ALIA 2001 TAFE libraries conference

The experience of developing an online information literacy

Doreen Bailey and Sharon Ritchie

Doreen Bailey, NZLSC, is currently Deputy Librarian at Universal College of Learning (UCOL), Palmerston North, New Zealand. She is a committee member of the Library & Information Association of New Zealand/Aotearoa (LIANZA), Ikaroa Region. Doreen previously held the position of Librarian at Flock House, AgResearch.

Sharon Ritchie, BA (Librarianship). After graduating from Ballarat College of Advanced Education in Victoria, Sharon's first position in New Zealand was at the Palmerston North Teacher's College Library in the serials department. Sharon is currently the Reference & User Education Librarian at Universal College of Learning (UCOL), Palmerston North, New Zealand. She is also responsible for managing aspects of the serials collection and operation of the off-campus library service.

Abstract

Possessing information literacy skills has long been recognised and promoted by Universal College of Learning (UCOL) Library staff as a key skill that would not only empower students in their academic pursuits but would enhance their advantage in securing employment. When UCOL proposed an online programme aimed at providing students with capabilities prospective employers valued, the library was pleased to find that a module on information literacy was to be included. The authors were quick to put their hands up to ensure they were part of the team that would develop the curriculum and be actively involved with the project from the initial phase. Little did they know what the project would entail! Education horizons were expanded within the institution, as this was a unique programme. The project enabled the authors to interact with a range of people within the institution and form partnerships on a different level than would normally have taken place.

The authors were confident in the content of the module but had no prior knowledge or experience of curriculum design and development. Combining this with a tight time frame the authors were challenged, both personally and professionally. Consideration of the structure of the software package the module was to be loaded onto, and knowing the finished product had to be appealing and student friendly, formed part of the challenge. This paper will focus on the process the authors followed as the module took shape.

Introduction

Library staff at UCOL had actively promoted the role of information literacy within the institution for some years. Previous attempts to integrate information literacy into existing programmes had met with limited success. In an environment where lecturers are faced with ever increasing workloads, considerable perseverance is required to convince them of the value of integrating information literacy into already full programmes. Library orientations and training sessions are an integral part of the existing information literacy programme but the library acknowledges the need to continually promote and improve the current programme.

Graduate Capabilities Certificate

The UCOL strategic plan for 1999-2003 proposed to explore and develop an ability-based curriculum (UCOL, 1999). The proposal aimed to ensure graduates from UCOL programmes would have the skills and experience desired by employers. This was considered to be a key strategy for graduate success. UCOL Director, Helen Gilmour-Jones, undertook research that focused on the skills employers valued most in their employees (Gilmour-Jones, 1999). This research resulted in a proposal to develop a certificate course that would be an additional option for existing UCOL students. The project was initially entitled Integrated Key Abilities (IKAs) and a project group was formed to investigate the feasibility of this strategy.

The original proposal, arising from the recommendations of the project group, advocated the development of a short course certificate comprising six modules, including the key skill information and technical literacy. Library staff avidly supported this acknowledgment of the value of information literacy.

Early in 2000, the development of this unique online programme for UCOL students commenced. It was renamed Graduate Capabilities Certificate (Grad Caps) and reduced to five modules. An opportunity was identified to take responsibility for the development of the information literacy module of the Grad Caps programme. The draft module outline had been prepared by outside contracted parties but library staff had had some input into this document. It was not until some months later, when fully immersed in the development of the Grad Caps programme, that the full implications of the draft document were realised.

The Grad Caps project was seen as an opportunity to focus on developing the library's information literacy programme. Despite initial apprehension about compilation of the module, Library staff had no hesitation in accepting responsibility for the development and writing of the information literacy module. However, this was a major step into new territory as library staff had not previously been responsible for curriculum development.

Guidelines

The Grad Caps project team began meeting weekly in February 2000. At group meetings individuals shared progress and concerns, sought advice, supported each other and generally helped shape the direction of the course. Inevitably, as staff became aware of the size of the project and the demands it would place on their already pressured workloads the team was soon reduced to a dedicated core group.

