Information Literacy information skills for everyone

1
Information Literacy information skills for
everyone

• Christine Irving

learndirect Scotland Masterclass Wednesday 7th
June 2006
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Contact details

• Christine Irving
• Research Assistant / Project Officer
• Information literacy skills - the link between
  secondary and
• tertiary education
• Learner Support
• Glasgow Caledonian University
• Room RS305
• Rose Street
• Glasgow G3 6RB
•  
• Tel [phone]
• e-mail christine.irving_at_gcal.ac.uk
• Project website www.learningservices.gcal.ac.uk/i
  ls/index.html

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Brief bio

• Information literacy work involved in
• previously
• Information Handling Skills project - SFEU/cross
  sector
• co-writing the NAB for the Information Handling
  Skills Intermediate Level 2 national unit
  qualification SQA
• 2nd phase of Information Handling Skills material
  SLIC
• currently - Glasgow Caledonian University
• Information literacy skills - the link between
  secondary and tertiary education
• Information literacy in the workplace
• Other work previously involved in
• ICT Workshop Trainer for NOF funded training for
  Public Library staff
• Writing open and flexible learning materials for
  access students (Informal / Formal Carers) on
  Getting started with the Internet.
• Creation and maintenance of Help Centre website.
• Currently studying for an MSc in Lifelong
  Learning and Development Scottish Centre for
  Work Based Learning, Glasgow Caledonian
  University.

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Aims

• to look at some of the information literacy
  skills and competencies in more detail,
  highlighting and discussing the problems
  experienced
• demonstration and hands on session of some of the
  Information Handling Skills online material
  available through SkillNet
• opportunity to try out some tips and techniques

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Programme

• 10.30 Introduction
• 10.40 Discussion about learners, information
  and information literacy
• 10.55 Demonstration of Information Handling
  Skills material
• 11.10 Hands on session
• 11.50 Plenary session
• 12.00 Buffet Lunch
• 13.00 Close

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Information literacy definition

• Information literacy is knowing when and why you
  need information,
• where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and
  communicate it in an
• ethical manner.
• The skills (or competencies) that are required to
  be information literate require
• an understanding of
• a need for information
• the resources available
• how to find information
• the need to evaluate results
• how to work with or exploit results
• ethics and responsibility of use
• how to communicate or share your findings
• how to manage your findings.
• www.cilip.org.uk/professionalguidance/informationl
  iteracy/definition/

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HMIe report

• A recent interim report by HM Inspectors of
  Education (HMIe) in Scotland on the
• Integration of Information and Communication
  Technology specifically mentions
• information literacy and its importance plus lack
  of application. The report identifies that
• Few schools had systematic approaches to
  developing information literacy
• to ensure that all pupils acquired this set of
  skills progressively
• as part of their passport of core and life
  skills.
• The reports conclusions in relation to
  curricular planning states that schools should
• ensure that
• pupils ultimately achieve a cohesive ICT skills
  set, to prepare them for
• the world of tertiary education or work including
  information literacy skills
• HM Inspectors of Education, 2005. The Integration
  of Information and Communications
• Technology in Scottish Schools An interim report
  by HM Inspectors of Education October
• 2005 http//www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/
  EvICT20Final201820Oct.html
• 4.14. see also 5.29, 8.1 and 9.9

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What information literacy skills if anydo 1st
year students bring to university ?

• Poor or limited skills are generally in the
  following areas
• Knowing the different types of information where
  information comes from how it is generated
  published etc. and how to use it
• Search strategies, searching in depth or beyond
  whats available
• Evaluating information found plus critical
  thinking

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Information literacy in the workplaceFindings
from recent small research based exploratory
interviews

• Skills
• generally employers are not explicitly looking
  for information literacy skills and competencies
  by name they are assuming employees have these
  skills
• Learning in the workplace
• tends to be driven by business requirements and
  job or task specific
• generally does not formally include information
  literacy or any of the skills and competencies
  except in the form of Internet training /
  acceptable use policy
• informal learning in information literacy skills
  and competences are taking place in the form of
  learning from colleagues. Given the lack of
  application of information literacy in schools
  reported by HMIe and the research findings by
  this author of pupils and students highlighted
  earlier and the findings of this research then
  this has the potential of leading to a narrow,
  poor or patchy level of skills.
• Information skills / information literacy
• a variety of information resources are used, the
  resources used tended to depend on what resources
  individuals have previous experience of and have
  access to.
• as no formal training is taking place in the
  workplace there is the potential that valuable
  resources may not be being used through lack of
  knowledge or not used to their full potential
  through lack of training or experience.
• the Internet and the web were in many cases the
  most used information resource as it was the most
  accessible. Given the reliance on this resource,
  the lack of training re evaluating sources of
  information it is not surprising that there is
  the potential for information to turn out to be
  not as reliable as had originally thought.