAqualityenhancementplanfocusedoninformationliteracywillformalizeexistingeffortstointegrateconceptsrelatedtoinformation,research,andscholarshipthatarerelevantto21stcenturylearning.Thedesiredlearningoutcomesaddresstheknowledge,skills,anddispositionsthatwouldbeexpectedofNKUstudentswhereinformationliteracyiswovenintotheacademiccurriculum.ThroughtheimplementationofthisQEP,NKUstudentswillbeableto:

● Explainhowinformationiscreated,accessed,disseminated,valued,andusedinavarietyofcontexts

● Criticallyevaluatetheauthority,format,process,purpose,andperspectivebehindinformation● Utilizeinformationeffectivelyandethicallyintheirscholarlyandcreativeendeavors● Reflectonpersonalcharacteristicsandhabitsnecessarytoeffectivelyengagewithinformation,

includingcuriosity,open-mindedness,persistence,andadaptabilityThestudentlearningoutcomesbroadlyaddressconceptualknowledgeaboutinformation,practicalskillsnecessarytonavigateanduseanarrayofinformationtypesandformats,anddispositionalqualitiesthatenhanceone’sdevelopmentasaninformationliterateindividual.TheoutcomesalignwithNKU’sFueltheFlamestrategicplan.Accordingtothestrategicplan,NKUwillcommunicateandassesslearningoutcomes“thatpromoteacademicandcareersuccess.”Learningoutcomesshouldsetrigorousacademicstandardsandstrengthencriticalthinkingacrossthedisciplines.Teachinginformationliteracyconceptswithinthecurriculumisastepforwardinensuringrigorandapracticalwaytodevelopcriticalthinkingasstudentslearntodiscernbetweendifferenttypesofinformation,researchstrategies,andselectappropriateresources.Thestrategicplanalsoemphasizesthedevelopmentofskilledgraduateswhoarepreparedforeducationandexperiencesbeyondtheundergraduateyears.Asnotedelsewhereinthisproposaldevelopinginformationbehaviorsandhabitsisacommonvariableacrossdisciplines.Nomatterastudent’smajor,informationwillplayaroleintheirfuturelives.Finally,thestrategicplanalsohighlightsinstitutionalexcellenceandtheneedforexpandedprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforthefacultyandstaff.Providingin-depthtrainingandeducationaboutinformationliteracywillnotonlyhelpstudentsgaininformationliteracy,butwillalsohelpfacultyandstafftodevelopnewideas,assignments,andclassroomapproachesthatmightnothavebeenpreviouslyconsidered.ActionPlanThiscampus-wideinformationliteracyinitiativewillextendthereachofILandcriticalthinkingacrossthedisciplinesatNKUandprovideaholisticapproachtodisseminatingILconceptsandstrategiestoNKU’sundergraduatestudents.ToensurethatILisintegratedacrossallacademicdisciplines,anIL

Page 13: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

13

ambassadorprogramwillbedeveloped,withtheultimategoaloftrainingaminimumofoneambassadorforeachofNKU’s24academicdepartmentsbytheconclusionoftheQEP.AmbassadorswillberesponsibleforleadingthechargeintheirindividualareastodeployILintotheirdiscipline’scurriculum.Asaresultofthisintegratedapproachacrossacademicprograms,studentswillbemoredeeplyimmersedinILconceptsandultimatelymorepreparedforlifeaftergraduation.TodevelopinformationliteracyambassadorsaSummerInstitutewillbeestablished.Theinstitutewillbelimitedto10-12facultymemberspersummerandthoseselectedwillreceiveastipendorreleasetime.ParticipantsintheSummerInstituteswillobtaintrainingandconsultationsfrominformationliteracyspecialistsfromSteelyLibraryandwillhavetheopportunitytoworkcloselywithfacultycohorts.TheInstitutewilltakeplaceover2weeks,comprisingofinpersonworkshopsandonlinemodules.Bytheendoftheinstitute,participantswillhaveaplanforhowtheywillimplementILintheirclassesandhowtheywillpresentILconceptstotheircolleagues.Planswillbereviewedbyfellowparticipantsandinstitutecoordinators.Coordinatorswillalsocheckinwithparticipantstoofferadviceandguidanceonimplementingtheirplans.Facultymemberswillberequiredtocompleteanapplicationtobeaccepted.ApplicationswillbesenttodepartmentchairsforrecommendationsofpotentialILambassadors.Inordertoreachasmanydepartmentsaspossible,onlyonepersonperdepartmentwillbeselectedtoparticipate.However,inthefirstpilotyear,twopeoplefromthesamedepartmentwillbeselected,representingatotalof5disciplines.ThiswillhelpcreatestrongadvocatesfortheQEPaswellasallowingforadjustmentstothetimelineandactionplanasneeded.ThoseselectedasILambassadorswillberequiredto:

● AttendallSummerInstitutesessions(completeallonlinemodulesandparticipateinon-campusworkshops)