Despite a clear understanding of the subject matter it soon became apparent that the difficulty would be in mastering the writing techniques and styles and conforming to curriculum design protocols. Personnel from the Curriculum and Academic Services (CAS) section of UCOL assisted with the mechanics of this academic process. Issues and concerns about working with curriculum documents were discussed and the importance of the module description was highlighted. It was imperative to use correct terminology and the need to adhere to New Zealand Quality Association (NZQA) standards and UCOL's Academic Approvals committee regulations became apparent. A key discovery was how easily terminology can be misinterpreted and learning outcomes diverted in totally different directions from that envisaged by authors. Consequently, several drafts of the module outline were required. Some training in the writing of curriculum documents would have been helpful at this point. There was never any uncertainty about the content of the module, but definite concern about curriculum design and development. The concerns focused on how to write to level 5, how much content to put into a 100 hour programme and the difficulty in designing assessments. Past experience with student study guides and workbooks in their final format provided little understanding of the complexity of the curriculum development process.

Module Brief

In February 2000, a structure was outlined containing principles for the writing of the modules. The information literacy module was to be at NZQA Level 5 (Appendix 1). Students were to undertake 100 hours of study. This comprised of 95 hours of self-directed learning and 5 hours of class contact. The self-directed learning was to be self-paced and accessible online only. A specific software package was to be used across all modules. The stated aim of the information literacy module as set down in the Graduate Capabilities Certificate curriculum document was:

"To enable students be confident in locating, evaluating and effectively using information. Students will also be able to use technology to assist their learning. Students will utilise their chosen discipline or field of study as the context for the module."

From this brief the challenge was to create an online information literacy module ready for students by the end of July 2000.

Preperation

Before the module writing could begin specific research was required. Early in the preparation phase, a visit was made to Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) Library. This was partly funded by an award the UCOL Library staff had won for their initiative in developing a Customer Service Standard. CPIT Library had developed an information literacy programme that had been running for some time. The CPIT Library staff shared valuable insight and experiences gained during the development of their programme. The major differences between the two programmes were that the UCOL course was to be totally online and the time frame for development was much shorter. However, this was a valuable kick-start to developing the UCOL programme and the willing sharing of information by the CPIT Library staff provided useful focus for the project.

An early priority was to make arrangements with the Library Manager for us to be relieved from circulation desk duties, although other major responsibilities within the Library still needed to be attended to. A neutral workspace, free from the day-to-day distractions of the library workroom was sought and once found, used frequently.

During the initial preparation phase time was spent researching other national and international tertiary organisations online information literacy packages. There was a wealth of useful information available. A "feel" quickly developed for what "worked" and what "didn't work" when putting together an online tutorial. The material's ability to appeal to the student and hold their attention was seen as a key attribute to a programme's success. This, after all, was the criteria on which the students would judge the Grad Caps course. One of the outstanding programmes was from the University of Texas System Digital Library. (http://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu). This online information literacy programme is known as TILT and proved to be quite an inspiration. TILT was considered to be all the things that were required: Interactive, not too cluttered, student friendly and easy to navigate. Although valuable time was spent searching and evaluating other online information literacy packages, it was time well utilised.

Throughout the development process, invaluable input was received from a UCOL Academic Advisor. This guidance on academic issues, along with immeasurable encouragement and practical advice on how to start to write our module, provided the confidence needed by the module writers not experienced in curriculum development.

One major lesson learned during this time was the pivotal role of learning outcomes and, once acknowledged there was constant reference to them (Appendix 2). The establishment of learning outcomes also created a clear division of labour between the two authors of the module. Areas of individual strength and interest provided the framework to ensure the range of material required to meet each outcome was covered. Each author worked on an outcome, or part of an outcome, until satisfied there was enough material to share with the other. Throughout the project, ideas were shared, issues debated and the challenge continuously issued to view the final material from the students' perspective.

Module Structure

UCOL has a strong focus on flexible delivery of programmes and assists students in discovering their learning style and adopting sound study habits to match that style. Consequently, a variety of techniques to access the information needed to be incorporated into the module. The module provides reading notes on each topic accompanied by relevant activities. The range of activities includes visiting the UCOL Library to discover one of the useful services; checking out the community notice-board at the local mall; looking at accommodation advertisements in a local paper; accessing a web site or searching an online database; viewing a video or reading a specific serial article. The development of these activities focused on supplementing the reading notes and providing means for the students to grasp the concepts being presented to them. The activities are voluntary and the students are not assessed on this aspect of the module. Every effort was made to create relevant activities that were applicable to both study and everyday life. Feedback from students enrolled in the programme shows, as predicted, that only some students undertake the activities.

