ucla/pacific bell initiative for 21st century literacies

Besser--CNI 12/7/00 1

UCLA/Pacific Bell Initiative for 21st Century Literacies

Howard Besser

UCLA School of Education & Information

http://www.newliteracies.gseis.ucla.edu/

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/~howard


UCLA/Pacific Bell Initiative for 21st Century Literacies-

_ The Problem and Issues_ Project Dates & Staff_ The User_ Adaptive Systems_ Summit_ Policy_ More details on going beyond Info Lit & dealing

w/Design Issues


21st Century Literacies

_ Information Literacy_ Visual Literacy_ Media Literacy_ Cultural Literacy_ ...


The Problem and Issues

_ If we solve Access Problem (technology, bandwidth, training), other impediments to an informed citizenry still remain

_ Need critical evaluation of resources (reliability, authoritativeness, thoroughness, recency)

_ Need skills to pare down from information overload_ Need critical thinking skills_ Need to deal with different users having different

backgrounds and capabilities


Project Dates & Staff

_ Summer 2000-Dec 2001_ $1 million_ Co-Directed by Aimée Dorr and Howard Besser_ October 21, 2000 Summit (planning involved 20

people from Pacbell & UCLA)_ Rest of project primarily UCLA_ Coordinator Sheila Afnan-Manns

([email protected])


The User

_ Evaluative bibliography of literature and projects

_ Analysis of what we know thusfar from several different perspectives (curriculum design, library services, critical theory, information retrieval, user-centered design, …)

_ Examining model curriculum


Design Issues

_ Examine factors that inhibit efficient and effective use of an information system

_ Examine how best to design systems to match the literacy levels, technological capabilities, and other characteristics of the user

_ Principles, Practices, and Guidelines for Good Design for Facilitating Access (screen design, searching & navigation, metadata & description, info structures & organization, usability testing, …)

_ Build Adaptive Systems


Build Adaptive Systems_ Build Systems that adapt the same back-end

information to different user profiles (different knowledge bases, different technical capabilities, different cognitive structures)

_ User profiles may include advanced researcher in a particular subject area, general undergraduate student, high school student, …

_ Different profiles will need different user interfaces, navigation, searching vocabulary, file formats and sizes, ...


Summit (1/2)

Oct 21, 2000

_ Bring widespread attention to the underlying issues

_ 360 professionals from education, librarianship, public policy, and industry– 15% Higher Ed faculty, administrators, librarians

– 28% K-12 teachers, principals, superintendents

– 14% public and K-12 librarians

– 33% future practitioners, policy makers, librarians, educators

– 8% business community

– 3% government (governor’s office, state dept of Educ, …)


Summit (2/2)

Oct 21, 2000

_ Snappy video to highlight the problems (25 unsolicited requests to show video in 1st month after Summit)

_ Over 2 dozen exhibits and poster sessions explaining related projects throughout the country

_ Guest speakers (Alan Kay, Marcia Bates, Pat Breivik, Kathleen Tyner, Anna Deavere Smith, Tal Finney)


Policy

_ information literacy standards_ issues related to the "Digital Divide”_ privacy and ownership concerns_ ...


Information Literacy:Beyond Users to Design-

_ Traditional Approaches to Information Literacy_ Why is Design of Information Delivery Systems

Important?_ The UCLA/Pacific Bell Initiative for 21st Century

Literacies– The Initiative as a whole

– Adaptive Design Systems

_ What does this all mean for Higher Ed Professionals?


Information Literacy Definitions_ Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is

needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information (ALA 1989)

_ "the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information to become independent life-long learners" - Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Criteria for Accreditation. 10th ed. Dec. 1996. http://www.sacs.org/pub/coc/cri70.htm

_ "the abilities to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, effectively use, and communicate information in its various formats" - State University of New York (SUNY) Council of Library Directors. Information Literacy Initiative. 30 Sept. 1997. http://olis.sysadm.suny.edu/ili/final.htm

_ "a new liberal art that extends from knowing how to use computers and access information to critical reflection on the nature of information itself, its technical infrastructure, and its social, cultural and even philosophical context and impact" - Shapiro, Jeremy J. and Shelley K. Hughes. "Information Literacy as a Liberal Art". Educom Review. 3.2. Mar./Apr. 1996. http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/review/reviewarticles/31231.html

_ "the skills of information problem solving" - Wisconsin Educational Media Association (adopted by the National Forum for Information Literacy). Position Statement on Information Literacy. 1993. http://www.ala.org/aasl/positions/PS_infolit.html


Traditional Approaches to Information Literacy (IL)

_ Individual User assumed to lack skills_ Focus is on development of curriculum to

train individual users and test competencies


Critique of Traditional IL Approaches

+ Goes beyond the equipment-based approaches to the Digital Divide (Net-Day, TIIAP, state & federal initiatives)

- Assumes that all Users need is training– Relies on school-based model where instruction can reach

everyone

– Often doesn’t account for rapid changes that necessitate lifelong learning/re-education

– Assumes that Info Delivery Systems can be clearly understood by a well-trained user


Examples of Traditional IL Approaches-

_ ALA/ACRL Competency Standards_ AASL/AECT Standards


ALA/ACRL IL Competency Standards for Higher Education_ Determine the extent of information needed _ Access the needed information effectively and efficiently _ Evaluate information and its sources critically _ Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge

base _ Use information effectively to accomplish a specific

purpose _ Understand the economic, legal, and social issues

surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally


AASL/AECT 9 StandardsInformation Literacy

_ The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.

