Information Literacy is seemingly omnipresent in any library conference today, but two sessions in particular focused on unique and workable ways to approach teaching information literacy in your library.

 

Fantasy Sports: The Road to Information Literacy

Are you looking for a new way to engage students in learning research skills? Paul Waelchli has just the program you need.

Paul Waelchli

Fantasy sports - specifically fantasy football - are becoming a near obsession, especially with the millennial generation. The idea is to build upon the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards students use every day while involved in fantasy sports.  For example, consider Standard 1: "The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed." In fantasy football, players need to know positions and rosters, so they explore information sources to gain the specific information they need.  Indicator two of standard one states, "The information literate student identifies a variety of types and formats of potential sources for information." Players of identify several resources from forum discussions and websites to conversations with other players and statistics.

Paul Waelchli is the Assistant Director for Instruction and Public Services at the University of Dubuque. More information is available through Paul's blog, Research Quest at researchquest.blogspot.com.

Submitted by Linda Nelson, Newsletter Committee

 

Assignments Worth Doing: Collaborating with Faculty to Design Authentic Learning Opportunities

Jean Donham, director of Cornell College Library, began her presentation by relating her experiences while working with students' research projects. She said most students develop an inaccurate view of the research process. They think doing research is much like reporting. Through inquiry based learning, students are taught true research skills.

Jean Donham

Through communication and teamwork, the librarian guides the student through the research process. As a result students develop the skills to formulate an appropriate research question by detailing ideas and thoughts, as well as learning to organize and evaluate information, and communicate their findings in a coherent manner. Jean said the Information Search Process, a process researched and developed by Carol C. Kuhlthau, provides a baseline guide for implementation of the program. The Information Search Process focuses on a student's thoughts, actions and beliefs in stages of the research process. Jean's powerpoint is available on the Iowa ACRL website. Submitted by Linda Nelson, Newsletter Committee

 

 

Modeling Scholarly Inquiry: One Article at a Time

Anne Marie Gruber, Mary Anne Knefel, Jessica Schreyer, and Paul Waelchli from the University of Dubuque presented this lively overview of a collaborative project implemented in second level composition courses. English faculty, librarians, and Writing Center staff recognized a need for students entering Composition and Rhetoric II classes to develop better research and writing skills, including: developing focused topics, identifying reliable sources, recognizing supporting or opposing evidence in academic journal articles, and citing sources.

Outcomes are mapped to ACRL Standards and to those of the Writing Center. Critical thinking and ethical decision making skills are important components of the unit. Faculty, librarians, and Writing Center tutors help students move towards analyzing complex issues based on the cognitive development theory of instructional scaffolding.

While the unit is assessed as part of the university's overall Information Literacy assessment plan, other criteria are also used, such as: a written assessment piloted during Fall '07 and student success in Introduction to Research Writing and other courses.

Their powerpoint is available on the Iowa ACRL website.

Submitted by Judy Mitchell, Newsletter Committee