The module has two competency-based assessments. The development of these assessments took considerable time and involved much discussion before all appropriate parties (Library staff, CAS, Grad Caps Project Manager) agreed upon the format. The initial brief for the short course required all assessments to be undertaken online. In the case of the information literacy module, it was difficult to envisage how the students could show competency in devising search strategies and demonstrating search techniques without it being witnessed. As a result, one direct-contact assessment was devised. This assessment requires the student to make an appointment (one-hour in length) with one of the module authors. At this appointment they discuss their information need, keywords/search terms to be used, demonstrate how to search the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) and two databases available via the UCOL Library (either CD-ROM network or online). The student has to demonstrate techniques for limiting their search, appropriate use of Boolean operators, justification for their choice of database and the relevance of the information retrieved.

The second assessment requires the student to complete an annotated bibliography. The compilation guidelines indicate a certain range of information sources must be used, including a serial article, a web site, a book, and an audiovisual item. This assessment requires the student to apply evaluation criteria and make sound judgements on legal and ethical issues associated with using the material. Guidelines for appropriate presentation of the bibliography must be followed and the completed assessment emailed to the Graduate Capabilities Certificate Co-ordinator. Once students have shown competency in both assessments, they will have covered all aspects of the information literacy module learning outcomes.

Once the assessments were devised, work commenced on the marking schedules. Continued support from CAS personnel aided in this process. Several examples from other academic programmes were investigated and used as guides where appropriate. Library staff often work with assessments and marking criteria from a students' perspective but are not normally associated with, or responsible for, the construction of these documents. Breaking the assessments down step-by-step meant the marking schedule took shape relatively simply. The marking schedule reflects all aspects and elements of the assessment. Once it was clear what the students should be able to accomplish, together with constant reference to the learning outcomes, the marking schedule developed in a straightforward manner.

The next phase was to integrate the material into the software package. The UCOL Webmaster and the Team Leader for the Educational Technology Unit (ETU) provided support and training sessions for the project team members who wanted to be involved in this challenging aspect of the project. Certain basic HTML script skills were required in order to enter the material into the software programme.

A coordinator for the short course was appointed about this stage and more valuable support and guidance was provided to the project team members. Together with the Webmaster and ETU staff, the Grad Caps coordinator loaded the bulk of the material onto the software. Module authors were required to provide appropriate graphics and were responsible for testing the loaded material to ensure links worked and there was consistency across all modules and the components of each individual module. Considerable time could have been spent maintaining, updating and rearranging material at this point but the compromise due to time constraints was to accept that the module would be a starting point and that continuous monitoring of links and updating of the material would be necessary. Once students began accessing and utilising the modules, constructive feedback from them would also impact on future changes.

Conclusion

Involvement in the development of the online information literacy module afforded library staff the opportunity to develop new skills and extend their knowledge beyond the normal realm of library work. Throughout the project there was a strong commitment to focus on what would work best for the students. This was done within the guidelines of the module brief, constraints of the software package and the limited time frame. The Grad Caps project enhanced the profile of the UCOL Library and has resulted in heightening the awareness of the value of information literacy to students and staff.

New interactions occurred between a range of people within the institution and partnerships were formed on different levels than would have normally taken place. Librarians should be encouraged to take the initiative when opportunities arise to promote information literacy within their organisations.

Acknowledgements

Gill Presland - Academic advisor, UCOL. Sharon Collins - Graduate Capabilities Certificate Co-Ordinator John Adams - Web Master, UCOL Grant Sherson - Educational Technology Unit, UCOL UCOL Library staff

References

Gilmour-Jones, H. 1999, The ideal graduate profile: What do employers seek? A report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Administration, Palmerston North, Author.

UCOL, 1999, Strategic overview 1999-2003: A handbook for staff at the Universal College of Learning, Palmerston North, UCOL.

Appendix 1.

Appendix 2 - Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

1. Evaluate the role that information plays in our everyday life and discuss the need for technical literacy.
2. Identify and apply sources of information using a range of strategies and techniques.
3. Analyse possible legal and ethical issues that may arise when accessing, disseminating and using information.
4. Determine and apply criteria to be used in evaluating information.
5. Organise and communicate the information sourced and evaluated.