Putting the Framework To Work For YouCarrie Bishop, Regional Campus/First-Year Experience Librarian

Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Campus

cbishop@iup.edu

Outline

New Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education and Threshold Concepts

Where I’m Teaching and What I’m Teaching

Megan Oakleaf’s “Roadmap for Assessing Student Learning Using the New Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education”

Examples from my classes and examples from you!

Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

Accepted by ACRL on February 2, 2015

Intended to replace the Standards for Information Literacy for Higher Education

“The Framework grows out of a belief that information literacy as an educational reform movement will realize its potential only through a richer, more complex set of core ideas”

While the Standards outlined competencies, skills, and outcomes, the Framework is centered around 6 threshold concepts or “core ideas.”

“Librarians have a greater responsibility in identifying core ideas within their own knowledge domain that can extend learning for students, in creating a new cohesive curriculum for information literacy, and in collaborating more extensively with faculty.”

Threshold Concepts: What are they?

Originally put forward by Meyer and Land … “they are the core tenets in a particular discipline that are

transformative, irreversible, integrative, bounded and potentially troublesome”

Concepts required to think like a …

Passageways or portals to enlarged understanding or ways of thinking and practicing within that discipline.

Information Literacy Threshold Concepts Authority is Constructed and Contextual

Information Creation as a Process

Information has Value

Research as Inquiry

Scholarship as Conversation

Searching as Strategic Exploration

Two added elements

Knowledge practices: demonstrations of ways in which learners can increase their understanding of information literacy concepts

Example: Define different types of authority, such as subject expertise, societal position, or special experience

Dispositions: describe ways to address the affective, attitudinal, or valuing dimension of learning

Example: Motivate themselves to find authoritative sources, recognizing that authority may be conferred or manifested in unexpected ways

Where I’m teaching Started at IUP Punxsutawney in April 2015

Previously at Penn State DuBois for 6 years

IUP Punxsutawney

Regional campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Approximately 300 students all first-year, freshmen only

Combination of local students and students from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia who benefit from heightened developmental support during their first year

Offer courses with a strong emphasis on critical inquiry, frequent writing, collaborative learning, and information literacy.

What I’m teaching

LIBR 151: Introduction to Information Literacy

1 credit, 3 sections, 80 students

Information literacy is the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively. In this course, students will explore online, print, and non-print information resources and hone their information-seeking skills and knowledge as they relate to critical thinking, resource analysis, and the ethical and appropriate use of information and develop a base level of information literacy skills.

LIBR 251: Information Access in the Digital Age

2 credit, 2 sections, 35 students

Students will expand and refine their information literacy skills in order to investigate information issues and gain practical experience in finding, evaluating, and ethically using information in many formats. Emphasis will be placed on utilizing these skills in a digital environment to incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base and use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

“A Roadmap for Assessing Student Learning Using the New Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education”

Megan Oakleaf, The Journal of Academic Librarianship, September 2014

“librarians intending to use the Framework to teach and assess information literacy frames may benefit from a roadmap to launch their efforts”

Step 1: Get Inspired

Step 2: Bite the Bullet

Step 3: Agree or Agree to Disagree

Step 4: Teach Backwards

Step 5: Draw the Map

Step 6: Get Real

Step 7: Hunt and Gather

Step 8: Know It When You See It

Step 9: Roll It Up & Report It Out

Step 10: Close the Loop

Step 1: Get Inspired

Megan says …

Librarians should feel comfortable adjusting and amending the Framework to suit their needs.

Identify additional threshold concepts or merge existing ones

Add additional “big ideas” or “enduring understandings”

Identify threshold concepts in disciplines that merge with information literacy, research, and critical thinking concepts

Use the Framework as Inspiration (or validation) to focus on concepts, rather than exclusively on tools and techniques

Doesn’t mean you can’t also teach the tools

Where are you in this process? What are your concerns about teaching concepts rather than tools and techniques? Or in what ways are you already doing this?

Step 1: Get Inspired My question:

What threshold concepts should I cover in LIBR 151 and LIBR 251?

Step 2: Bite the Bullet

Megan says …

Transform the concepts into learning outcomes

Learning outcomes establish the content of instruction and provide a framework for designing pedagogy, and drive meaningful assessments.

Outcomes describe what librarians hope students will know or be able to do as a result of instruction

The key to an effective outcome is the VERB. The verb identifies the behavior that will demonstrate a student’s level of learning in an observable, measurable or judge-able way.

Verbs that do not call for an observable behavior (e.g., understand, recognize, know) result in outcomes that are not assessable.

Step 2: Bite the Bullet Sample LIBR 151 Learning Outcomes:

Students will define the topic as a research question in order to establish a clear understanding of the information need. (Research as Inquiry)

Students will identify the purpose, audience, and creation method of potential resources and select the most appropriate resource for the information need. (Searching as Strategic Exploration, Information Creation as a Process)

Students will construct effective search strategies using different search language types and Boolean operators. (Searching as Strategic Exploration)

Sample LIBR 251 Learning Outcomes:

Students will evaluate the authority, relevance, and reliability of information sources in traditional formats and also participatory digital environments. (Scholarship as Conversation, Information Creation as a Process, Authority is Constructed and Contextual)

Students will describe the appropriate use of blogs in the scholarly process and as a springboard for research.

