analysis of departmental learning teaching and assessment strategies’ (dltas) treatment of...

INF6014: Information Literacy ResearchSamantha Abrahams

Hannah WoodAugust 2009

Introduction to the project Methodology Discussion of Results:◦ Relationship with CILASS◦ Representation of the SCONUL 7 pillars◦ Understanding of the concept of information

literacy Conclusion

CILASS interested in assessing the impact of their input upon the DLTAS.

University of Sheffield strategy document: ‘Sharing our Learning Teaching and Assessment Future: Our Shared Vision’ (University of Sheffield: 2007)

Objective 5: The university will enable students to “access high quality learning and information resources in a variety of formats and become information literate by seeking out, evaluating and engaging with a wide range of information resources, effectively and ethically in support of their critical engagement with their discipline.” (University of Sheffield, 2007: 4)

Knowledge Creation ICT Skills

Communication Skills

Inquiry Based Learning

Definition: “a systematic analysis of the occurrence of words, phrases and concepts” (Powell, 1997: 50).

Some believe that documents can mean any one of a number of things, while other scholars refute this and believe that content analysis is basically founded upon common sense. (Bell, 2005: 133)

‘Information Literacy Thesaurus’ (Coleson and Furnival, 2009) used to code the strategies◦ Increased validity as created using library and

information literature◦ Increased reliability as standardised terms used to

code the strategies Judgement of the 2 researchers◦ Reduced reliability as each researcher had to judge

context of each term in relation to IL◦ BUT researchers came together a number of times

to discuss findings and increase reliability

Purposive sample Content analysis carried out manually finding:◦ the number of occurrences of each term◦ whether the term written in the context of

information literacy◦ which of the 7 pillars if any they met◦ how the departments had embedded these into

their modules◦ the relationship of each department with CILASS

Overall IBL well represented Faculty of Science see IBL more in the context

of specific projects Not always a clear division between

departments with extensive contact and those with little contact with CILASS

Perhaps representation of IBL shaped more by discipline than involvement with CILASS

Pillars 1-4 relatively unrepresented Majority of IL competences relate to pillars 5-

7 Some skills related to the 7 pillars are faculty

specific Ethical use of information frequently

discussed www.sconul.ac.uk

IL competencies often mentioned in the context of discipline or generic skills

Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health –higher level skills viewed as core competencies of health professionals; IL skills understood more in terms of lower level skills

‘Research’ dominates many of the strategies and often spoken about in terms we would relate to IL

IL specifically discussed overwhelmingly in the context of institutional objective 5

How do departments address this objective?◦ Many state that these skills embedded within

modules without expanding◦ Others state will fulfil this by liaising with the

library or CILASS Is this because of the imprecise definition of

IL provided or because little importance is placed on these skills?

In a few instances departments discuss IL outside of institutional objective 5

Others discuss IL in the context of IBL showing a deeper understanding

Most departments aware of IBL and mention their wish to engage with it

Departments with greater contact with CILASS tend to consider embedding IL in greater depth

Majority of DLTAS statements contain a range of IL competencies but more weight given to Pillars 5-7

HOWEVER these skills often not explicitly related to IL by strategy authors

IL discussed mainly in the context of institutional objective 5

Some departments discuss beyond this and identify a wider range of skills

A great deal of standardisation between departments in the way they express their understanding of IL, however discipline specific differences arise for example in the nature of information described

Thank youAny Questions?