”A “Lightning Round Session” & “Pep Talk

Florida Library Association Annual ConferenceMarch 2, 2016

Daytona Beach, FL

Transform Lives “Information Literacy Champions”…

Presented by: DeVry University South Florida & DeVry Online

• Dr. Mary HowreyDirector of Library ServicesDeVry University South Florida, Miramar, FLE-mail: mhowrey@devry.eduPhone: 954-499-9851Linked In Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-howrey-8740027Blog: http://readdevry.blogspot.comDeVry South Florida Website: http://www.mir.devry.edu/academics_library.htmlDeVry University National Library Services Website: http://library.devry.edu

• Dr. Sarah NielsenAssociate Professor, English, College of Liberal Arts & SciencesDeVry Online, Downers Grove, ILE-mail: snielsen@devry.eduPhone: 954-499-9860Linked In Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsnielsenCo-Editor, DeVry Journal of Scholarly ResearchWebsite URL: http://newsroom.devry.edu/scholarly-research/

“Our DeVry U Information Literacy Mantra”--Librarians with a “ZEST ” 4 Life-Long Learning

• Information literacy is the core of librarianship.

• Reading, life-long learning, research, problem-solving and critical thinking are what we facilitate best for our clients!

• The Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) adopted the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education in February 2015.

• This presentation provides a practical “How-to” for Florida librarians in all types of libraries—school, public, academic, special, corporate & medical.

• Information literacy is the foundation for 21st century workplace skills.

Reflections on…ACRL’s “Framework for Information Literacy”

• Information literacy, as defined by ACRL, consists of six threshold concepts.

• These concepts are a way of thinking, knowing, doing and feeling as individuals encounter problems in their daily lives and seek resolution to these problems.

• The threshold concepts imply that learning and scholarship occur in a larger community of learners. These concepts apply to one’s K-12 school, college or university setting, professional networks, workplace and/or voluntary associations.

• Examples of networks that illustrate the threshold concept, “Scholarship as conversation” are-- Researchgate.net, LinkedIn, Listservs, the Florida Library Association’s Annual Conference, User Groups.

The Six ACRL Threshold Concepts “in Action”…@ DeVry University/Keller Graduate School of Management

• Faculty and librarians developed a six-week online courseat using the Pearson eCollege® platform.

• Course development ran from June 2013 – April 2015.

• Librarians were supported by two faculty—(1) one of our Computer Information Systems(CIS) Professors (also our eCollege® Champion) and (2) our Senior Professor of Psychology.

• An “Information Literacy Champions” pilot course ran in April – June 2015 university-wide with an initial enrollment of 21 faculty & librarians / At the end of the course, there were 6 Faculty & Librarians Champions who certified.

Components & Timeline of the eCollege® CourseComponents Timeline Learning Outcomes or Product

Course Curriculum Guide June 2013 – September 2014 Terminal Course Objectives and Learning Activities with Readings Outlined Weekly with Course Requirements (such as APA Style).

eCollege® Course Shell September 2014 to present Six weekly modules with Learning Objectives, Activities and Threaded Discussions, Pretest of Information Literacy Knowledge and Classroom Practices/ Project management model and methodology to research adopted.

Webliography with Resources September 2014 to present Included meta-literacy theory and a variety of information literacymodels, websites, and selected readings for required course assignments plus enrichment.

Weekly Announcements & E-mail gateway April 2015 – June 2015 (when pilot course operated)

Faculty & librarian course-takers informed about weekly requirements through a bulletin board and e-mail announcements.

Dropbox April 2015 – June 2015 (when pilot course operated)

Weekly assignments submitted for grading based on the 1,000 point system.

Gradebook April 2015 – June 2015 (when pilot course operated)

Each week’s assignments including threaded discussions are assigned points/ Course-takers and instructors view points earned/ The Final Project and Presentation valued at 600 points/ Course Final Pass/Fail Level set at-- 80% or 800 points.

Webinars using Adobe Connect (2) Week 1 and Week 6 of online course Each of the two webinars are two hours in length/ Week 1: An Introduction to the Course and Learning Teams/ Week 6: Final Project Reports and Presentations Due (any format—PPTX, website, video).

