scholarly journals Frames, models and definitions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Secker
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Development ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Senior Lecturer ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Definition Of Information

See RECORDING. This keynote is both a practical and strategic view of information literacy from my perspective as a Senior Lecturer in Educational Development at City University, London and Chair of the UK’s Information Literacy Group. I’ll reflect on the experiences I have had since leaving the library profession and moving into the field of educational development, which involves working with faculty to enhance teaching and learning and to develop their curricula. Since taking on this role I have had rich conversations with academic staff about all aspects of information literacy, often under other guises. I’ve recently undertaken a small-scale study to understand their approach to thinking about the related concepts of digital literacy and open practice and I’ll discuss some findings from this research. Faculty express concerns about how to create independent learners in the age where information is abundant, but knowledge is still scarce and privileged. Those who complete my module on the same topics have reflected on the plethora of terms and frameworks which are designed to support them which in fact sometimes leave them further confused. I’ll also draw on a recent chapter I wrote (Secker, 2018) on the trouble that terminology can cause, when we try to collaborate with both academic staff and with colleagues in other areas of learning support. The second part of my keynote will focus on the efforts of the UK’s Information Literacy Group (ILG) to broaden the definition of information literacy and to try to get the concept recognised outside the library. In many ways there are parallels between the work I do at an institutional level and the efforts of the group to raise awareness of information literacy more broadly. In April 2018 the ILG launched a new definition of information literacy and much of the efforts of the group have been to build links with organisations and people outside of the library sector. For us to achieve true universal information literacy, as Paul Zurkowski first envisaged, (Zurkowski, 1974) I will argue information literacy needs to become an ongoing concern or everyone who works in education, government, the media or who cares about social justice. I’ll end by considering the challenges and opportunities that collaboration presents whether it is librarians, academics and other professional staff in education or policy makers and other organisations working with those outside the library world. Collaboration is vital for information literacy to become truly embedded into all aspects of formal and informal learning and to achieve the goal of universal information literacy that Zurkowski first envisaged. However, we still have a big task ahead of us to achieve this. I will attempt to consider the lessons I’ve learnt from working in this field for over 15 years, and advocate for a vision of information literacy that extends far beyond the library community. I’ll draw on the work and the framework in developed in 2011 (Secker and Coonan, 2013) to explore how we can rethink information literacy and provide a framework for supporting learning in the digital age.  

Learning to look critically: teaching and learning visual literacy in art and design librarianship

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Meeks
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Visual Literacy ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Art And Design ◽  
Exciting Opportunity ◽  
Contextual Definition ◽  
Critical Components ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Definition Of Information

Teaching and learning visual literacy within art and design librarianship presents several unique challenges. Librarians are better equipped than ever to meet these challenges with the help of ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards and the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education, which provides an exciting opportunity to situate visual literacy within the contextual definition of information literacy for art and design students. In mapping these two documents together the author found several ways to address the more critical components of information and visual literacy in more nuanced and meaningful ways. While art librarians have often addressed visual literacy needs to varying degrees and in creative and practical ways, a more systematic approach is needed as we move forward.

scholarly journals Research into the diversification of university careers in learning and teaching and intentionally closing-the-loop on graduate employability

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-212
Author(s):  
James Arvanitakis ◽  
Madelaine-Marie Judd ◽  
Shelley Kinash ◽  
Trina Jorre de st Jorre ◽  
Trish McCluskey
Keyword(s):  
Academic Staff ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Senior Lecturer ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Graduate Employability ◽  
Occupational Patterns ◽  
Closing The Loop ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Teaching Positions

 Universities are both a source of employable graduates and careers. This paper examines universities as developers and employers of their own graduates from the perspective of employees and recruited positions. Research questions were: what do learning and teaching careers look like at universities, and; what are the occupational patterns, satisfactions and concerns of the staff in those careers? An autoethnographic account of employees’ career journeys (all of whom were employed in learning and teaching or closely related areas) from five different universities were shared, compared and contrasted. Two of these universities are profiled as having a large proportion of students from target equity groups and therefore have intentionally recruited learning and teaching staff to widen student participation. A desktop review of six months of university employment vacancies from these two universities was conducted. A consistent theme across the autoethnographic stories was a feeling of being an outsider. The authors’ hypothesis is that this is related to haphazard preparation for learning and teaching positions. Of the 322 university vacancies, 84% were for professional staff, 23% of which were in learning and teaching, with the most prevalent role being Coordinator. Fourteen per cent were for academic staff, 64% of which involved learning and teaching, and the most prevalent title was Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. Key takeaways include recommendations for universities to intentionally enhance the employability of graduates who pursue learning and teaching positions within universities, and for prospective university learning and teaching staff to enhance their employability.

