Post on 25-Dec-2015
17th January 2010 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Supporting first year undergraduate students to make smooth transitions to
university and apply their reading to practical and current contexts
Read to Succeed
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
For librarians, being active in campus activities and committees, building individual relationships as
part of academic departmental liaison duties, and heavy
involvement in freshman experience or other core courses are all ways to
connect with faculty.
Inspiration for project
Buchanan, L. E., Luck, D. L. & Jones, T. C., 2002, p.162
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Inspiration for project
Only when librarians and faculty work in tandem to achieve the
common goal (information-literate students) can IL
instruction seamlessly merge with, not merely flow beside,
course content.
Buchanan, L. E., Luck, D. L. & Jones, T. C., 2002, p.164
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Inspiration for project
The role of the librarian is changing in the virtual environment. The
ability to adapt to changing roles lies in librarians’ willingness to
experiment with new ways to accomplish their libraries’ missions.
Buchanan, L. E., Luck, D. L. & Jones, T. C. (2002), p.162
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Aims of the projectTo support students to Experience smooth transitions to higher
education Become independent learnersMaster information literacy competencies
within a core moduleApply their information literacy skills to
their academic and practical developmentSucceed in the module assessments
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Other aims of the project
For colleagues across disciplines toHave an opportunity to collaborate on a
moduleParticipate in peer observationsConsciously engage in reflective practice
to scaffold students’ information literacy development
Feel supported
Methodology
Action Research
Narrative InquiryStudents’ quick responses each weekLonger accounts from self-selecting studentsALL’s and MT’s accounts
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Project Values
People not Policies…ordering people to do better without engaging their hearts and minds cannot succeed.
Levin, B., 2010, p.742
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Starting point
Is there a problem and, if so, where does it lie?
First year undergraduatesSchools and FE collegesUniversity tutors’ perceptions/expectations
Goen-Salter, 2008
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Project activity
Informal assessment - CATsWeekly group discusion on how what was
learnt or introduced in class and readings would be useful in their practice
Project Features: Online learning
BlogFacebookWebLearn
ILTasks
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Active Learning
We supported students to ‘become actively engaged in their learning and the learning and teaching process rather than be passive recipients of knowledge and information.’
Groves & O’Donoghue, 2009, p.147
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Project features: Active learning
I’ve always learned from
being practical.
Ideas come to me when I do things.
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Project results
High success rate in moduleHigher retention rate on courseFeedback from students about how more
focused reading has enabled them toDevelop their thinkingBe moved Experience a joy for learning
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Current University Contexts
Review of Undergraduate Education
Seven Pillars of Pedagogy
Enhanced Student engagement, success and
employabilityQuality of teaching and curriculum
development
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Issues and questions for future research and projects
GenderRaceSupport from another university
professional, not the module assessor
Ongoing improvement
Continuing with input into Sarah’s moduleThis process is now embedded into the
Academic Literacies (Education Studies Hons degree)
Scaffolding - this process be continued through to year 2 within a core module culminating in the final Year project.
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
What worked
Some challenges: Over running classes – short presentation time
– better planningAssessment
Positive:sat in on classes from the start – students used
to seeing me as part of the teaching teamavailable for classroom based tutorials/help
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Further strengths of the project
Offers students ‘scaffolded’ support over length of programme
Is embedded within meaningful and practical contexts
Enables multi-disciplinary teams to work together to Develop their pedagogyEngage in peer teaching
Eases transitions to UniversityThe workplace
References Armstrong, et al quoted by Corrall, S. (2007) ‘Benchmarking Strategic
Engagement with Information Literacy in Higher Education: Towards a Working Model’ Information Research, 12(4) paper 328 [Online] http://informationr.net/ir/12-4/paper328.html Last accessed: 24 February 2010
Buchanan, L.E., Luck, D.L. & Jones, T.C., Integrating Information Literacy into the Virtual University: A Course Model. Library Trends, 51(2), 144-166.
Goen-Salter, S., (2008), Critiquing the Need to Eliminate Remediation: Lessons from San Francisco State. Journal of Basic Writing, 27(2), 81-105
Groves, M. & O’Donoguhue, J., (2009), Reflections of Students in Their Use of Asynchronous Online Seminars. Educational Technology & Society. 12(3), 143-149.
Paton, Graeme (2010) 'Spoon-fed' teenagers failing to read books. Daily Telegraph, 7 March 2010 [Online] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/7391670/Spoon-fed-teenagers-failing-to-read-books.html Last accessed : 16 January 2011
17th January 2011 Denise Adams and Sarah Cousins
Contacts
Thank you for the interest you have shown in this project.
s.cousins@londonmet.ac.uk
a.adams@londonmet.ac.uk