● WriteaproposaldetailingplansforintegratingILcomponentsintotheirdiscipline/department● AgreetoserveasMentorsforthenextcohortofILambassadors● ProvideassessmentofILimplementationplansannually● PresentontheprogressofILimplementationtodepartmentandcampusaudiences

Plansdevelopedbyparticipatingfacultywillmeetatminimumoneofthefollowingcriteria:

● Incorporateaseriesofoneshotsessions(inspecificclasses)● Includeaoneorthreecreditinformationliteracyclass● CreateatailoredILprogramthatisapprovedbyILexperts

Page 14: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

14

Flexibilityisintentional-Junisbai,Lowe,&Tagge(2016)foundthatwhentheyusedanapproachthatwasfaculty-driven,flexible,andpragmatic,therewasasignificantimpactonstudents’ILskills(p.608).Fourlevelsofcollaborationwerenoted:nocollaboration,minimalcollaboration,intermediatecollaboration,andsubstantialcollaboration.Whileoutcomesweregreatestattheintermediateandsubstantialcollaborationlevels,therewerenosignificantdifferencesbetweenthetwolevels,showingthat“itmaynotbenecessaryforfacultytomakelibraryinstructionthecenterpieceoftheircoursesinordertohaveapositiveimpactonthequalityofstudentresearchandoutput”(Junisbaietal,2016,p.608).However,integrationandcollaborationshouldstrivetobeseamless.SullivanandPorter(2016)foundthatifILisfullyintegratedintoacourse,studentsseeitasapartofthewholecourse-notextraworkthatmaynotrequiretheirfullattention(p.37).ItwillalsoberecommendedthatparticipantsadvocatethatILisincludedasalearningoutcomefortheirprograms.However,ILskillsarecontext-dependent,and“thereshouldbediscussionswithindepartmentsregardingthestandardizationofinformationliteracypracticesforeachdiscipline”(Cowan&Eva,2016).ProjectcoordinatorswillworkwitheachparticipanttodevelopanILplanthatreflectstheirdiscipline.ILAmbassadorswillberesponsibleforworkingtointegrateILintotheirdiscipline.WhilefacultymembersmaybehesitanttotaketimetoembedILintothecourses,researchhasshownthatitneednotbeburdensomeonthefacultymembers.Infact,intheexperienceofJunisbaietal(2016)atClaremontCollege,theyfoundthatwhenfacultyandlibrarianspartneredtoteachIL,itdecreasedthefacultymember'sworkload,andstudentresearchwasshowntoimprove(p.609).Additionally,ILcanbeembeddedintoexistingassignmentsthroughthehelpoflibrarians(Najmabadi,2017).ThereareanumberofexamplesofsuccessfulILintegrationsacrosstheacademicdisciplines.Forthisparticularreport,onlyfourhavebeenhighlighted.

PurdueUniversityinIndianahashadmarkedsuccessintheirIMPACTprogram,whichinvolvestheirlibraryfacultyconsultingandcollaboratingwithcoursefacultytocreateandimproveinformationliteracyassignmentsforstudents.Theyprovideresourcesandin-depthconsultationwithfacultyastheyredesigntheircoursestoincludeinformationliteracy.Librarianshelpedprofessors“defineoutcomes,considerpedagogicapproaches,anddevelopassessmenttechniques”(Maybee,2013,p.33)TheIMPACTProgramhasnowbeeninexistencefor5yearsand225courseshavebeenredesigned(Maybee,2013).AtIndianaUniversityBloomington,thelibrarypartneredwithtwodisciplines(GenderStudiesandMolecularBiology)tointegrateinformationliteracyintotheircourses.TheywereawardedasmallgrantfromIU’sScholarshipofTeachingandLearninggroupforimplementation.Thefundsweremostlyusedasincentiveforfacultyparticipation.ThelibrariansspecificallywantedtoworkwithinstructorswhodesiredFULLintegrationofILratherthanjustafewlibrarycomponentsasadd-onstotheircourse.Thestudyinvolvedworkingwithfacultytoidentifystudentneeds,helpingwithsyllabi

