Information Literacy – the link between secondary and tertiary

education

John CrawfordLibrary Research Officer

Glasgow Caledonian University

Scotland - a good place to be for information literacy

• The Lifelong Learning Strategy for Scotland – a peg to hang IL on http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/lifelong/llsm-00.asp

• The second least socially divisive educational system in the world Scotsman, 25/1/06, http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=120052006

• Over 50% of the eligible population continue from school to university, making strategies which link the secondary and the tertiary sectors feasible

• Organisation of the school system is both simple and uniform

• Scottish Executive e-government policy

The Drumchapel Project 2003

An exploratory project – initially ICT skills orientated Community ICT facilities little used - Library and

Cybercafés School and School Library are main focus for IT use in

deprived areas Little integration of information literacy into the

curriculum Levels of ICT ‘deprivation’ did not seem to be high Basic IT skills exist- WP, email, Internet Pupil evaluation of websites poor School disproportionately important in deprived areas

Secondary 5/6 focus group

LIRG/SCONUL Value and Impact Project 2

• Questionnaires to students (electronically) and alumni – (administered by post Spring 2004)

• Respondents included middle/senior management • Considerable change in attitude/usage between university

and work • Strong link between IL and employability • Scholarly methods spreading in the workplace• Work greatly sharpens perceptions about value of IL• Good match between databases introduced at University

and used at work • Information literacy linked with the exercise of initiative in

the workplace and ‘getting on’• Varied attitude to IL among employers• Sparse replies from the unemployed

A few quotes

• ‘[information] literacy skills [are] of about 20-30% importance in my job’

• ‘I have been dragged, if not kicking and screaming, at least wincing, into EIS’

• ‘Young people should be leaving school with the basic skills to find employment or further their studies, whilst universities should not have to make up for this failure’

• ‘If you can’t do this you can’t do anything’• ‘because for a start you need to be information

literate to find a job in the first place’.

Where do we go from here?

• From all studies undertaken an information literacy agenda emerged

• Need for a strategy which links the secondary and the tertiary sectors

• The tertiary sector is not an independent unit but a stage along the way – avoid fixating on the undergraduate

• Need to focus on employability

Information Literacy – the link between secondary and tertiary

education• innovative national pilot project which will

develop curriculum based IL frameworks with secondary and tertiary partners which, at the end of the project, can be rolled out to other participants.

• to produce secondary school leavers with a skill set which further and higher education can recognise and develop or which can be applied to the world of work directly.

Project objectives

• Identify student information literacy skills they bring to university

• Convert identified IL skills into an IL framework extending from secondary into higher education

• pilot and test developed framework

• Identify barriers to and constraints on the development of a national IL framework

• Test the link between IL, progression, and retention and the employability agenda

What information literacy skills if any do 1st years bring to university ?

Summary findings from Subject/Academic Librarian interviews: (Glasgow area)

• Varies depending on the student, the course and the school they come from plus home life

• 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 what’s available

– Evaluating information found plus critical thinking

Developing an IL framework

linked to SCQF • Aim to create an overarching framework defining IL

learning in terms of statements of skills, knowledge and understanding

• Use the Information Handling Skills Intermediate 2 qualification = SCQF level 5 as a starting point

• Use CILIP definition of IL skills and competences to develop the other level descriptors and show progression

• Map the existing learning that is taking place within the context of SCQF

• Obtain funding and work with project partners to achieve this.

Outcome of meeting with Curriculum Review Team

• the curriculum was being fundamentally changed with the main focus being a move towards a 3–18 curriculum that will declutter the curriculum (which is currently very prescriptive) and have cohesion and progression

• we need to demonstrate a link between information literacy and cohesion and progression for information literacy to be considered as part of the new curriculum

• we need to clarify the confusion about study skills, library skills, information skills, information handling skills, information literacy and media literacy (Ofcom)

• those interested in information literacy need to input into the curriculum review, raise information literacy’s profile and lobby for its inclusion in the curriculum.

The curriculum – the way forward

A curriculum for excellence progress and proposals:

Interdisciplinary projects and studies

‘The curriculum needs to include space for learning beyond subject

boundaries, so that learners can make connections between different

areas of learning. Through interdisciplinary activities of this kind, young

people can develop their organisational skills, creativity, teamwork and

the ability to apply their learning in new and challenging contexts.’

‘enterprise, citizenship, health, creativity and problem solving, for

example, are embedded and developed across the curriculum’

HMI Report 2005• 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.’ As part of the conclusions relating to curricular planning it 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 [Scotland] 2005)

• http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/EvICT%20Final%2018%20Oct.html

A few points

• In Scotland there a number of initiatives in the secondary sector but they are uncoordinated

• Contacts between schools and universities are limited

• There is very little perception in HE about what skills new students bring with them

• Partners recruited from both the secondary and tertiary sectors and…..

Issues identified

• There should be a seamless progression from school to work (via HE)

• The employability agenda is a key issue which we must focus on

• We need to know more about how the skills we impart extend to the workplace

• We need to know more about the workplace and attitudes of employers

• Does IL have a direct value which can be calculated?

• Making the case - Advocacy

Progress so far

• Partners identified but limited progress • Still to do mapping exercise and piloting• Work with learndirect Scotland• New focus on the workplace - LTS funding• Links with work based learning• Advocacy focus – Petition to the Scottish

Parliament • Funding mainly to support employability agenda • Still terrible problems with definitions

Outcomes

• Very favourable reaction from the profession and professional media – otherwise zilch

• Petitions Committee wrote to the Scottish Executive, a range of NGOs and unions

• Other interested bodies subsequently submitted evidence

• Petitions Committee reviews evidence on 31st May and suggests way forward

Where should we be going?

• Lifelong learners – shift from content to ability to learn

• Workers – information to support decision making and career development

• Is it a competition issue?

• Problem based thinkers

• People with recreational information needs

Some references • McLelland, Dorothy and Crawford, John (2004) The Drumchapel

Project: a study of ICT usage by school pupils and teachers in a secondary school in a deprived area of Glasgow, Journal of librarianship and information science, 36, (2), pp. 55-67.

• Crawford, John et al (2004) Use and awareness of electronic information services by students at Glasgow Caledonian University: a longitudinal study, Journal of librarianship and information science, 36, (3), pp. 101-117

• Crawford, John (2006) The use of electronic information services and information literacy, Journal of librarianship and information science, 38, (1), pp. 33-44

• Crawford, John & Irving, Christine (2006) Begin at school. Library + Information Update, 5 (1-2), pp. 38-39

Contact details

• Dr. John Crawford,• Library Research Officer, • Glasgow Caledonian University,• Room 302, (3rd floor)• 6 Rose Street,• Glasgow,• G3 6RB• Tel: 0141-273-1248• Email jcr@gcal. ac.uk• Project website

www.learningservices.gcal.ac.uk/ils/index.html