Final Information Literacy Learning Project Reports & Presentations

Week 6 5-Page Paper Due plus Presentations via Adobe Connect Webinar (two hours total for the Final webinar with each course-taker presenting 20 minutes at the Final Week 6 webinar).

ACRL Threshold Concepts Introduced Weekly in the

“Information Literacy Champions” eCollege® Course

•Research as inquiry (Week 1)

• Searching as strategic exploration (Week 2)

• Information has value (Week 3)

•Authority is constructed and contextual (Week 4)

• Scholarship as conversation (Week 5)

• Information creation as a process (Week 6)

Week One: Research as inquiry

Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.

Learners who are developing their information literate abilities—

Investigate database features found in the DeVry University/Keller Graduate School of Management licensed database service, EBSCOhost--(a) by conducting Boolean searches in EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete database, and (b) by setting up a “MyEBSCOhost” account across all of the licensed EBSCOhost databases

Complete the Information Literacy Survey Pre-test (20 points)

Participate in two threaded discussions for the week—

(a) “What information literacy skills/concepts do you think will benefit your students?” (40 points)

(b) Information Literacy and Future Careers (40 points) “As librarians and educators, how can we better prepare students with the skills needed for workplace success after college graduation?”

Week Two: Searching as strategic exploration

Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a broad range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding is developed.

“Information Literacy Champions” Program

Search Strategy/Research Project Plan Team_________________ Date__________

What Do I Need to Know?

Which Keywords?

Potential Problem?

Problem Solution

Which Database or Source Alterna-

tives?When due?

Who? Name of

Team Member

Assign Priority # to Topic

Week Three: Information has value

Information possesses several dimensions of value--as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world. Legal and socioeconomic interests influence information production and dissemination.

“EBSCO Journal Alerts Feature” Discussion (40 pts.)Explain the advantages of this type of current awareness service for continuing professional development. What problems or barriers can you see in using this tool? How can it be made more popular and useful to our students?

“What are Core Resources in Your Teaching Field?” Discussion (40 pts.)To keep current in your major teaching field, faculty often subscribe to journals through their professional associations such as IEEE, ACM, APA, SHRM, PMI, ACRL, MLA.

Identify how you utilize the EBSCOhost Journal Alerts feature to stay current in your teaching field(s).

Explain the advantages and limitations of current awareness services (such as Inside Higher Education, Chronicle of Higher Education, Academic Impressions, TedTalks) for continuing professional development.

How might you use other DeVry Library resources and databases to update your academic knowledge?

Please share examples of new knowledge or insights gained.

Week 4: Authority is constructed and contextual

Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information

need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may

recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of

authority required.

Investigate ERIC resources on one of these two topics: (1) information literacy/library research or (2) career development.Evaluate how “Best Practices” in your teaching field are supported with the ERIC full-text documents (ED)and ERIC journal articles (EJ) retrieved on your topic of choice. What do the experts in the field say about effective information literacy practices, library research and/or career development coaching?

ERIC Results on Information Literacy or Career Development (40 pts.) (Submit via the Dropbox)

Streaming Resources in My Teaching Field (Discussion) (40 pts.)Explain how TED, found at http://www.ted.com, is able to build a community of learners and “construct knowledge” via its website.

ERIC as an Open Web Database (Discussion) (40 pts.)Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) has been indexing journals and research reports for over 50 years.Visit the open ERIC website at http://www.eric.ed.gov to locate articles.In your opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this open web database for locating resources in higher education?

Week 5: Scholarship as conversation

Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries

occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations.

1. Streaming Resources in My Teaching Field: A Learning Activity (50 points) (Submit via the Dropbox)Locate three instructional videos or podcasts in your teaching field that support information literacy competencies or threshold concepts in classes you teach for DeVry University or Keller Graduate School of Management.

Submit a one page Word (.docx) paper (of 250 words or less) via the Week 5 Dropbox.