Page 15: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

15

revisions,creating/revisingassignments,co-teachingandhelpingwithassessmentefforts.“Theintentionoftheresearcherswastodemonstratethat,whileresearchcompetenciesvaryamongdisciplines,thelibrarian’scontributiontofacilitatingandguidingtheimplementationofinformationliteracyeducationintovariouscoursescanfollowasimilarmodel”(Winterman,Donovan&Slough,2011,p.42).InanupperlevelBiologyclass,thelibrarianandcoursefacultymemberexaminedcoursegoals,andassignments,aresearchproposalassignmentwasdesigned,thelibrarianco-taughtthecourse,andstudentswereassessed(quantitative&qualitative)throughpreandposttesting.Studentsshoweda“markedimprovementintheirabilitiestodevelopasearchstring”,aswellasdemonstratingmoreofagrasponconceptslikeBooleanoperators,truncation,useofkeywords,anddemonstratedknowledgeofsourcesbeyondjustGoogle(scholarlydatabases,andothertypesofdocuments)(Winterman,Donovan&Slough,2011,p.46).IntheGenderstudiesclass,(a300levelclass,thegatewayclassforthemajor)thelibrarianwasembeddedintheLMS,andattendedafewclassmeetingsandprovidedinstructionaboutprimarysources,butmostlyservedintheroleofconsultantincreatingaresearchassignment.Theprofessorindicatedthatthecollaborationhad“definitelyimprovedthecourseallaroundandtheparticularassignmentsandmostofthereadings”(Winterman,Donovan&Slough,2011,p.49).Studentsindicatedknowledgeofkeydatabaseswithintheirfieldand“lotbetterstrategiestofindtherightinformation”andnewfoundappreciationforthedatabasesubscriptionsheldbythelibrary(Winterman,Donovan&Slough,2011,p.49).AftertheirsuccessfulintegrationofILintotwoacademicdisciplines,IndianaUniversityBloomingtonconcluded,“theevidencesuggeststhatthemosteffectiveapproachisatieredmodeltoinformationliteracyeducation,wherebystudentsmeetspecificinformation-relatedlearninggoalsinunisonwiththelearninggoalsofthediscipline”(Winterman,Donovan&Slough,2011,p.52).AtLoyolaMarymountUniversity,theirplaninvolvedintegratingInformationliteracyintocourselevellearningoutcomesfor“3requiredcoursesinacorecurriculum”(Johnson-Grauetal,2016,p.750).ThelibraryfacultycollaboratedandconsultedonacommitteetorefinetheILoutcomesofthesecourses.Forthisintegration,theywerestrivingfora“scalable,sustainableILprogram”(Johnson-Grauetal,2016,p.750).Thelibrariansdesignedathree-tieredInformationliteracyprogramthatalignedwiththeILgoalsfortheUniversityCoreCurriculum.Thissequentialprogramtointegrateinformationliteracyconsistedof3parts:firstyear-onlinetutorialsfromthelibrary,secondyearin-personlibraryinstruction,andthirdyear-flaggedcoursesfromdisciplines(identifiedthroughcoursemapping).Theonlinetutorialsfocusedonevaluation,usingthelibrarycatalog,anddatabases,whilethein-personinstructioninvolvedeffectiveresearchstrategiesandcollecting,evaluating,interpreting,andcitingsourcesinpapers,andknowingthedifferencebetweeninformationsourcesandhowtheydifferamongdisciplines.ILfortheflaggedcoursesfocusedonselectingevidenceforatopic,usingdiscipline-specificresources,andknowingthedifferencebetweeninformationsourcesandhowtheydifferamongdisciplines.Note:TheirflaggedcoursesaredesignatedbyLoyolaas“requiredtoassign10%or

Page 16: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

16

moreofthecoursegradebasedonassessedinformationliteracy”(Johnson-Grauetal,2016,p.753).Asofwritingoftheirarticle,81courseswereflaggedasILcourses.LMU'sinformationliteracyprogramhasreceivedmultipleawardsandcommendations.Perhapsmostnotably,IthasbeenrecognizedasanExemplaryProgrambytheAssociationforCollege&ResearchLibraries“thecombinationofUniversity-leveladoptionofinformationliteracyintothecorecurriculumandthelibrarian-createdscaffoldedapproachofintroducing,reinforcing,andenhancinginformationliteracyoutcomesmakes[LMU]amodelprogram”(Johnson-Grauetal,2016,p.755).AttheCityUniversityofNewYork(CUNY),thelibrarianspilotedanewmodelofinformationliteracyintegrationwiththreeSociologyinstructors.AtCUNY,theytookaverydifferentapproachtoforplacingILinthedisciplines--anindirectmodel,an“insideoutmodel”thathadcoursefaculty(ratherthanlibrarians)drivingthecontent.Librariansconductedfocusgroupswiththefacultymembers,andhadlibrariansservingaspeereducatorsforthisexperience.TheydidnotusethetypicalILframeworksorstandardsthatareutilizedbymanylibrariesastheirfoundationfortheintegrationbutinsteadusedthecoursefacultyastheirexperts.Throughthefocusgroups,theydevelopedspecificmatricesbasedonwhatfacultysaidabout“howtheyhopetheirgraduateswillbehavewhencopingwithorworkingwithincomplexinformationlandscapes”inorderto“fillinthematriceswiththekindsofskills,fluenciesandhabitsofmindthatpaintapictureoftheinformationliteratestudentwithinthediscipline”(Farrell&Badke,2015,p.327).Thelibrariansassertedthat“Theshifttowardco-designingmodularassignmentsscaffoldedacrosscoursesisapromisingdeparture”(Farrell&Badke,2015,p.333)frompastmodesofinstructionandtheysharedthattheyhadcreated“over150discipline-specificlearningoutcomesthathavenowbeendefinedandare,inanimportantsense,“owned”byourcollege’sSociologydepartment”asaresultofthisintegrationpilot(Farrell&Badke,2015,p.332).Thefourhighlightedinstitutionslearnedfromresearchofthefield,whichlaudedthebenefitsofanintegratedmodelofinformationliteracyacrosstheacademicdisciplines,andthereforeemployedsomeuniquestrategiesthatweretailoredtotheirinstitutions.Allfourprogramsnotedconsiderablebenefitstotheacademicdisciplines,whowereabletohavesubjectspecialiststeachingILconceptswovenintotheircurriculumsthatprovidedauthentic,relevantexperiencesfortheirstudentsattheirtimeofneed.ThelibrarianswereabletoforgedeepercollaborationswithcoursefacultyandgreatlyextendthereachofinformationliteracyeducationacrosstheircampusbecauseofthecourseintegratedILprograms.Inadditiontothestudentsuccessesidentifiedatthehighlightedinstitutions,therewasalsoevidenceofothersecondarysuccess,whichwasperhapsunexpected.Courseinstructorsweregivennewteachingideas(Winterman,Donovan&Slough,2011),courseinstructorslearnedmoreaboutinformationliteracy(Gilman,Sagàs,Camper&Norton,2017),teachingassistantsfacilitatingtheclassesshowedmarkedimprovementintheirownresearchskills(Gilmanetal,2017),andlibrarianslearnedfromthecourseinstructorsaboutpedagogyandcurriculumintheirdisciplineswhichinturnhelpedthelibrarianstoimprovetheirlibraryassignmentsandtutorials.

