Making the Leap of Faith that Your Students are Information Literate: Information Literacy Standards for Communication Studies

National Communication Association 2007 Annual Conference

Chicago, IllinoisThursday, November 15, 2:00pm - 3:15pm

Palmer House / Salon 6

Sponsored by the Partnership for Progress on the Digital Divide

Information Literacy Standards for Communication Studies: Journalism

Presented by: Natasha Cooper, Syracuse University Library Missy Murphey, University of Mississippi Libraries Cathy Michael, Ithaca College Library

On behalf of the Communication Studies Committee, Education and Behavioral Sciences Section, Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library Association

Presentation overview

Introduction (Cathy): Information Literacy Standards: what ALA and our Committee are doing, why we’re doing it, and how you can help

Examination of the general standards compared to subject specific ones (Missy)

Question & Answers (Tasha)

On Faith and Literacy

Not all students are provided information literacy instruction either by professors or librarians

Some professors presume that since students are computer literate they are information literate

Professors that have faith their students are information literate will likely have papers that cite dubious information readily retrieved on the web

Communication Studies Committee members have collaborated with faculty in information literacy education by conducting in class sessions and providing point-of–need research consultations

This presentation consists of an effort by librarians to collaborate with faculty so that they can move from faith to practice through the utilization of standards

Information Literacy

Information literacy is a skill addressed by national accrediting bodies in their standards:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Northwest Commission on Colleges & Universities North Central Association of Colleges & Schools New England Association of Schools & Colleges Southern Association of Colleges & Schools

Commission on Colleges Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Association of College and Research Libraries(ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education ~ Master Standards

Approved by ACRL in 2000 Endorsed by the American Association for Higher Education & the Council of Independent Colleges Available at: www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/informationliteracy.cfm

Other Standards & Educational Policies

NCA K-12 Standards of CommunicationAEJMC Code of EthicsACEJMC Accrediting StandardsPoynter InstituteKnight FoundationSociety for Professional Journalists

The basic standards & structure

Standard One: KnowStandard Two: AccessStandard Three: EvaluateStandard Four: UseStandard Five: Ethical/Legal

Each major standard has between 3 to 7 performance indicators, or goals. For each goal there are between 2 to 6 objectives

The standards are arranged:I. Standard

1. Performance Indicatora. Objective 1b. Objective 2

c. Objective 3

Purposes of the Standards

Assess information literacy:Compare what is actually being done to a best practice

Outline the research process:Students and practitioners have a step-by-step method for reaching their goal: to file or submit a news story

Individual standards can be emphasized depending upon the situation: For instance, a class on Critical Thinking skills might emphasize Standard Three on evaluation

Development of Subject-Specific Standards

The Communication Studies Committee decided to start with the field of journalism but plans to move to other fields: Advertising, Film, Intercultural Communications, etc.

In addition to the ACRL standards, other disciplines have drafted subject-specific standards: Anthropology & Sociology, English, Political Science

Development of Journalism Standards

The Committee collaborated using a wiki, via email and through instant messaging

Faculty were invited to the Committee’s mid-Winter meeting in Seattle, Washington in January 2007 and discussed putting information literacy into practice

A liaison from ACRL will assist the Committee in obtaining approval of the document

We seek input from professional and educational organizations as we edit the document into something that can be utilized

Winter 2007 CRN 22558

MW 1 to 1:50 p.m. Allen Hall 221

Professor Kathy Campbell

Info you will learn:

This course introduces you to ways of making sense of the vast quantities of information that bombard us every day. Your challenge is to learn how to take this abstract concept called "information" and transform it into knowledge—knowledge that is applicable to the rapidly changing political, economic, social and professional environments in which we live.

Among other things, the course will teach you how to: • plan and use search strategies for information on a public policy topic. • use library resources, especially reference materials and government documents. • gain access to useful government and corporate information. • distinguish among online sources and to evaluate them. • analyze and evaluate evidence. • plan and conduct personal interviews. • identify and analyze conflicting points of view among expert sources. • organize evidence into a reasoned, credible argument on an important public policy question. • use online course materials and information to guide and assess your work. • organize your research, your time, and your life to meet critical deadlines.

Faculty Input: Kathy Campbell

Purpose of Subject Specific Standards

Considers unique professional practices, methods, and jargon

Clarifies the the language of the original by taking a plain language approach

Useful to practitioners and students

Includes questions to consider, examples and annotations unique to the field

Part 2…

Hierarchy of the Document

•Standards•Performance Indicators•Outcomes•Objectives

Standards

Main concepts the student should masterStandard 1-KnowStandard 2-AccessStandard 3-EvaluateStandard 4-UseStandard 5-Ethics

The Five Standards in order

1. The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.

2. The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.

3. The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

4. The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

5. The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

Performance Indicators: “What do we want the student to learn?”

