Abstracts
Embedding Information Literacy Online
Tuesday 5 May 2009, 1030 - 1100
Presenter: Cathy Gunn
Centre for Academic Development, University of Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Presenter Biography
Cathy Gunn and Shari Hearne represent central service units at The University of Auckland and are working collaboratively to bring different areas of expertise together to address the learning and information literacy needs of staff and students at New Zealand’s largest research focused institution.
Abstract
The University of Auckland aims to provide its graduates with general intellectual skills, capacities and attributes, as well as discipline-based knowledge. The University’s Information Literacy Policy ensures that information literacy (IL) resources are used as effectively as possible in teaching and learning activities, for example, through the University Library’s IL programme. This programme offers a flexible e-learning approach that includes the use of interactive, self-paced online tutorials, which can be tailored for specific subjects, courses and assignments.
The large numbers of students enrolled in Business School courses can sometimes preclude face-to-face instruction in business information literacy skills. There are also international students from diverse backgrounds with English as an additional language (EAL) and mature students returning to graduate study who require reiterative high quality information literacy instruction. The Library, in collaboration with the Centre for Academic Development and Business School academics, agreed to develop a suite of self-paced information literacy tutorials to service these varied demands.
Development of interactive online tutorials is a common strategy in universities seeking to reconcile the challenge of scale with principles of learner-centred instruction. The literature reveals many advantages, both educational and practical. In this case, the aim is to design a range of online activities that:
- Can be customised and incorporated into the curriculum for specific assignments
- Align with terms of the University’s Academic Plan and Graduate Profiles
- Are flexible, portable and user-focused
- Use a range of video, audio, graphics and interactive web-based technologies within learning designs to motivate and engage students from a range of educational backgrounds and age-groups.
Development of this type of e-learning resource is typically a collaborative effort involving subject matter experts, multimedia and web developers and learning designers. The initial concept for online Information Literacy modules was presented to the University’s eLearning Design and Development Group in the form of a project proposal by a team of Business Librarians. As discussions and conceptual development progressed, existing online information literacy (OIL) skills modules developed by a TEC-funded collaboration between the University of Otago, Dunedin College of Education and the Otago Polytechnic were considered as a possible reusable resource. While the content and reusability aspects of these modules rated highly, practical considerations of hosting and integration with local systems pointed to a local solution. A web-based Course Builder tool already in common use by the eLearning team would provide a suitable and easy to use in-house development and hosting environment. The open access / open source nature of the OIL modules meant parts of them could be repurposed for inclusion in locally developed and hosted activities, giving teaching staff greater control of content and use. Consultation with a key member of the OIL development team lent considerable expertise and background information to the local initiative.
At the time of writing, the modules are still under development. This paper describes development of the innovative design concept, its grounding in current literature on teaching of generic skills and e-learning design, and the three-way collaboration involved in its implementation.