Page 17: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

17

OutlineforImplementationUpontheadoptionoftheQEPbytheuniversityinFall2017,theproposerswillserveasorwillchoosetwocoordinatorstoimplementtheplan.ThesecoordinatorsmeetwithQEPchairtolearnmoreabouttheQEPprocessanditsrelationshiptoSACSaccreditation.Thecoordinatorswillthoroughlyresearchtheirtopic,identifyingkeytextsandconceptsaswellasbestpracticesforteaching.Theywillusethisknowledgetodevelopcurriculumandpedagogyrelatedtotheirtopic,toorganizeandleadprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforparticipatingfacultyandstaff,andtolocateaconsultantorspeakertovisitcampus.Theprofessionaldevelopment(PD)forfacultyandstaffwillincludeanintensivesummerinstituteoncontent,aseriesofregularmeetingsormini-workshops,webinars,onlineclasses,oracombinationofthesestrategies.Inaddition,PDcouldincludesyllabusbuilding,assignmentscaffolding,andassessmentstrategies.Participatingfacultyandstaffwillthenimplementnewcurriculumandpedagogyintoone(ormore)coursesduringtheFall2018pilotsemester.Inaddition,eachwillperformanassessmentoftheirindividualclassesaccordingtotheestablishedassessmentplan.ParticipantswillagreetoserveasQEPliaisons,sharingtheirknowledgewiththeirdepartmentsandprogramsandsupportingfutureparticipantsintheprogram.Assessment&EvaluationInordertoassesstheoveralleffectivenessoftheQEP,theprojectcoordinator(s)willberesponsiblefordevelopinganassessmentplanincludingbothquantitativeandqualitativemeasures,whichcouldinclude:

1. Pre-Test/Post-Testforfacultyambassadors,tobecompletedbeforeandaftertheSummerInstitute

2. CollectionandanalysisofallassessmentdatagatheredbyILambassadorsatthedisciplinelevelAtthedisciplinelevel,informationliteracyambassadorswillberesponsibleforworkingwithinformationliteracyspecialistsfromSteelyandthefacultyintheirdepartmentstodevelopaplantoassessinformationliteracywithinthediscipline.AmbassadorswillreceivetrainingonmethodsforassessinginformationliteracyaspartoftheSummerInstitute.Atthislevel,assessmentcouldincludebothquantitativeandqualitativemeasure,suchas:

1. InformationLiteracyPre-Test/Post-Test,administeredtoallstudentswithinthemajoratpredeterminedpointsinthecurriculum

2. ArtifactCollectionandReview,inwhichstudentresearchpapersarecollectedandassessedbasedonasetILrubricinordertodeterminewhethertheworkismeetingtheILoutcomes

3. Surveys,FocusGroups,orInterviewswithstudentsandfacultymembersinthediscipline

Page 18: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

18

4. Collectionofperformanceassessmentssuchasresearchlogs,reflectivewriting,selforpeerevaluations,researchdraftsorpapers,open-endedquestionresponses,bibliographies,presentations,posters,performances,portfolios,worksheetsandconceptmaps,analyzedformativelyorsummatively(Oakleaf,2014)

5. ILambassadorsdevelopdisciplinespecificILassessmentswithapprovalfromILexperts(ifadepartmentalreadyhaspre-/post-test,theycanaddILtoit)(wewillprovideatemplate)

