scholarly journals Information Literacy and Doctoral Students in France and Poland. A Comparative Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (1(103)) ◽  
pp. 52-66
Author(s):  
Zuzanna Wiorogórska

Purpose/thesis: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the issue of information literacy (IL) in view of French-Polish comparative research on information users. In the first part of the paper the simi­larities and differences in Polish and French approaches to information literacy are analyzed from the perspective of higher education. Next, the results of research conducted among doctoral students at the University of Warsaw and the University of Lille are presented. Approach/methods: Three methods were used: survey, nonparticipant observation and elements of grounded theory. The research tended on the one hand to verify the hypothesis on a low use of scientific journals by doctoral students, and on the other hand to answer the question what libra­rians and faculty should do to increase this use. Results and conclusions: Two major factors were identified: (1) the lack of specialized library instruction addressed to doctoral students (in the case of Poland) and (2) the lack of promotion/ dissemination of such instruction among doctoral students and lecturers who could encourage their students to participate (in the case of France). Research limitations: The response sample may be perceived too small to be representative for both universities; the method of identifying the field of studies may be disputable; the question if the uni­versities in Lille and Warsaw are comparable might be posed. Practical implications: This study might help librarians understand users’ needs and define the gaps in the library offer. It also highlights the importance of the IL education in the university environment. Originality/value: This is the first study of its kind and the first comparative study conducted after the implementation of Bologna Process. It identifies the issues that might be considered and imple­mented by the libraries with the main one being the reinforcement of the role and importance of IL.

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Calantha Tillotson

Based on their combined thirty years of experience in information literacy instruction, Heidi Buchanan and Beth McDonough speak honestly of the challenges and opportunities associated with one-shot library sessions and provide readers with practical, creative, and inspirational resources. The authors begin each chapter with an attention-grabbing title, such as “They never told me this in library school” and “There is not enough of me to go around!” After capturing the readers’ attention, they proceed to continually captivate readers which covering relevant topics, such as how to effectively collaborate with departmental instructors, how to create a meaningful session despite severe time constraints, how to utilize active learning activities to engage students, how to instruct in non-traditional learning environments, how to successfully assess instruction sessions, and how to efficiently follow time management strategies.


2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Sonley ◽  
Denise Turner ◽  
Sue Myer ◽  
Yvonne Cotton

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report the results of a case study evaluating the revision of the assessment methods of an information literacy module. The revised assessment method took the form of a portfolio.Design/methodology/approachDuring 2004, all six credit modules at the University of Teesside had to be reviewed and restructured into ten credit modules. Following Biggs' principles of constructive alignment, the tutors looked at the existing module aims and learning outcomes. A review of the literature and previous experience informed the selection of the new assessment method by portfolio. An evaluation of the assessment method was undertaken after the module had run.FindingsThe paper finds that the assessment method had real strengths especially in terms of validity. It was also economical and efficient. Students knew what they were expected to do and where they needed to put in effort.Research limitations/implicationsThe assessment by a portfolio method has been carried out once with a relatively small cohort of students, so the findings can only be regarded as interim.Practical implicationsThe tutors believe that they have created a very useful module with an aligned assessment method which would be of benefit to a much greater number of studentsOriginality/valueThere is a shortage of publications that report the results of the use of portfolios for the assessment of information literacy.


Author(s):  
Genevieve Jones-Edman ◽  
Karlene Patricia Robinson

Assessing the performance of information literacy (IL) students can be a daunting task for librarians globally. Most IL sessions are taught in 1 to 2 hours where any meaningful assessments are difficult to achieve. This research demonstrated how this feat was achieved in an active learning environment through the use of Google Forms. This mixed method study shows how this was effectively achieved to test both lower and higher order skills in a 2 hour session to one hundred and seventy-two foundation writing course students.The research tested a rarely examined feature of Google Forms which is the tool’s effectiveness in enabling comprehensive assessment, facilitating active learning, and identifying instructional errors in an IL instruction session. The findings show that Google Forms can be used to teach and administer a quiz using both multiple-choice as well as open-ended questions to assess both low and higher order learning skills in IL. Students were able to actively respond to questions while they were being taught, the data gathered and analyzed and used to inform future library instruction. It also showed that Google Forms are useful not simply to administer multiple-choice quizzes at the end of teaching but can be used in executing real-time assessment and support active learning. Because Google Forms support the easy creation of charts and downloading/exporting of statistics, results of assessments can be shared among librarians, faculty, and students to motivate and encourage digital pedagogy. It allows for greater collaboration with faculty in the cooperative teaching of students in single sessions where there is usually difficulty in having dialogue with faculty once a session ends. This case study is based on a limited number of students; thus, the findings of this research may not be generalized but the methodology and some skills in teaching the concepts encountered by librarians may be replicated.


