Keywords

Information and Digital Literacy. University Libraries. Programme Level Approach. Participatory Action Research.

Description

Information and digital literacy (IDL) is a core graduate attribute at the University of Sheffield and is defined as follows: “Information and digital literacy (IDL) enables engaged learning. It blends information literacies with digital capabilities transcending technological skills and tools to identify with learning, living and working in a fluid digital world. IDL enables learners to discover and absorb information in a critically engaged manner, innovate in active pursuits of creative scholarship, demonstrate integrity by acknowledging the work of others and make a contribution for others to share” [University of Sheffield Library, 2019].

This paper will present initial reflections from an innovative participatory action research project established at the University, to bring a team of student associates together with a team of faculty liaison librarians to co-build and co-embed a programme level approach (PLA) to IDL. PLA takes a holistic rather than modular approach to learning and teaching, allowing students to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes that will make them confident and assured graduates. The University has set an ambitious five-year strategic vision to ensure every course has a programme level approach by the year 2021 [University of Sheffield, 2016].

US based librarians Susan Gardner Archambault & Jennifer Masunaga [2015] maintain that libraries can contribute to such ambitious programme level approaches by taking the initiative and by working with academic and administrative staff to map information (and digital) literacy into the curriculum. Our work aims to build on this by also including the student voice in our mapping work, taking a participatory action research approach [Heron & Reason, 2008] to engage, include and embrace the student experience. The success and impact of this work will be assessed through staff and student reflections and we will draw on these to present success to date, at the IATUL 2019 annual conference.

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Co-Designing a Programme Level Approach to Information and Digital Literacy: Initial Reflections from Our Participatory Action Research Project

Information and digital literacy (IDL) is a core graduate attribute at the University of Sheffield and is defined as follows: “Information and digital literacy (IDL) enables engaged learning. It blends information literacies with digital capabilities transcending technological skills and tools to identify with learning, living and working in a fluid digital world. IDL enables learners to discover and absorb information in a critically engaged manner, innovate in active pursuits of creative scholarship, demonstrate integrity by acknowledging the work of others and make a contribution for others to share” [University of Sheffield Library, 2019].

This paper will present initial reflections from an innovative participatory action research project established at the University, to bring a team of student associates together with a team of faculty liaison librarians to co-build and co-embed a programme level approach (PLA) to IDL. PLA takes a holistic rather than modular approach to learning and teaching, allowing students to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes that will make them confident and assured graduates. The University has set an ambitious five-year strategic vision to ensure every course has a programme level approach by the year 2021 [University of Sheffield, 2016].

US based librarians Susan Gardner Archambault & Jennifer Masunaga [2015] maintain that libraries can contribute to such ambitious programme level approaches by taking the initiative and by working with academic and administrative staff to map information (and digital) literacy into the curriculum. Our work aims to build on this by also including the student voice in our mapping work, taking a participatory action research approach [Heron & Reason, 2008] to engage, include and embrace the student experience. The success and impact of this work will be assessed through staff and student reflections and we will draw on these to present success to date, at the IATUL 2019 annual conference.