Build Sustainable Collaboration:Developing and Assessing Metaliteracy Across Information Ecosystems

Alex R. HodgesAlison B. ThomasAmerican UniversityWashington, D.C.

Situating Our Study

Composition Studies:Yancey, 1998; Flower & Hayes, 1981; Artman, Frisciaro-Pawlowski, & Monge, 2010; Salvatori & Donahue, 2010, 2012; Bruffee, 1984; Purdy & Walker, 2013; Burke, 1967

Information Literacy:Schroeder & Cahoy, 2010; Oakleaf, 2008, 2009a, 2009b, 2010, 2011, 2014; Hofer, Brunetti & Townsend, 2012; Mackey & Jacobson, 2005, 2011, 2014

Methods

Study Population:WRTG 106: College Writing, Intensive course13 undergraduate students and their corresponding papers, exercises, and other course materials, kept on individual Google Docs

The Study:• Earned Institutional Review Board approval, 2014-2015• Anonymized and coded each of the final assignments with a letter

that corresponded to an individual• Rated, using both the program and the final assignment rubrics,

each of the 13 students’ work• Analyzed students’ self-reflections and dispositions toward the

research process

Conceptual Class Discussions:The Research Complexity Spectrum

Goals of the Research Assignment

Program Rubric

Assignment IL Rubric

Sample Student Research Topics & Reflections

“I do not expect to be published or even acknowledged because I don’t own a jacket with elbow pads and I have not dedicated my life’s work to the psychology of emoji but I do feel more qualified than ever to write.” – Student F

Student Reflections

“All of a sudden, research became a process as well. It was something that often began with a question, an intellectual inquiry or an academic curiosity. It was not something that begins with a pre-formulated thesis, argument already in mind. Research is instead just one fragment of a larger conversation; a conversation that is constantly evolving, and exciting in the sense that I as the researcher am involved in that conversation in some way.” – Student E

Student Reflections

“Through my research and reading, I have been handed the name tag that gets me at the table.” – Student F

Student Reflections

Mean Course Scores from Assignment-Specific Rubric

Point System: 5=A, 4=B, 3=C, 2=D, 1=F; Total Students=13

Rubric Elements Total Points Average

Research: Info & Commentary about Topic 52.5 4.38

Research: Angle/Approach to the Topic 53.5 4.46

Original Argument 52 4.33

Joins a Conversation 51.5 4.29

Signal Phrases 52 4.33

Summary 50.5 4.21

Integrating Research 53.5 4.46

4.05

4.1

4.15

4.2

4.25

4.3

4.35

4.4

4.45

4.5

Research: Info &Commentary about

Topic

Research:Angle/Approach to

the Topic

Original Argument Joins a Conversation Signal Phrases Summary Integrating Research

Mean Course Scores: Plotted on 5-Point Rubric Scale(5=A, 4=B, 3=C, 2=D, 1=F)

Average

Conclusion & Future Plans

• Extend research protocol

• Re-conceptualize and validate rubric

• Continue modeling scholarly communication & metacognitive practices

• Engage in ongoing, iterative assessment

• Deliver current & future results

• Incorporate colleagues in our work

Questions for Consideration

• Can our work/ideas help your organization value the work of IL collaborations?

• How can you use the practice of reflection to consider metaliteracy in your own programs?

• Is it possible to assess metaliteracy? Is it worthwhile?• Is it tenable to assess conceptual (“threshold concepts”)

learning in information literacy?• How can you create partnerships or relationships that tackle

these issues? • Are these assessments possible for librarians alone?• Is there value in local assessment like ours? Can it inspire or

offer insight to more global assessments?• How can we further interest our institutional colleagues?

Photo Credits

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/jun/26/movie-poster-auction-fritz-lang-metropolis

http://classicfilmaficionados.com/2015/01/10/metropolis-happy-anniversary-debuted-on-january-10th-1927/

http://vigilantcitizen.productionshardl.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/metro55.jpg

http://ekaki-uta.deviantart.com/art/Wallpaper-Outside-the-Box-273882450

http://www.denofgeek.us/tv/once-upon-a-time/237756/once-upon-a-time-teases-its-frozen-season-4-storyline

http://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbyowsinski/2014/05/26/3-reasons-why-twitter-killed-the-soundcloud-deal/

http://thelongthread.com/?cat=7

http://cardsagainsthumanity.com/

http://www.lawcommentator.com/business-tech/esports-team-businesses-and-the-rise-of-the-esports-agent/

http://blastmagazine.com/2014/02/24/six-issues-bbcs-sherlock-wont-watching-anymore/

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.emojiworld.collections

http://www.styleite.com/shopping/elbow-patches/

http://www.humansandnature.org/reweaving-landscape--redesigning-the-road--reconciliing-mobility-article-61.php

http://www.mynamebadges.com/hello-my-name-is-visitor-label/sku-lb-1992

http://pyxurz.blogspot.com/2011/10/metropolis-page-4-of-6.html

The background theme is inspired by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927).