2014 ◽  
pp. 1673-1684
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Blakesley

Conference presentations and vendor demonstrations are valuable, and these options often seem more economical as well. However, the benefits that can be gained for an individual and the institution from attending an intensive institute cannot be underestimated. Among the benefits of an intensive institute are gaining more in-depth knowledge about the topic, learning and collaborating more through the extended schedule, greatly enhanced opportunities for networking and learning from peers, and taking part in a learning community. This chapter will discuss these benefits and others. Just as research shows that semester-long courses can be more effective for developing information literacy skills than one-shot library instruction sessions, intensive institutes can provide a much richer professional development opportunity than an hour-long conference presentation. For adult learners, this type of environment can be much more valuable for short-term and long-term benefits.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-279
Author(s):  
Sara Maurice Whitver ◽  
Karleigh Knorr Riesen

Purpose This study aims to explore the application of reflective pedagogy within a course-embedded library instruction session (as opposed to a semester-long credit bearing course) as a means to foster transfer learning of research practices. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual essay adapts theories of reflection for transfer learning as found in composition and rhetoric literature to the traditional course-embedded library instruction classroom. Findings The application of reflection as a structured learning construct may have the potential to transform the library instruction classroom into an environment where transfer learning is more likely to take place. Research limitations/implications Most models for transfer learning are based on semester-long courses and do not take into account the abbreviated context of the traditional library instruction event. This presents a challenge to any adaptation of theory, as library instruction is often an event isolated to one or a few sessions. Practical implications This study provides a structure for reflective pedagogy for librarians who desire to engage students in practices that offer the potential of fostering transfer learning. Originality/value Librarians are practicing reflective pedagogies in semester-long information literacy courses, but few have used reflection in traditional instruction sessions beyond the documentation of student learning for assessment purposes. This essay provides a theory that extends reflective pedagogies into the traditional library instruction classroom with the hope of fostering transfer learning.


Author(s):  
David Revesado Carballares

The Spanish educational system has been witnessing a profound transformation over the last few years, with numerous changes that affect different areas of our system, among them, one of the most talked about, is the one that concerns the university environment, and to be more concrete, to its access, which, through the Ley Orgánica de Mejora de la Calidad Educativa promulgated in December last 2013, will perform a transformation in the access model. The article begins by approaching in a historical perspective the transition to the Spanish university, over the last decades, to analyze in detail the proposal that brings the new educational law. The main objective that we intend to get is none other than to show the reality of our current access system, valuing, in turn, the need for a change, as reflected in the new education law. The consolidation of this proposal will be accompanied by the incorporation of various selective strategies, which will allow the Spanish university system to achieve higher quality standards


Author(s):  
Svitlana Muravska

The article attempts to analyze the place of higher educational establishments(HEE) in general and its museums in particular playing in the city life. Thethe empirical basis of the article is the information collected as a result of researchvisits to HEE in seven regions of Western Ukraine: Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk,Ternopil, Volyn, Rivne, Chernivtsi, and Zakarpattia, organized for 2013-2017.The main used method is interviews with personnel of HEE museums.The author points out these «temples of muses» gradually moved awayfrom its traditional educational and research mission in the 1980’s. Such reassessmentof priorities had been caused by the crisis of the museum. For thelast 30 years it has become clear reduction of using the collections for teachingand research in many universities; some HEE plan to dispose of collectionsand to close museums; many universities are working out alternative organizationalmodels for managing collections in the one newly created museum.The crisis in the museum environment has imposed on the crisis, which theparent universities as institutions are encountering today - «crisis of identity» and «a crisis of resources», caused by the increasing often contradictoryrequirements to the high schools. On this background, the museums as individualunits also began to increase requirements. It led to their gradual transformationinto a museum of « the third generation». One of their defining missionis promoting the HEE, cooperation with the public in order to disseminateinformation about the university, vocational guidance, involvement of patronsand organization of other works implementing this direction. In particular,the article highlights atypical for the Ukrainian context the role of HEE museums- «shop-windows» and «show-cases», through which representatives ofoutside university environment can acquaint themselves with the achievementsof high school and feel its special atmosphere. The author outlines a numberof touristic potential of some HEE in Western Ukraine, where physical objectsare interesting from an architectural and cultural point of view. Amongthe most striking examples is the main building of Yuriy Fedkovych ChernivtsiNational University., Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, campus of Lviv Polytechnic National University, campus of The National Universityof Ostroh Academy, Lviv State University of Life Safety, Kremenets ForestryCollege. Among the researched 74 HEE are roughly a quarter which can beclassified as «visually attractive». However, less than 10 % of them use thisadvantage for brand developing. The relevant policy concerning museumsand academic space in general will allow high school to become a separatepoint on the tourist map, to establish relationships with the surrounding communityand to participate actively in local cultural life.


