Development and Delivery of a Science and Engineering Information Literacy

programme at NUI Maynooth

Mary Antonesa, Library

Claire McAvinia, Quality Promotion Office

NUI Maynooth, Ireland

Overview

• National and local context• Module details • Collaboration• Blended learning• Cost• Findings• Future planning

Context: Teaching and Learning at NUI Maynooth

Context: Core Themes of the T&L Strategy

Theme 2 - Developing graduate education:The structure of graduate education is being actively developed through the three Faculty-aligned Graduate Schools. NUI Maynooth will continue the process of introducing professional doctorates, facilitate the development of structured doctorates, incorporate generic skills modules into existing programmes, and develop new programmes to reach out to groups outside the University. Theme 3 - Fostering access, fostering lifelong learning: Teaching should foster a desire to learn throughout life, and develop the learner’s autonomy in order to pursue lifelong learning. Access to learning through technology and assistive technology, the provision of new programmes, and the accreditation of prior learning, are all addressed by this Strategy.

Module Details 6 month lead in

Library as lead drivers

Five week delivery period (November – December 2007)

12 attended from across the Departments of Engineering, Biology, Geography and Psychology

Flexible blended learning – five three-hour-face-to-face hands on classroom session– Supplemented with online discussion and support via

Moodle

Blended Learning

Materials in Moodle

Discussion spaces in Moodle

Responsive to needs of students - student-centred

Using Moodle as part of classroom teaching - blended learning rather than ‘adding on’ e-learning (Garrison & Kanuka, 2004)

Developing students’ skills in learning online as well as information literacy

Module Learning Outcomes

This Module had six learning outcomes. These outcomes sit on a framework as defined by the Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy (ANZIIL)

 

Recognise the need for information and determine the nature and extent of the information needed

Find information effectively and efficiently

Critically evaluate information and the information seeking process

Manage information collected or generated

Apply prior and new information to construct new concepts or create new understandings

Use information while understanding and acknowledging the cultural, ethical, economic, legal and social

Learning Activities

Framework provided the structureLearning activities were open and flexibleTailored to suit individual researchers needsAnnotated Bibliography - Each participant had to integrate and customise these learning outcomes to their own subject area by searching, finding, evaluating and referencing material for their own literature review and share their findings with the class

Module Itself

Partnership and Collaboration

Integrating approaches to EndNote Web

Costing in time

Resource Hours

Planning 100 Assistant Librarian Hours

Delivery 20 Assistant Librarian Hours

(15 f2f & 5 online)

Meetings 25 including AL, LT & L

Total 145

What aspects of the teaching do you appreciate most?

Posting additional material on Moodle…

Approachable and tailored Use many

materials, web links and other resources

for teaching

If we wanted to spend more time on a particular topic we were

given that opportunity.

learn something useful from each

session

In my research I am more aware of the quality information resources available to me

This course improved my research skills

       What is your general impression of the course?

• I feel that If I’d taken this course at the start of my PhD it would have saved me a lot of time in terms of literature searches and reviews

• Very useful to help me to find and manage information for the research

• I went into the course thinking “I am already literate in finding info”. But I was surprised at how much I have gained

• 2000 hits in Moodle (25 June – 11 March)

Findings

Blended learning -rigorous model Real valueConsistent attendanceFaculty Specific IL at UG levelCollaboration Smaller class sizes Close the loop

Blended learning Class size

Future plans?

• Undergraduates:– Other core themes of the Teaching and

Learning Strategy• Developing the use of blended learning to teach

information literacy– Twofold benefit: effective use of resources,

effective use of VLE as online learners

Contact Details

Mary Antonesa

mary.antonesa@nuim.ie

Claire McAvinia

claire.mcavinia@nuim.ie