E.g.: Standard 2 - The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.

1. The information literate student selects the most appropriate investigative methods or information retrieval systems for accessing the needed information.

2. The information literate student constructs and implements effectively-designed search strategies.

3. The information literate student retrieves information online or in person using a variety of methods.

4. The information literate student refines the search strategy if necessary.

5. The information literate student extracts, records, and manages the information and its sources.

(Learning) Outcomes: “How do we know that the student has learned?”

Indicator 4: The information literate student refines the search strategy if necessary.

A. Assesses the quantity, quality, and relevance of the search results to determine whether alternative information retrieval systems or investigative methods should be utilized

B. Identifies gaps in the information retrieved and determines if the search strategy should be revised

C. Repeats the search using the revised strategy as necessary

Objectives

Found in the companion piece to the standards, Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction

They break down outcomes into discrete, measurable results

Written only for outcomes that could be addressed by librarian or librarian/faculty

Not included in the IL Standards for Journalism document, but can easily be referred to for assignment ideas or use in a grading rubric

Here’s how it looks altogether...

Political Science Research Competency Guidelines

Anthropology & Sociology Section

ANSS Standards (cont’d)

Literatures in English

LES (cont’d)

Outcomes for Undergraduate English or American Literature Majors

I. Understand the structure of information within the field of literary research:I.1 Differentiate between primary and secondary sources

I.1.i. Learn to discover and use primary source materials in print and in digital repositories, e.g., ECCO and EEBO

I.2 Understand that literary scholarship is produced and disseminated in a variety of formats, including monographs, journal articles, conference proceedings, dissertations, reference sources, and Web sitesI.3 Learn the significant features (e.g., series title, volume number, imprint) of different kinds of documents (e.g., journal articles, monographs, essays from edited collections)I.4 Differentiate between reviews of literary works and literary criticismI.5 Understand the concept and significance of peer-reviewed sources of informationI.6 Understand that literary texts exist in a variety of editions, some of which are more authoritative or useful than othersI.7 Understand the authorship, production, dissemination, or availability of literary production. This includes understanding the meanings and distinctions of the concepts of editions, facsimiles, and authoritative editions

LES (cont’d)

Communication Studies: Journalism

Journalism: Foreward

Thoughts to consider

Keep/lose the IL-speak (objective or example; “Performance Indicator” or “What the student needs to do”)?

Five standards? Four? Seven? Add Faculty/Librarian (F, L) indicator? Insert/delete special terms/jargon? Focus more on career options? Research outside the

library?

All this and more is totally flexible…now it’s your turn…

Questions for discussion:

Who is familiar with the ACRL Information Literacy Competency standards?

Reactions, comments regarding these standards?

Thank you to Lynne Flocke and Barbara Fought, S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University

Discussion questions (continued):

What benefits do you see in incorporating library use/research/information literacy into student assignments/your curriculum?

In what ways would you like to see your students improve as researchers?

Do you currently work with library resources/librarians, to ensure that graduates of your courses/programs are able to find resources/conduct research effectively? If so, how do you collaborate?

Discussion questions (continued):

Would a set of standards such as those for journalism, or the other subject areas we mentioned, be useful to you?

What would make them more useful?

What level of specificity is most useful?

Discussion questions (continued):

What approaches do you have for addressing ethics, in terms of reporting, privacy, etc., but also in regarding to source use, copyright, plagiarism, etc.?

Discussion questions (continued):

Do you think in terms of outcomes, and if so, what outcomes would you think of for the following information literacy standards?

Standard One - The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.A.B.C.

Discussion questions (continued):

Standard Two - The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.

A.B.C.

Standard Three - The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

A.B.C.

Discussion questions (continued):

Standard Four - The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. A.B.C.

Standard Five - The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.A.B.C.

Discussion questions (continued):

What NCA educational initiatives have something in common with information literacy initiatives?

Are there ways in which these initiatives and library professional association standards work could be complementary?

What would be the process for gaining endorsement of standards from the NCA?

Questions? Comments?

Additional questions or observations?

Additional comments may be sent to: Tasha Cooper, nacoop01@syr.edu Missy Murphey, ulrmm@olemiss.edu Cathy Michael, cmichael@ithaca.edu

Thank you!