6. ComparecapstoneprojectsofstudentswhogetILwiththosefrompreviousyearswithnoILinstruction

ConclusionThroughouttheIgnitingtheInformationLiteracyFlameQEPproposal,thevitalimportanceofacampus-wideinformationliteracyprogramforNorthernKentuckyUniversityiswellarticulatedthroughempiricaldatafromnationalreports,scholarlyliterature,andqualitativeandquantitativedatafromNKU.Informationliteracyisacrucialcomponentintoday’sdigitalagethatwillhavealastingimpactonNKUstudentsastheycompletetheirundergraduateeducationandpursueadvanceddegreesandcareers.SteelyLibrary’seffortsovertheyearstocollaboratewithacademicdisciplinesandteachstudentsinformationliteracyconceptshavebeenfruitful.However,theseeffortshavehadlimitedreachsincesofewSteelyfacultymembersarededicatedtothisinstruction.PreliminaryinternalassessmentsfromSteelyLibraryindicatethatstudentswhoweretaughtinformationliteracyconceptshaveshownmarkedimprovementinseveralareasrelatedtoresearchintheirdisciplines.Studentsdemonstratedincreasedawarenessofscholarlydatabasesintheirfieldofstudy,howtodeterminemajorfindingswithinascholarlyjournal,andtheimportanceofaliteratureinterview,amongotherskills.However,somedeficienciesremain,duetothelimitationsimposedbylearningtheseconceptssolelyfromone-shotlibrarysessions.Additionally,studentswhohavetakenthe3-creditcourse,LIN175:InformationLiteracyhavedemonstratedanumberofincreasedinformationliteracycompetenciesattheconclusionofthecourse.Unfortunately,thestudentswhohavebeenexposedtothesevitalinformationliteracyconcepts(throughthe3-creditcourseorlibraryinstruction)areactuallyintheminority.Regrettably,thedatafromNKUInstitutionalResearchdocumentsthat75%ofcurrentNKUstudentshaveexperiencednoformalinformationliteracyinstruction.Additionally,withtheexceptionofLibraryInformatics,noacademicdisciplineatNKUcurrentlyhasaprogrammaticinformationliteracyoutcome.TheseindicatorsilluminatethatagreatnumberofNKU’sstudentscouldbegraduatingwithnotabledeficiencies.AninformationliteracyfocusedQEPinvolvingmultipleacademicdisciplinescancertainlyremedymanyoftheseissuesatNKU,providingamoreconsistentframeworkofinformationliteracyeducationforagreaternumberofthestudentpopulation.TheSummerInstituteforfacultyambassadorswillallowSteelyLibrarytoutilizea“trainthetrainer”modeltoincorporateinformationliteracyacrossNKU’scurriculum.ThisintentionalintegratedapproachofprofessionaldevelopmentandtrainingwillgreatlyextendthereachofinformationliteracyacrossNKU’scampus.Byempoweringdepartmentstoconstructcustomizedinformationliteracycomponentsintotheircurriculums(ineitherlargeorsmallways),studentswillbebetterequippedtoconfrontdiscipline-specificresearch.Thisdeeper,holistic

Page 19: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

19

integrationwilldramaticallyincreasethedepthandbreadthofinformationliteracyeducationatNKUandcansignificantlyimpactstudentsuccessandretentionofNKU’sstudents,thusfuelingtheirfireforinformed,educatedlifelonglearning.Resources

● PersonnelThisprojectwillrequire2facultymemberstocoordinatetheprojectandtodevelopthecurriculumfortheSummerInstitute.DividingtheworkamongtwofacultymembersensurethatnoonepersonmustbeartheweightoftheQEPandthatknowledgeisnotlostifonepersonmovesintoadifferentroleoncampus.Thesepositionscouldbenewhiresorcouldbefilledthroughreleasetimeorreassignmentofexistingfacultymembers.Inaddition,anadministrativeassistantwilllikelybeneededtoprovidesupporttotheprojectleader(s).Thispositioncouldbeanewhireorreassignmentofanexistingstaffmember.Thecoordinatorswillchoose10-12membersoffacultyandstaffeachyeartoparticipateinprofessionaldevelopmentandeducationrelatedtoILandimplementingILintheirdiscipline.Eachparticipantwouldreceiveasinglecoursereleaseduringtheyeartheyparticipatetodevelopand/orrevisetheirowncurriculumandpedagogyinkeepingwiththegoalsoftheQEP.Theywillalsoserveasambassadorstotheirdepartment,leadingthedevelopmentofILwithintheirdiscipline.ThereisapossibilityofbringingaspeakertocampustodiscusstheimportanceofILtotheuniversitycommunity.

● PhysicalResourcesForthesummerinstitute,coordinatorswouldrequireuseofaclassroom,likelyroom300inSteelyLibrary.ACanvascourseshellwouldalsobenecessaryinordertodeployonlinematerials.SpaceforarepositoryofILmaterialsmayberequired.

