Information Literacy @ John Jay College

1. Information Literacy @ John Jay College Kathy Killoran, Information Literacy Librarian Tim Stevens, Chair, English Department March 19, 2004

2. Information Literacy defined: • American Library Association: • Information Literacy is the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information. • Middle StatesCommission on Higher Education: • Information literacy is an intellectual framework for identifying, finding, understanding, evaluating and using information. Faculty may think of as the Research Process.

3. Information Literacy Technology Critical Thinking Synthesis Problem Solving Communication Information Literacy Goes far beyond library introduction and basic search skills

4. ACRL Standards • Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (on web) • Association of College & Research Libraries • 6 broad standards • 3-7 performance indicators for each standard • 2-7 identified outcomes for each performance indicator • Middle States embraces these standards

5. ACRL IL Standards & Responsibility • Determine the nature & extent of info needed (Faculty, reinforced by Librarians) • Effectively accesses info sources (Librarians) • Critically evaluates info sources (Librarian & Faculty) • Critically evaluates info content (Faculty) • Use info to accomplish a purpose (Faculty) • Use info legally, ethically (Faculty primarily, Librarians reinforce) ACRL IL competencies, Middle States responsibilities

6. Information Literacy Movement in CUNY • Middle States • Developing Research & Communication Skills (2003) • University Faculty Senate Committee • Computer & information technology literacy • Competencies for students & faculty, 2001 • Council of Chief Librarians • White Paper, 2001 • Prof. Lucinda Zoe, Hostos, • Chancellor’s Office - VP Mirrer • Mandate to each campus’ Provost, 2002 • Gen ED Project

7. What Middles States Wants • Institutional IL plan detailing ….. • Strategy for how information literacy will be integrated into the curriculum • Especially into the general education requirements • Demonstrable competencies – building in complexity (learning goals & objectives) • Outcomes assessment throughout • At the program-level • Especially important in the senior year

8. Information Literacy Standards • Association of College & Research Libraries • Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (available on Web) • Middle states embraces these competencies!!

9. Middle States identifies 2 models of IL plans • Separate or Compartmentalized Model • Stand-alone course • Unlikely that a single course can satisfy all of an institution’s IL goals • Skills should be addressed & reinforced at various levels of sophistication throughout 4 yrs • Integrated or Distributed Model • Various courses address a core set of IL skills • May be blended into lower & upper-level courses. • Places IL into the context of the disciplines

10. Different IL models used in CUNY • Credit bearing course – so far not required course – Queens (1 credit), LaGuardia (3 credits), Baruch (8 – 3 credit courses) • Workshop approach – series of 5 workshops - 2 information literacy workshops required before a course-integrated library instruction course taught – Hostos • IL integrated into curriculum – new Lehman model – IL is targeted at certain courses: • ENG 110-120 sequence • LEH 300-level core courses • Faculty in other disciplines encouraged to re-engineer their courses to emphasize information literacy.

11. IL Plan - Institution specific • Multiple strategies can and probably should be employed! • Many campuses are using pilot programs to try out their IL strategies

12. Challenges in Designing IL Program • Large # of students at CUNY institutions • Creating strategies that will be scalable to reach all students • Administrative support – philosophically and monetarily, faculty development, ongoing! • Library cannot do it alone – College-wide issue • Fostering change • Faculty buy in – willingness to change what they do to incorporate some of these concepts, etc.

13. John Jay’s Evolution - small inroads • Taskforceon Information Literacy formed • (2002) – response to VP Mirrer, • Associate Provost, Faculty & Librarians • IL Librarian position – funded by student technology fee • IL Librarian – member of College Curriculum Committee • Additional supportby Provost(team teaching) for courses incorporating critical thinking, intensive writing, & information literacy • New course proposal form – question on what information literacy skills will be learned/practiced in the course.

14. John Jay IL Draft Plan • Addinstructional material to library’s Web page – have section for curricula aids, tutorials, handouts,etc. • Survey ENG 101 students – self assessment • Develop module on evaluating information for SPE 113 classes • Pilot project – 2 sections, using online tutorials, Blackboard • Revise ENG sequence to be information literacy-rich • Students will practice research skills throughout these courses. • Employ active learning techniques

15. English 101 Student Survey • Surveyed about 1,700 students • Received over 1,000 responses • Interim results – 625 responses First place students look for info Internet Search Engine 64% Ask instructor 11% Textbook 7% Library catalog 6% Ask a librarian 5% How to narrow a Web search Add another appropriate search term 36% Enclose search phrase in quotes 5% Inappropriate response 53%

16. Writing Ability Rate writing ability Not confident 6% Somewhat confident 68% Very confident 26% Writing – Essays Not confident 5% Somewhat confident 54% Very confident 42% Writing – Research Paper Not confident 7% Somewhat confident 59% Very confident 35%

17. Citing Sources When and How to Cite (same results) Not confident 18% Somewhat confident 64% Very confident 18% How many papers that included a bibliography in last year? None 10% 1 13% 2-3 40% 4 or more 37% Amount of pages in longest paper 1-2 pages 5% 3-5 pages 46% 6-10 pages 32% over 10 pages 16%

18. Role librarians can play in an integrated model • IL plan development • Curriculum development • Faculty development • Workshop teacher/facilitator • Partner/Team teachers • Develop support materials for faculty • Design/Develop online tutorials • Design/Develop exercises & assignments

19. Assessment • Standardized instruments being developed • Project SAILS – Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills – beta-test • Developed @ Kent State – Lehman will use • Allow for comparisons with “like” institutions • Also looking to develop discipline specific assessments, • Information Competency Assessment Project -Bay Area (Ca) CCs • Tied into the ACRL standards • Assessment at varying times of the undergraduate experience! – Freshman level & upper level

20. Other assessment strategies • Research journals • Annotated bibliographies • Quality of sources in bibliographies of papers, etc. • IL questions and tasks incorporated into course exams • Exercises reinforcing learned experiences • Student receives a grade on the expected IL outcomes, incorporated into course grade • Rubrics • Many more I’m sure ……

21. Questions?

22. Traditional model – Library Instruction • Course Integrated – some courses targeted • One class session • Wide variation in student abilities • Too much material • No common skill set • No time for active learning exercises • Usually geared for a specific assignment • Librarian taught – varying quality • Conflict in goals between instructor and librarian • Not all students reached, some reached multiple times

23. Information literacy • Not really a new concept • Stronger need for this in today’s society • Information overload / information anxiety / information smog • Students today • tech savvy • read less (print/pleasure) • write less (pen and paper) • communicate more/differently • We do a lot of IL already – not measured as such