Working with Peer Tutors to Foster Information Literacy

Diane VanderPol Associate Director, Library and Learning Commons

diane.vanderpol@zu.ac.ae

Reading the Campus Environment- the search for collaborators

• Showcase programs: Peer Assistance Leaders (PALs) program

• Campus priorities: Preparing students to be participants in a knowledge economy

The Research PALS (rPALs) Program• Students self-selected to participate in four required

sessions to earn the rPALs certificate • Specific learning outcomes selected from ACRL’s

Information Literacy Standards document, adjusted to meet the needs and abilities of student participants

• Students were proficient with mechanics, struggled to make content connections and to understand the implications of bias

Selected Activities

• Finding the original study cited in a news source plus a “meta” exploration of the controversy about the original study

• Listing, sorting, clustering keyword descriptors for a photo to understand subject headings, related/broader/ narrower terms

Response• Student opinion- overwhelmingly positive, self-

reported development of information literacy• Unspecific requests for “more”

• Learning outcomes met/ demonstrated- mixed results• Administrative feedback- well received• Interest piqued at Provost level• Willingness to explore other collaborations on the

part of PALs administration

Next Steps• Lessons learned for year two: • More time on task both in and out of sessions• Standardizing/ reviewing vocabulary • Focus on connections and implications• Individualized levelling

• Advanced student mentoring project• PALs liaison, on site reference and workshops