Author(s):  
María Dolores Lagoa-Varela ◽  
Begoña Alvarez García ◽  
Lucía Boedo Vilabella

In the last twenty-five years many changes have taken place in the Spanish University system and, as a consequence, the university lecturer’s role has evolved and a new teaching style prevails. The present paper focuses on University teachers of Economics and Business. It explores the teachers’ perception about the new methodologies that they have implemented, the extent to which the process of change has modified their way of working and, finally, the benefits and drawbacks encountered. Moreover, we examine whether differences of opinion arise depending on the distinct personal and professional characteristics of each teacher. The results reveal that most of the methodological changes undergone by the teachers stem more from the new profile of their students than by regulatory obligations. There is a unanimous opinion that the time and effort dedicated to teaching is now notably greater and that it is necessary to develop a rigorous system of teaching evaluation. In addition, two clear aspects can be observed: on the one hand, staff with a wider experience has carried out more changes and uses new technologies to a greater extent, and, on the other hand, the use and promotion of English in class is still a crucial issue.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-164
Author(s):  
Saskia Grooters ◽  
Emma Zaal ◽  
Menno Gerkema

A strong theoretical approach with a specific focus on disciplinary research characterizes the common science master’s education in the Netherlands. However, a work-based learning (WBL) approach may as well be expedient and suitable for science education at master’s level. In this paper, a case study is presented of a WBL-program designed for an academic setting: the one year Science, Business and Policy (SBP) master’s track, offered at the Faculty of Science and Engineering of the University of Groningen. The paper describes the design and curriculum of the track, including its underlying theoretical framework, courses, multidisciplinary projects and work placements. Based on the SBP-track’s design we identified six possible indicators of a successful elaboration of an academic WBL-program: the SBP-track 1) is designed in response to the Bologna process; 2) is offered fully within the curriculum of a master’s program of a research university; 3) requires a sufficient academic level and disciplinary knowledge at entrée; 4) follows an educational project approach; 5) focuses on the integration and implementation of knowledge, and; 6) applies learning objectives that are specifically formulated to match the WBL educational method. A directed content analysis of SBP work placements revealed an increase in the number of SBP-students between 2003 and 2019, with an overrepresentation of life science students, as well as a large variety of real-case problems addressed for both business and policy organisations diverse in sector, size and region. Students’ grades showed a positive correlation between the initial theoretical preparation and the report made during the work placement. In conclusion, the societal interpretation of the Bologna process has been implemented successfully with SBP, by combining academic learning with gaining professional experience using a WBL-approach. Received: 03 December 2020Accepted: 09 April 2021


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 15-26
Author(s):  
Jose Mondejar-Jimenez ◽  
Juan-Antonio Mondejar-Jimenez ◽  
Manuel Vargas-Vargas ◽  
Maria-Leticia Meseguer-Santamaria

Castilla-La Mancha University has decided to implement two tools: WebCT and Moodle, Virtual Campus has emerged: www.campusvirtual.ulcm.es. This paper is dedicated to the analysis of said tool as a primary mode of e-learning expansion in the university environment. It can be used to carry out standard educational university activities in accordance with the guidelines set out by the new European Space for Higher Education. New needs continue to present themselves, not only with regard to the exchange of information and documents, but the complete and integrated management of teaching which is carried out using virtual environments and the Internet: e-learning.


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