Collaboration, information literacy, and troublesome knowledge: Threshold concepts in the real world
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Transcript of Collaboration, information literacy, and troublesome knowledge: Threshold concepts in the real world
Collaboration, Information Literacy, and Troublesome Knowledge: Threshold Concepts in the Real World
Collaboration, Information Literacy, and Troublesome Knowledge: Threshold Concepts in the Real WorldRebecca K. Miller and Sara M. Crickenberger, Virginia TechGeorgia International Conference on Information Literacy | October 2014
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Session ObjectivesSession Objectives
• Explain threshold concepts and information literacy (IL) threshold concepts
• Describe how IL threshold concepts can be effectively integrated into a course
• Explore threshold concepts in course and assignment design
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Framework for IL for Higher EducationFramework for IL for Higher Education
• Scholarship is a Conversation• Research as Inquiry• Authority is Contextual and Constructed• Format as a Process• Searching as Exploration• Information has Value
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Threshold ConceptsThreshold Concepts
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Introduced by Jan Meyer & Ray Land (2003):
Threshold concepts are the core ideas and processes that define the ways of thinking and practicing for a discipline but are so ingrained that they often go unspoken or unrecognized by practitioners
(Townsend, Brunetti, & Hofer, 2011, p. 854)
CriteriaCriteriaCriteria for threshold concepts (Meyer & Land, 2003)• Transformative – causes a shift in perspective• Integrative – brings together separate concepts• Irreversible – once grasped, cannot be un-
grasped• Troublesome – may be counterintuitive• Bounded – helps define boundaries of a discipline
or may be unique to a discipline
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ExamplesExamples
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Discipline Threshold Concept
Physics Heat transfer
Biology Evolution
Mathematics Limits
Literary & Cultural Studies Signification
Economics Opportunity cost
Threshold Concepts in ILThreshold Concepts in IL
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Hofer, Townsend, and Brunetti (2012)
• Metadata = findability• Good searches use database structure• Format is a process• Authority is constructed and contextual• “Primary source” is an exact and conditional category• Information as a commodity• Research solves problems
Why?Why?
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Threshold concepts can help librarians devise targeted curricula by prioritizing trouble spots. Learners who cross these thresholds are well positioned for academic inquiry.
(Hofer, Townsend, & Brunetti, 2012, p. 403)
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Changes & Challenges Changes & Challenges
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…threshold concepts are of limited use for one-shot instruction because a fundamental feature of crossing a learning threshold is that it takes some time to accomplish
(Hofer, Townsend, & Brunetti, 2013, p. 112)
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Our ExampleOur Example
• English 1106 at Virginia Tech• Instructor + Librarian collaboration• Information Literacy Threshold Concepts• Research as Inquiry• …and others
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Adult LearningAdult Learning• Collaborative• Problem based • Relevant • Immediate/goal oriented• Reinforceable• Practical
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English 1106: Writing from ResearchEnglish 1106: Writing from Research
• Collaborative learning process • Traditional collaborators: Students +
Instructor • Missing partner: The research expert
• Ideal collaboration = Students + Instructor + Research Librarian
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Problem BasedProblem BasedFirst session
• Library environment new/foreign for many• Eases students into research• Students reach basic level of understanding/competence• Works for initial involvement/first projects
Second session • Stakes ramped up to biggest research project of semester• Factors in place to bring students to deeper level of learning• Opportunity to cross threshold
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Key FactorsKey Factors• Relevant: Research is extremely relevant to problem
in front of student • Immediate/goal oriented: Second session is right
time to deepen skills/understanding of key concepts: facing finite deadline, definite goal
• Reinforceable: Classroom session builds on skills introduced, used earlier
• Practical: Using students’ laptops simulates their normal research environment
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The ThresholdThe Threshold
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Crossing the threshold• Internal motivation• Self direction • Both are key factors for adult learners
Those who are willing to go deeper have the opportunity and the resources
MotivationMotivationMotivation• Ultimately, learners must be internally motivated• Students lacking motivation may fail to cross threshold
Strategies to enhance motivation• Allow students to research topics that excite them• Provide positive reinforcement
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SuccessSuccessWhat success is
• Increased understanding of quality research sources• Ability to find appropriate sources to solve research problem
What success looks like• More research sources• More high-quality (peer-reviewed) sources• Fewer low-quality sources • The bottom line: stronger research projects/papers
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Conversation: Question 1Conversation: Question 1
Which information literacy (IL) threshold concepts seem particularly relevant to your disciplines and your classrooms?
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Conversation: Question 2Conversation: Question 2
What sorts of strategies might you use to integrate any relevant IL threshold concepts into your teaching?
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Conversation: Question 3Conversation: Question 3
What challenges might you encounter when integrating IL threshold concepts into your teaching?
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Conversation: Question 4Conversation: Question 4
Are you able to identify any on-campus partners who might be able to assist and support you in integrating IL threshold concepts into your teaching?
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Conversation: Question 5Conversation: Question 5
What other questions do you have about IL threshold concepts or threshold concepts in general?
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Further ReadingFurther Reading• Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). (2014). Framework for information literacy in higher education
draft 2. Retrieved from http://acrl.ala.org/ilstandards/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Framework-for-IL-for-HE-Draft-2.pdf
• Hofer, A. R., Townsend, L. & Brunetti, K. (2013). A thresholds concepts approach to the standards revision. Communications in Information Literacy, 7(2), 108-113.
• Hofer, A. R., Townsend, L., & Brunetti, K. (2012). Troublesome concepts and information literacy: Investigating threshold concepts for IL instruction. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 12(4), 387-405.
• Meyer, J. H. F. & Land, R. (2003). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: Linkages to new ways of thinking and practicing within the disciplines. ETL Project Report. Retrieved from http://www.etl.tla.ed.ac.uk/docs/ETLreport4.pdf
• Meyer, J. H. F & Land, R. (2006). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: An introduction. In J. H. F. Meyer & R. Land (Eds.), Overcoming barriers to student understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (pp. 19-32). London: Routledge.
• Townsend, L., Brunetti, K., & Hofer, A. R. (2011). Threshold concepts and information literacy. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 11(3), 853-869.
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Contact UsContact UsRebecca K. Miller
University Libraries, Virginia Tech
Sara M. Crickenberger
Dept. of English, Virginia Tech
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