_ The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.

_ The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.


AASL/AECT 9 StandardsIndependent Learning

_ The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.

_ The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.

_ The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.


AASL/AECT 9 StandardsSocial Responsibility

_ The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society.

_ The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.

_ The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.


Why is Design of Information Delivery Systems Important?-


Graphic Layout-


Bad Type


Fonts/Colors/Backgrounds


Colors & Fonts


Background Color #D9D900


Blinks & Fonts 1=


Blinks & Fonts 2=


Blinking Drawings=


Width Problems


Navigation & Choices-


Cluttered Choices


Clutter


Icons


More Advanced Navigation, Choices, & Graphic Design-


Sliding DHTML Menu=


Background & Menu Bars


Too Many Pop-ups=


Mouse-Up


Fancy Motion-


Too Much Flash 1=


Too Much Flash 2


Basic Set-up-


Meta Tags


Make User Change Browser


Contact Information


Design Issues (repeat)-

_ Examine factors that inhibit efficient and effective use of an information system

_ Examine how best to design systems to match the literacy levels, technological capabilities, and other characteristics of the user

_ Principles, Practices, and Guidelines for Good Design for Facilitating Access (screen design, searching & navigation, metadata & description, info structures & organization, usability testing, …)

_ Build Adaptive Systems


Good Design Principles

_ Promote good design practices throughout the Design community

_ Get the Design community to sign on to a set of Principles for Good Design-

_ Create Guides & Best Practices Documents-


Possible Good Design Principles

_ Don’t disenfranchise users who have slow processors, older browsers, low bandwidth, visual impairment, etc.

_ Clearly note the recency of any information resource

_ Make sure that a user can easily determine what organization/agency created or contributed to an information resource


Important Dimensions toGood Design Principles

_ screen design_ searching & navigation_ metadata & description_ info structures & organization_ usability testing_ …


Our Resources related toGood Design Principles

_ Screen Design - The visual design of the screen can impact usability. Color, font, the use of images, and layout of screen elements are essential design components.

_ Searching and Navigation - Ease of navigation and search/browsing options are critical components of usability.

_ Metadata and Description - Good metadata and site description will help users find the appropriate website.

_ Information Structures and Organization - How information is organized and categorized shapes access. For systems with an underlying searchable database, the structure of the database itself will determine the outcome of searches.

_ Usability Testing - Includes resources on how to evaluate sites and on testing

for usability.


Build Adaptive Systems (again)

_ Build Systems that adapt the same back-end information to different user profiles (different knowledge bases, different technical capabilities, different cognitive structures)

_ User profiles may include advanced researcher in a particular subject area, general undergraduate student, high school student, …

_ Different profiles will need different user interfaces, navigation, searching vocabulary, file formats and sizes, ...


Our Resources Website


Adaptive Systemswhat they’ll do

_ Can serve different audiences (general public, purposeful inquirer [cultural tourist], domain specialist)

_ Each profile audience will– see a level of discourse addressed to them

– experience a user interface appropriate to their profile

– use vocabulary they are familiar with

_ Yet all will be using the same back-end set of information


Adaptive Systemshow they’ll work

_ Passing search terms through a thesaurus to map specialist vocabulary to/from vernacular

_ Adapting vocabulary from curatorial language into common discourse; development of markup extensions to EAD/CIMI/CIDOC to allow description for different audiences

_ In general, specialized users will experience more text-based interfaces, while general users will experience more graphic/visual interfaces


Adaptive Systemsdevelopment plan

_ Research and experimentation_ Profile 5-10 different user communities_ Mechanize 2-3 different information

delivery systems_ Demonstrate the utility of this approach

(proof of concept) for further research and design


What does this all mean for Higher Ed Professionals?

_ Good set of Design Guidelines_ Feasibility of Adaptive Systems that deliver

the same back-end info tailored to different sets of user needs


Information Literacy:Beyond Users to Design

Howard Besser

UCLA School of Education & Information

http://www.newliteracies.gseis.ucla.edu/

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/~howard/

http://www.infolit.org/


Additional Comments:

Content Access Issues for Haves vs. Have-Nots

_ Costly Content_ Disappearing Public Domain_ Locked-Up content_ Commodification of Information_ Disintermediation_ Preservation Failures