Students will write a letter to an interested party in which they will synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources and share reasonable conclusions based on their research. (Research as Inquiry)

Step 3: Agree or Agree to Disagree Megan says …

Who has to agree on this list of outcomes?

One-shot – maybe just 1 or a few librarians and the disciplinary faculty

Example: ENG 15 at Penn State DuBois

Program level – all those teaching in the program

Institutional Outcomes – even greater level of agreement

My course outcomes aligned with the outcomes on the syllabus of record.

Step 4: Teach Backwards

Megan says …

Commence instructional design activities

Beginning with the outcome in mind, ask yourself two questions …

How will I know students have achieved the outcome?

What could students do to show me they’ve achieved it?

Employ active learning strategies … which are simultaneously active assessment strategies.

Step 4: Teach Backwards LIBR 151: Students will define the topic as a research question in order to

establish a clear understanding of the information need. (Research as Inquiry)

In class, I give examples of how to use mind mapping to narrow down a large topic. Then we do a couple examples on the board as a group.

After a brief lecture on research questions, we work through as a class how to take a broad research question and by asking questions of the question we narrow it down.

Finally, they do a group activity where they have to decide out of a group of three research questions, which is not good, which is ok, and which is the best.

Out of class, students complete a worksheet asking them to draw a mind map using their own topic, and then write a research question. They also must then take that research question to the writing center for advice and guidance.

Step 4: Teach Backwards LIBR 251: Students will evaluate the authority, relevance, and reliability of

information sources in traditional formats and also participatory digital environments. (Scholarship as Conversation, Information Creation as a Process, Authority is Constructed and Contextual)

Teaching Information Literacy Threshold Concepts: Lesson Plans for Librarians

Day 1: Using Information as a Springboard to Research – Emily Frigo and Jessalyn Richter at Grand Valley State University

In this lesson students use a single article (NPR blog post), created for a general/popular audience, as a starting point to a) consider the conversation surrounding this topic and b) consider and discover related topics and disciplines.

Day 2: Starting Points: The Role of Blogs in Scholarly Conversation – Brandon West, SUNY Oswego

Students examine blogs and blog posts and their role within the scholarly conversation. By asking and answering questions about blogs’ attributes and content, students learn to consider the usefulness of blogs in their own research, informing them on scholarly topics and leading them to additional sources of scholarly information.

Step 4: Teach BackwardsUsed three blogs in and out of class• NPR Health Shots “Nail Biting: Mental Disorder or Just a Bad Habit• Psychology Today “ Screentime Is Making Kids Moody, Crazy, and Lazy• This Sociological Life “Academic Blogging: What Does It Reveal?

Answered these questions:

List some of the main ideas or key concepts. Think of synonyms and brainstorm related terms that are broader or narrower in scope.

What researchers, organizations, universities, etc. are concerned with the problem? Are any research studies mentioned?

What questions came to your mind after reading the article?

Which disciplines may be interested in studying/exploring this or related topics?

Why would you not use a blog as a source in an assignment that required you use scholarly journal articles?

Who wrote this blog? Why?

Why is it important to evaluate the author of the blog?

What are some ways blogs can be used in your research?

Key idea(s) behind the blog post

Comments: the responses represent a community of participants

Further or related research: How might you go about finding more information about this topic?

Step 4: Teach Backwards

Then they had to find a scholarly blog in their major or field of interest and use that blog as a springboard for their research topic for the course.

From the syllabus …

Blog Report (20%): You will follow a blog where experts, professionals, scholars, and others are sharing information and opinions on topics in your major or future career field. You will then write a report on the conversation(s) you observed during this time. Your report will discuss the author(s) of the blog and how that person’s authority can be determined, the key ideas behind the posts that you observed, the comments that other members of the community made on the posts, how the blog helped you choose a research topic, and how blogs contribute to the scholarly conversation.

What are some of your favorite lesson plans or active learning strategies to use in the classroom? Are you addressing any of the IL Threshold Concepts using these strategies?

Step 5: Draw the MapMegan says …

Instruction should build upon concepts and skills students already know and minimize needless repetition of mastered content.

Librarians can analyze both student needs and academic requirements.

Librarians may ask themselves:

What do students already know?

What do they need to know to complete their assignments?

To prepare for goals beyond their current program of study?

Librarians can identify

Information literacy and discipline-based threshold concepts

Conduct needs assessment

Analyze academic requirements

Sketch curricular structure of their institutions

Learn about typical trajectories of graduating students

Step 5: Draw the Map IUP Information Literacy Curriculum Map – ENGL 101 and ENGL 202

Curriculum Mapping at PSU DuBois – Human Development & Family Studies Goals:

Better prepare students for the research they were being asked to do in upper-division classes.

