The trouble with terminology: rehabilitating and rethinking ‘Digital Literacy’

Dr Jane SeckerLondon School of Economics and

Political Science

SRHE Conference: 10th December 2015

The trouble with terminology…

Image: ‘Path path path’ by Hockadilly, CC BY-NC 2.0

What is digital literacy?

What is information literacy?

Information literacy empowers people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use and create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational goals. It is a basic human right in a digital world and promotes social inclusion in all nations.

UNESCO (2005) Alexandria Proclamation

Information Literacy and other literaciesSecker and Coonan, 2011

IL as a threshold concept

ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2015)

Authority Is Constructed and Contextual

Information Creation as a Process

Information Has Value

Research as Inquiry

Scholarship as Conversation

Searching as Strategic Exploration

A New Curriculum for Information Literacy (ANCIL)

Secker and Coonan (2013)https://newcurriculum.wordpress.com

Is technology a red herring?

http://www.public-domain-image.com

Information literacy ...… supports transition

Higher education is “not just more education, but different”. Students coming from school are not sure what learning is - it’s always been managed for them.

… develops independent learnersIt involves students being able to articulate the expectations of a new

information context, and also being able to reflect on their own learning. Part of the process of becoming an independent learner also involves helping a student

understand more about the process of learning.

… includes the social dimension of informationAs a profession, we need to think about what students need to know and be able to apply in the information environment. Our commitment should be to

life-long learning rather than the longer life of our library resources.

(ANCIL Expert Consultation Report, 2011)Secker and Coonan, 2011

But too easily can be outside the curriculum…

Image by Miki Yoshihito: SAKURAKO looks in the window. Licensed under CC-BY 2.0

Technology and information are not neutral

“Broader literacy practices are not going to emerge spontaneously as a result of technology proliferation”Hinrichsen and Coombs (2013)

Teaching outside the curriculum risks alienating academic staff

Who’s responsibility is it anyway?

Digital literacy as an opportunity…

Developing an LSE Framework Developed in 2013 Covers digital and

information literacy Based on ANCIL and other

frameworks Provide examples and used

to review existing provision Can be used to plan

teaching But needs to avoid being

overly prescriptive

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Digital natives?

Photo by Flickingerbrad licensed under Creative Commons Photo by starmanseries licensed under Creative Commons

Building partnerships Collaboration with

academics Closer working between

learning support professionals

Aligning digital, academic and information literacy programmes

Joined up approach to liaising with academic departments

Further readingCILIP (2013) Information Literacy Definition. Available at http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/advocacy-campaigns-awards/advocacy-campaigns/information-literacy/information-literacy

Godin, Seth (2011) The Future of the Library. Available at: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/05/the-future-of-the-library.html

Hinrichsen, J and Coombs (2013). The five resources of critical digital literacy: a framework for curriculum integration. Research in Learning Technology. 21: 21334. http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/rlt.v21.21334

Jacobson, Trudi E., and Thomas P. Mackey. (2013) “Proposing a Metaliteracy Model to Redefine Information Literacy.” Communications in Information Literacy 7, no. 2: 84–91.

Mary R. Lea & Brian V. Street (1998) Student writing in higher education:An academic literacies approach, Studies in Higher Education, 23:2, 157-172.

Meyer, Jan, and Land, Ray. (2003). Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge: Linkages to Ways of Thinking and Practicing within the Disciplines. Edinburgh, UK: University of Edinburgh.

Secker, J and Coonan, E. (2013) Rethinking Information Literacy: a practical framework for supporting learning. Facet Publishing: London.

UNESCO (2015) Media and Information Literacy. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/media-development/media-literacy/mil-as-composite-concept/

Zurkowski, P (1974). The Information Service Environment: Relationships and Priorities. Related Paper No.5." National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.