Lang, Fritz, 1890-1976, Fritz Rasp 1891-1976, Erich Pommer 1889-1966, Thea von Harbou 1888-1954, Brigitte Helm 1906, Gustav Frohlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, et al. 2002. Metropolis. New York, NY: Kino International Corp.

Selected BibliographyArtman, Margaret, Erica Frisicaro-Pawlowski, and Robert Monge. 2010. “Not Just One Shot: Extending the Dialogues about Information Literacy in Composition Classes.” Composition Studies 38 (2): 93–110.

Bruffee, Kenneth A. 1984. “Collaborative Learning and the ‘Conversation of Mankind.’” College English 46 (7): 635–52. doi:10.2307/376924.

Burke, Kenneth. 1967. The Philosophy of Literary Form: Studies in Symbolic Action. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.

Flower, Linda, and John R. Hayes. 1981. “A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing.” College Composition and Communication 32 (4): 365–87. doi:10.2307/356600.

Hofer, Amy R., Lori Townsend, and Korey Brunetti. 2012. “Troublesome Concepts and Information Literacy: Investigating Threshold Concepts for IL Instruction.” Portal: Libraries and the Academy 12 (4): 387–405.

Mackey, Thomas P., and Trudi E. Jacobson. 2005. “Information Literacy: A Collaborative Endeavor.” College Teaching 53 (4): 140–44.

Mackey, Thomas P., and Trudi E. Jacobson. 2011. “Reframing Information Literacy as a Metaliteracy.” College & Research Libraries 72 (1): 62–78. doi:10.5860/crl-76r1.

Mackey, Thomas P., and Trudi E. Jacobson. 2014. Metaliteracy : Reinventing Information Literacy to Empower Learners. Chicago: ALA Neal-Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association.

Oakleaf, Megan. 2008. “Dangers and Opportunities: A Conceptual Map of Information Literacy Assessment Approaches.” Portal: Libraries and the Academy8 (3): 233–53.

———. 2009a. “Writing Information Literacy Assessment Plans: A Guide to Best Practice.” Communications in Information Literacy 3 (2): 80–90.

———. 2009b. “The Information Literacy Instruction Assessment Cycle: A Guide for Increasing Student Learning and Improving Librarian Instructional Skills.” Journal of Documentation 65 (4): 539–60. doi:10.1108/00220410910970249.

———. 2010. The Value of Academic Libraries: A Comprehensive Research Review and Report. Association of College & Research Libraries.

———. 2011. “Staying on Track with Rubric Assessment: Five Institutions Investigate Information Literacy Learning.” Peer Review 13 (4/1): 18.

———. 2014. “A Roadmap for Assessing Student Learning Using the New Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 40 (5): 510–14.

Purdy, James P., and Joyce R. Walker. 2013. “Liminal Spaces and Research Identity The Construction of Introductory Composition Students as Researchers.” Pedagogy 13 (1): 9–41.

Salvatori, Mariolina Rizzi, and Patricia Donahue. 2010. “Disappearing Acts: The Problem of the Student in Composition Studies.” Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture 10 (1): 25–33. doi:10.1215/15314200-2009-018.

Salvatori, Mariolina Rizzi, and Patricia Donahue. 2012. “Stories about Reading: Appearance, Disappearance, Morphing, and Revival.” College English 75 (2): 199–217.

Schroeder, Robert, and Ellysa Stern Cahoy. 2010. “Valuing Information Literacy: Affective Learning and the ACRL Standards.” Portal: Libraries and the Academy 10 (2): 127–46.

Yancey, Kathleen Blake. 1998. “Reflection, Self-Assessment, and Learning.” The Clearing House 72 (1): 13–17.

Questions? Contact Us

Alex R. Hodgeshodges@american.edu

Alison B. Thomasathomas@american.edu

The full paper is online:http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/conferences/confsandpreconfs/2015/Thomas_Hodges.pdf