● FinancialResourcesTheprojectwillrequirefundingtoprovidestipends/coursereleasetofacultymemberswhoareselectedtoparticipateintheambassadorprogram,aswellasfundingforanadministrativeassistant.AdditionalfundingwillbeneededtodeveloporpurchaseresourcesfortheSummerInstitute,whichcouldincludesoftware,books,andprinting.Coordinatorsmaywishtobringaspeakertocampus,whichwouldalsorequirefunding.TimelineFall2017

● SelectionofafinalprojectbytheQEPcommittee● Announcementand“marketing”ofQEPacrosscampus● ProposersandtheQEPchairselectprojectcoordinators/co-directors● Createanassessmentplan,includingbaselinesmeasures

Page 20: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

20

● CoordinatorsworkwithQEPchairtofurtherdevelopanimplementationplan● Researchandreviewrelevantliteraturerelatedtothetopic● PlanPDforparticipants

Spring2018● Draftaprojectliteraturereview● Developprojectcurriculum● Createacallforandselectfacultyandstaffparticipants● Introduceparticipantstoproject● Reviewandrefineassessmentplan

Summer2018● Finalizeliteraturereview● Completeinitialprojectcurriculum● Holdsummerworkshopforparticipantstodevelopcurriculum

Fall2018● Pilotprojectsincourses● Checkinwithparticipants

Spring2019● Reviewparticipantprojects● Collectandanalyzedata● Reviewandrefineassessmentplan● Projectsharingandtravel● Createacallforandselectfacultyandstaffparticipantsforthefollowingyear● Eventfornew,current,andpastparticipants● Introducenewparticipantstoproject

Summer2019● Holdsummerworkshopforparticipantstodevelopcurriculum● Pastparticipantsserveasmentorstonewparticipants

Fall2019● ParticipantsintegrateILintocourses● Checkinwithparticipants

Spring2020● Reviewparticipantprojects● Collectandanalyzedata● Projectsharingandtravel● Createacallforandselectfacultyandstaffparticipantsforthefollowingyear● Eventfornew,current,andpastparticipants● Introducenewparticipantstoproject

Page 21: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

21

Summer2020● Holdsummerworkshopforparticipantstodevelopcurriculum● Pastparticipantsserveasmentorstonewparticipants

Fall2020● Reviewparticipantprojects● Collectandanalyzedata● Eventforallparticipants

Spring2021-Spring2023● Continuetoworkwithparticipants● Assessment

ReferencesandBibliographyAmericanLibraryAssociation.(1989).Presidentialcommitteeoninformationliteracy:Finalreport.

Retrievedfromhttp://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidentialAssociationofAmericanCollegesandUniversities.(2007).Collegelearningforthenewglobalcentury. Retrievedfromhttps://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/GlobalCentury_final.pdfAssociationofCollegeandResearchLibraries.(2016).Frameworkforinformationliteracyforhigher

education.Retrievedfromhttp://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/Framework_ILHE.pdf

AssociationofCollegeandResearchLibraries.(2000).Informationliteracycompetencystandardsforhighereducation.Retrievedfrom:https://alair.ala.org/handle/11213/7668

Brake,A.L.(2016).BuildingontheresultsofaQualityEnhancementPlan[QEP]oninformationliteracy.

[PowerPointSlides].Retrievedfromhttp://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/administration/institutional_research/planning_assessment/2016_Brake_Buildingon%20QEP%20Results.pdf

Brasley,S.S.(2008).Effectivelibrariananddisciplinefacultycollaborationmodelsforintegrating

informationliteracyintothefabricofanacademicinstitution.NewDirectionsforTeaching&Learning,2008(114),71–88.https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.318

Cowan,S.M.(2014).Informationliteracy:Thebattlewewonthatwelost?portal:Librariesandthe Academy,14(1),23-32.

Cowan,S.,&Eva,N.(2016).Changingouraim:Infiltratingfacultywithinformationliteracy.

CommunicationsinInformationLiteracy,10(2),163–177.

Page 22: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

22

Farrell,R.,&Badke,W.(2015).Situatinginformationliteracyinthedisciplines:Apracticalandsystematicapproachforacademiclibrarians.ReferenceServicesReview,43(2),319–340.https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-11-2014-0052

Gilman,N.V.,Sagàs,J.,Camper,M.,&Norton,A.P.(2017).Afaculty–librariancollaborationsuccessstory:

Implementingateach-the-teacherlibraryandinformationliteracyinstructionmodelinafirst-yearagriculturalsciencecourse.LibraryTrends,65(3),339-358.