In the paper you prepare, identify: (1) the process you employed to locate these instructional videos or podcasts, (2) the criteria you used to evaluate the authority of these resources, and (3) how your students’ information literacy skills and/orcritical thinking are enhanced by interacting with these instructional resources. Be sure to cite and reference these three instructional resources using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition (2010).

2. Streaming Resources in My Teaching Field (70 pts.) (Submit via the Dropbox)Discussion (40 pts.)View the TEDX video on “How to use experts—and when not to.” (17:00 min.) (Release Date: 2010). Discuss the importance of exchanging ideas with “experts” for enhancing knowledge in one’s academic field or practice area.http://www.ted.com/search?q=how+to+use+experts

Week 6: Information creation as a process, or “Adult Learning Projects” **Taken from: Tough, 1971**

Final Information Literacy Project were clearly delineated. (Papers with a 5-page limit/APA References)Consult this classic e-book on the methodology of “learning projects”-- Allen Tough (1971), The Adult’s Learning Projects, found at-- http://ieti.org/tough/books/alp.htm.

“Freedom of Topic Choice for Adult Learners” produced a broad range of Final Information Literacy Project Topics & Presentation Media during Week 6 of the DeVry University eCollege® course.(Examples: Annotated Bibliography of Educational Research Resources; Website for Evaluating Web Resources; SkillSoft® Tutorial; Use of Smart Boards in K-12 Classrooms & Implications for University Teaching; Higher Education Costs; Embedded Librarians) (Media Selected--PPTX, website, video production for the Week 6 “Information Literacy Champions” presentations (June 2015).

Unanticipated Course Outcome--Individual Learning Projects Resulted in the eCollege® course rather than the Team Projects expected.

Unanticipated Course Outcome--6 Certified Information Literacy Champions compared to the 21 course-takers at the start of the eCollege® course.

Three DeVry Online faculty, one DeVry University campus-based faculty member, and two librarians affiliated with DeVry University and the Chamberlain College of Nursing certified as “Information Literacy Champions” in June 2015.

Recorded Adobe Connect Final Project Presentations from the “Information Literacy Champions” pilot program are found online at— https://dvg.adobeconnect.com/pzutdw4ag2/.

DeVry University’s eCollege® Course Outcomes & Publication Prospects

An article about our DeVry University pilot course experience was published in the ALA Learning Roundtable’s Learning Exchange Newsletter, December 2015--http://www.ala.org/learnrt/newsletter.

A forthcoming article appears in Florida Libraries, Spring 2016 issue.

DeVry University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved the eCollege® course as a Research Project in January 2016. Now, the “Information Literacy Champions” Instructional Team of librarians and faculty can report data gathered on the course outcomes and “Final Information Literacy Champions” Learning Projects. Publication is okay in our Team’s professional publications.

The next course is offered in the July/August 2016 session. Faculty, librarians, administrators and colleagues will discover, through group teamwork and individual research, the six ACRL threshold concepts over a six-week session and receive 12 CEUs of credit.

IRB approval = “human subjects research guidelines“ met. Informed consent and confidentiality apply the responses of our course-takers. Research methods mean that--Each course-taker agrees-- (1) to complete the Information Literacy Survey pre-test and

(2) to participate in a short telephone interview at the end of the eCollege® course. “Mixed methods” research data gathered will be reported in the library/information science and adult education literature.

The University of Miami’s Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Certification Program is a requirement for IRB approval. CITI covers important “human subjects research guidelines” in a series of 9 modules totaling 18 hours online. For information about CITI, visit— https://www.citiprogram.org.

Our Team hopes to reach students across the curriculum in all junior/senior BS degree programs. Our “Information Literacy Champions” course will likely expand to include additional topics of: health literacy, financial literacy and 21st century workforce literacy relevant to the DeVry Education Group’s total curriculum.

In conclusion, the ALA motto rings loud & clear to our Team and entireUniversity community—

“Information Literacy Champions”… Transform Lives!!

DeVry University IRB’s “Seal of Approval” July 2016 “Information Literacy Champions” Research Project & Course