Reduce repetition in IL instruction between classes.

Use as a starting point for discussion with faculty to bring IL into more classes, have more time with classes, and assist in designing assignments that require information literacy concepts.

Plan in Action: Developed in Spring 2014

Began implementation in Fall 2014 – will definitely be making changes

Curriculum map only half implemented due to resignation of HDFS instructor

Standardized ENG 15 – we teach IL in every section of ENG 15 and cover the same learning outcomes

Curriculum Map for HDFS HDFS 129 – Introduction to HDFS

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to locate the Penn State Libraries online and contact a librarian in several ways for help.

Students will be able to locate HDFS material through the HDFS research guide.

Students will begin to understand the scholarly conversation and literature of the field through associations and scholarly journals.

ENGL 15 – Rhetoric & Composition

Out-of-class and in-class component

Learning Outcomes:

Students will identify and utilize background readings to increase familiarity with the topic.

Students will develop a topic that is manageable in scope and is researchable.

Students will define the topic as a research question in order to establish a clear understanding of the information need.

Students will list broad, narrow and related terms and use these terms to construct effective search strategies.

Students will identify the purpose and audience of potential resources and select the most appropriate resource for the information need.

Students will apply appropriate search strategies in LionSearch to find books and journal articles.

Out of class

In class

Curriculum Map for HDFS ENGL 202A: Effective Writing in the Social Sciences

Taught over three days

Learning Outcomes:

Students will recognize that scholarship is a conversation and be able to find, analyze and summarize changes in scholarly perspective over time.

Students will analyze information sources to determine the level of authority and reliability needed for differing information needs.

Students will apply their understanding of information as intellectual property through demonstrating proper attribution and citation.

HDFS 312: Empirical Inquiry in Human Development Learning Outcomes:

Students will recognize that methods of research vary by need, circumstance, and type of inquiry and will be able to locate and recognize articles reporting results of empirical studies.

Students will utilize advanced tools and search techniques to discover all published information on a narrow topic.

What logical progressions do you see in the courses you teach? Where would you like to do scaffolding of skills for students?

Step 6: Get RealMegan says …

Consider options for deploying instruction

Assignment-focused “one shots” (single or serialized)

Orientations

Online tutorials

Reference desk interactions

Research consultations

Collaborative course or assignment design

Course-integrated or embedded instruction

For-credit classes

All approaches can be utilized to teach threshold concepts and other “big ideas” via outcomes and active learning/assessment strategies

Step 7: Hunt and Gather

Megan says …

In order to teach well, librarians need to actively engage students in learning

In order to assess well, librarians need to identify and collect evidence of those active engagements.

Librarians need to capture artifacts of student learning, either in real time (dynamic) or in document (static) form.

With the Framework’s emphasis of concepts rather than skills, librarians will be less served by employing survey and fixed-choice test questions and best served by eliciting performance assessments.

Things like

Research logs, reflective writing, “think alouds”, self or peer evaluations, research draft or papers, bibliographies, presentations, posters, portfolios, worksheets, and concept maps

May be used formatively or summatively

Step 7: Hunt and Gather

LIBR 151 Assessments Worksheets

Reflective writing

Concept maps

Bibliography

Poster Presentation

Research summary

Open-ended questions

LIBR 251 Assessments Annotated bibliography

Research summary

Reflective writing

Open-ended questions

What artifacts of student learning could you see utilizing or are already utilizing in your classes?

Step 8: Know It When You See It

Megan says …

Librarians need to answer a series of questions:

How will I know when students have achieved an outcome?

What will their artifacts look like?

What elements am I looking for in their artifacts?

How well do students need to perform these elements?

Then develop rubrics to describe the elements or “criteria” that demonstrate learning

Step 8: Know It When You See It

What are your experiences using rubrics?

Step 9: Roll It Up and Report It Out

Megan says …

When librarians agree upon a set of outcomes, then code their instructional efforts and assessment data by outcome, they can “roll up” their evidence in a reportable structure.

Outcomes can serve as an organizational scheme under which all instruction and assessment that aligns with a particular threshold concept can be grouped together.

Over time, librarians can share the results of instruction for each outcome, providing a picture of what threshold concepts have been taught and the degree to which they have been learned.

Step 10: Close the Loop

Megan says …

the goal of all instruction and assessment efforts is to engage in reflective practice

In most cases, librarians will find themselves making decisions and taking actions to continuously improve their instruction and assessment activities.

My goals for improving my courses

Make sure my pedagogy directly ties to my outcomes

Make sure my assignments truly allow me to assess the learning of the threshold concepts

Resources

ACRL. (2015) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Association of College and Research Libraries. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

Bravender, P., McClure, H., & Schaub, G. (Eds.). (2015). Teaching information literacy threshold concepts: Lesson plans for librarians. Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries.

Oakleaf, M. (2014).  A roadmap for assessing student learning using the new Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education."  Journal of Academic Librarianship, 40(5), 510-14.