Grafstein,A.(2002).Adiscipline-basedapproachtoinformationliteracy.JournalofAcademic

Librarianship,28(4),197.Harris,B.R.(2013).Subversiveinfusions:Strategiesfortheintegrationofinformationliteracyacross

thecurriculum.TheJournalofAcademicLibrarianship,39(2),175–180.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2012.10.003

Head,A.J.(2012).Learningcurve:Howcollegegraduatessolveinformationproblemsoncetheyjointhe workplace.Retrievedfromhttp://www.projectinfolit.org/Head,A.J.(2016).Stayingsmart:Howtoday’sgraduatescontinuetolearnoncetheycompletecollege. Retrievedfromhttp://www.projectinfolit.org/Head,A.J.&Eisenberg,M.B.(2009).Lessonslearned:Howcollegestudentsseekinformationinthe

digitalage.Retrievedfromhttp://www.projectinfolit.org/Jamieson,S.(2013).Whatstudents'useofsourcesrevealsaboutadvancedwritingskills.Acrossthe

Disciplines,10(4).Retrievedfromhttp://wac.colostate.edu/atd/reading/jamieson.cfmJohnson-Grau,G.,Archambault,S.G.,Acosta,E.S.,&McLean,L.(2016).Patience,persistence,and

process:Embeddingacampus-wideinformationliteracyprogramacrossthecurriculum.TheJournalofAcademicLibrarianship,42(6),750–756.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2016.10.013

Jumonville,A.(2014).Theroleoffacultyautonomyinacourse-integratedinformationliteracyprogram. ReferenceServicesReview,42(4),536-551.Junisbai,B.,Lowe,M.S.,&Tagge,N.(2016).Apragmaticandflexibleapproachtoinformation

literacy:Findingsfromathree-yearstudyoffaculty-librariancollaboration.TheJournalofAcademicLibrarianship,42(5),604–611.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2016.07.001

Page 23: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

23

Kolowich,S.(2011,August22).Whatstudentsdon’tknow.InsideHigherEd.Retrievedfrom

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/08/22/erial_study_of_student_research_habits_at_illinois_university_libraries_reveals_alarmingly_poor_information_literacy_and_skills

Kuglitsch,R.Z.(2015).Teachingfortransfer:Reconcilingtheframeworkwithdisciplinaryinformation

literacy.portal:LibrariesandtheAcademy,15(3),457–470.https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2015.0040

Leckie,G.J.,&Fullerton,A.(1999).Informationliteracyinscienceandengineeringundergraduateeducation:

Facultyattitudesandpedagogicalpractices.College&ResearchLibraries,60(1),9-29.Maybee,C.,Doan,T.,&Riehle,C.F.(2013).MakinganIMPACT.College&ResearchLibrariesNews,

74(1),32–35.Middendorf,J.,&Pace,D.(2004).Decodingthedisciplines:Amodelforhelpingstudentslearn disciplinarywaysofthinking.NewDirectionsforTeachingandLearning,2004(98),1–12.MiddleStatesCommissiononHigherEducation(2015).Standardsforaccreditationand

requirementsofaffiliation(13thed.).Retrievedfromhttp://www.msche.org/publications/RevisedStandardsFINAL.pdf

Najmabadi,S.(2017,Feb26).Howonecollegeputinformationliteracyintoitscurriculum.TheChronicleofHigherEducation.Retrievedfromhttp://www.chronicle.com.proxy1.nku.edu/article/How-One-College-Put/239293.

NorthernKentuckyUniversity(2013).Fueltheflame:The2013-18strategicplanforNorthernKentuckyUniversity.Retrievedfromhttp://fueltheflame.nku.edu/stratplan.pdf

Oakleaf,M.(2014).Aroadmapforassessingstudentlearningusingthenewframeworkforinformationliteracyforhighereducation.JournalOfAcademicLibrarianship,40(5),510-514.doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2014.08.001

Oakleaf,M.,Millet,M.S.,&Kraus,L.(2011).Alltogethernow:Gettingfaculty,administrators,andstaff engagedininformationliteracyassessment.portal:LibrariesandtheAcademy,11(3),831–852.PurdueUniversity.(2016,Oct31).IMPACT:InstructionMatters:PurdueAcademicCourseTransformation.

Page 24: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

24

Retrievedfromhttp://www.purdue.edu/impact/assets/documents/IMPACT%20annual%20report%202016.pdf

Saunders,L.(2007).Regionalaccreditationorganizations’treatmentofinformationliteracy:

Definitions,collaboration,andassessment.TheJournalofAcademicLibrarianship,33(3),317–326.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2007.01.009

Saunders,L.(2012).Facultyperspectivesoninformationliteracyasastudentlearningoutcome.The JournalofAcademicLibrarianship,38(4),226–236.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2012.06.001Saunders,L.(2010).Informationliteracyasastudentlearningoutcome:Asviewedfromtheperspective

ofinstitutionalaccreditation.SimmonsCollege.Retrievedfromhttp://search.proquest.com/openview/b93d07447bebfed53436da6ca168305f/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Smith,P.A.(2016).Integrateandassess:Informationliteracyasqualityenhancementofundergraduate curriculum.CommunicationsinInformationLiteracy,10(2),214–244.SouthernAssociationofCollegesandSchoolsCommissiononColleges.(2017).Qualityenhancement plans:Listsandsummariessince2004.Retrievedfromhttp://sacscoc.org/QEPSummaries.aspStanfordHistoryEducationGroup.(2016).Evaluatinginformation:Thecornerstoneofcivicreasoning.