Professional community and student engagement in higher education: rethinking the contributions of professional staff

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaw Owusu-Agyeman ◽  
Enna Moroeroe
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Professional Staff ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Culture ◽  
The University

PurposeScholarly studies on student engagement are mostly focused on the perceptions of students and academic staff of higher education institutions (HEIs) with a few studies concentrating on the perspectives of professional staff. To address this knowledge gap, this paper aims to examine how professional staff who are members of a professional community perceive their contributions to enhancing student engagement in a university.Design/methodology/approachData for the current study were gathered using semi-structured face-to-face interviews among 41 professional staff who were purposively sampled from a public university in South Africa. The data gathered were analysed using thematic analysis that involved a process of identifying, analysing, organising, describing and reporting the themes that emerged from the data set.FindingsAn analysis of the narrative data revealed that when professional staff provide students with prompt feedback, support the development of their social and cultural capital and provide professional services in the area of teaching and learning, they foster student engagement in the university. However, the results showed that poor communication flow and delays in addressing students’ concerns could lead to student disengagement. The study further argues that through continuous interaction and shared norms and values among members of a professional community, a service culture can be developed to address possible professional knowledge and skills gaps that constrain quality service delivery.Originality/valueThe current paper contributes to the scholarly discourse on student engagement and professional community by showing that a service culture of engagement is developed among professional staff when they share ideas, collaborate and build competencies to enhance student engagement. Furthermore, the collaboration between professional staff and academics is important to addressing the academic issues that confront students in the university.

University Teachers' Use of Digital Technologies

2017 ◽  
pp. 686-702
Author(s):  
Daariimaa Marav ◽  
Michelle Espinoza
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Complex Relationships

This chapter is set in the context of two developing countries, Mongolia and Chile, where digital technology is seen as a powerful icon of the knowledge economy. The predominant and common discourses surrounding the uses of digital technologies in education in these developing countries usually assume rather celebratory stances of the roles digital technologies may perform in education in the digital age. Thus, the research reported here explores the realities, opportunities, and challenges that academic staff face when using digital technologies through the perspectives offered by the field of digital literacy studies. The findings illustrate the close and complex relationships between sociocultural contexts, beliefs, values, and digital literacy practices. The study suggests that more attention needs to be paid to the wider contexts affecting the digital practices around teaching and learning rather than to technologies per se.

scholarly journals The Need to Focus on Digital Pedagogy for Online Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halvdan Haugsbakken ◽  
Shaun Nykvist ◽  
Dag Atle Lysne
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Online Technologies ◽  
Digital Pedagogy

As pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning continue to evolve to meet the needs of students in a rapidly changing, globalized world that is heavily influenced and reliant on digital technologies, it is anticipated that the learning environments in Higher Education will also be transformed. Consequently, this transformation of learning environments is often synonymous with the adoption of and continued focus on the potential benefits of online learning in the Higher Education sector. It is within this context that this paper reports on a small-scale case study in a large Nordic university where the learning management system, Blackboard was piloted and implemented using a top-down approach consisting of the comprehensive training of academic staff, students and support staff. The explorative approach used in this study identifies three common themes in the data as it follows a group of academic beta testers (N=23) who are involved in the initial phases of implementation. The study explores the educators’ primary use of Blackboard, whilst attempting to understand how academics perceive and interpret the role of online technologies to support effective pedagogical practices. Drawing on data from participant interviews, the study highlights the need for increased academic support for online learning design and a renewed focus on staff development of effective pedagogical practices

scholarly journals Definición de alfabetización informacional de CILIP, 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dora Sales
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Spanish Translation ◽  
Alfabetización Informacional ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Definition Of Information

Se traduce al castellano la nueva definición de alfabetización informacional de CILIP (Reino Unido), cuyo original se publicó en 2018. Se trata de una definición con enorme potencial, que enfatiza la relevancia de la ALFIN en la sociedad actual, para todas las personas, no sólo en el contexto educativo. This is the Spanish translation of the new CILIP (United Kingdom) definition of information literacy, originally published in 2018. It is a definition with enormous potential, which enhances the relevance of IL in today's society, for all people, not only in the educational context.

Middle leading small-scale school projects

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1733-1745
Author(s):  
Peter Grootenboer ◽  
Kevin Larkin
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Development ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Based ◽  
Middle Leaders

Purpose The authors argue that middle leaders are the key educators in school-based educational development. Schools often secure small-scale funding to engage in government or systemic initiatives, and these projects require a leadership “close to the classroom” if they are to realise sustainable educational gains. This leadership often comes from the middle leaders – those who practice their leading in and around classrooms. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach A single case study methodology is used to investigate two middle leaders, leading a small-scale project. Their leading practices are examined using the “theory of practice architectures”, to identify how these practices were enacted within their educational context. Findings While principals play a crucial role in enacting change, it is the middle leaders who are closer to the classroom than most principals, and whose practices more directly impact teaching and learning as they are best placed to ensure that meagre resources are well used to improve student learning. They do this by ensuring that development is collegial and a response to evidence-based needs. Practical implications First, middle leaders need support in facilitating educational development. Second, their leading practice is crucial for sustainable school-based development. Third, site-based educational development occurs most effectively when it is evidence-based. Finally, this form of educational development requires high-level collegiality. Originality/value This paper is original in two key ways: first, it addresses the under-researched practices of middle leaders; and, second it employs the practice theory to understand school leadership and development.

Perspectives on Media Literacy, Digital Literacy and Information Literacy

2012 ◽  
pp. 28-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Fantin
Keyword(s):  
Media Literacy ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Media Education ◽  
Literacy Programs ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Definition Of

The cultural landscape poses different challenges for teachers. Beyond developing reading and writing skills, it is necessary to emerge in the digital culture and master the different codes of different languages. In this context, media education studies discuss the educational possibilities of interpreting, problematizing, and producing different kinds of texts in critical and creative ways, through the use of all means, languages and technologies available. Considering that media cannot be excluded from literacy programs, it is essential to reflect on the definition of “literate” today. These reflections examine the resignification of concepts like literacy, media literacy, digital literacy and information literacy.

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