Retrievedfromhttps://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/V3LessonPlans/Executive%20Summary%2011.21.16.pdf.

Sullivan,B.,&Porter,K.(2016).Fromone-shotsessionstoembeddedlibrarian.College&

ResearchLibrariesNews,77(1),34-37.

Watkins,A.,&Morrison,K.(2015).Canonlylibrariansdolibraryinstruction?Collaboratingwithgraduatestudentstoteachdiscipline-specificinformationliteracy.TheJournalofCreativeLibraryPractice

Weiner,S.A.(2012).Institutionalizinginformationliteracy.TheJournalofAcademicLibrarianship,38(5), 287–293.Winterman,B.,Donovan,C.,&Slough,R.(2011).Informationliteracyformultipledisciplines.CommunicationsIn InformationLiteracy,5(1),38-54.

Page 25: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

25

Witek,D.(2016).Thepast,present,andpromiseofinformationliteracy.PhiKappaPhiForum,96(3),22–25.

AppendixA:SteelyLibraryInformationLiteracyOutcomes

FoundationalOutcomesIunderstand…

● Informationsystemsareorganized● Allinformationsourcesdisplayaparticularperspectiveorpointofview● Thepurposeofacademicresearchistonotonlylearnnewinformation,buttosolveproblems,

answerquestions,and/orpotentiallygeneratenewideas● Whatascholarisandhowscholarsactasinformationcreators● Thedifferencesbetweensearchingadatabaseandsearchingtheinternet● Theimportanceofcitingsourcesinmyworkandwhatconstitutesplagiarism(asitisdefinedby

NKU’sstudentcodeofconduct)Ican...

● Definedifferenttypesofauthority,suchasprofessionalstatus,subjectexpertise,socialposition,orspecialexperience

● Recognizevarioustypesofsourcesbasedondistinguishingcharacteristics● Matchmyinformationneedtotheappropriatelevelofauthority,sourcetype,andresearch

toolindifferentcontexts● Conductbackgroundresearchandbrainstormingtofocusatopic,developkeywords,and

generateanappropriateresearchquestion● Definetermsconnectedtothescholarlyresearchandcommunicationprocess,suchas“peer-

review”and“scholarlyjournal”● Evaluatesourcesbyconsideringauthority,typeofpublication,creationprocess,purpose,and

pointofview● UseadvancedsearchtechniquestomakeInternetsearchingmoreefficient● Conductasearchinagenerallibrarydatabaseusingmultiplesearchboxesandavailable

limiterstolocaterelevantinformationsources● Identifyreasonswhyaninitialsearchmaynotbesuccessfulandreviseappropriately

Ivalue...● Thecontributionsthatmultipleperspectivesprovidetomyresearch● Theassistancethatotherscanprovideaspartofmyresearchprocess● Theroleofthelibraryasacontributortomyacademicsuccess

Page 26: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

26

Advanced(Discipline-Specific)OutcomesIunderstand…

● Informationmaybefreeorproprietaryandnotallindividuals/groupshavethesamelevelofaccess

● Theethicalresponsibilitieswithinmyfieldtoseekoutauthoritativeinformationandthepossibleprofessionalconsequencesofrelyingonnon-authoritativeinformation

● Theneedforattributiontolendcredibilitytomywork,facilitatethescholarlyconversation,andextendknowledgeinthefield

● Howtheactofsearching,includingmistakesorserendipity,caninfluenceandpotentiallychangethedirectionofresearch

● Thenecessityofusingofmultipleresourcesandsearchsystemswhenconductingresearch● Thepurposeofaliteraturereviewistonotonlyexpandmyknowledge,butalsotobuildon

previousknowledgeinmydisciplineIcan...

● Determinewhatmakesasourceauthoritativewithinaparticulardiscipline● Distinguishbetweendifferenttypesofscholarlyarticles● Criticallyevaluatesourcestoidentifyinformationgaps,contributionstothetopic,and

suggestionsforfutureresearch● Recognizesituationsinwhichnon-academicsourcesorinformationpostedininformalvenues

contributetothescholarlyconversationinmydiscipline● Identifyandusegeneralanddiscipline-specificsearchsystemsbasedoninformationneed● Usedatabasethesauriandcontrolledvocabularytorefineandfocussearches● Developasystemfororganizingandmanagingcitationsandotherresourcesrelatedtoresearch

interests● Tracecitationsinordertofollowtheconversation,identifyadditionalsources,andreveal

changesinperspectiveovertime● Summarizemajorconclusionsorfindingsinscholarlysources

Ivalue...● Thecontributionthatworksoutsideofmydisciplinemaymaketomyresearch● Persistenceandflexibilityasattributesofexperiencedresearchers● Theimportanceofusinginformationtoguideconclusions● Myabilitytocontributetotheacademicconversationatanappropriatelevel

Page 27: Igniting the Information Literacy Flame --FINAL the...Igniting the Information Literacy Flame Current Campus Environment and Fit to Place Northern Kentucky University prides itself

27