The Importance of Being Information Literate
Abstract
This opening chapter serves as an introduction to the topic of information literacy (IL) and the role of IL in both academia and in society in general. We delineate our purpose with the book, which is to broaden our concept of what IL is and why including learning strategies and academic formation in the IL definition can increase student learning. The chapter furthermore briefly looks at challenges connected to dropout rates in higher education and how IL teaching can ease the transition from secondary to tertiary education. Even though the book primarily focuses on IL in an academic setting, we also believe that IL plays a major role in lifelong learning and that IL skills are necessary in almost any line of work. The chapter ends with a short summary of the succeeding chapters.
Keywords
Information literacy; purpose of book; lifelong learning; retention; transition between secondary and tertiary education; learning how to learn
Sometimes when you sit down with a cup of tea after a job well done, you get this nagging feeling that something was not quite right after all, although you may not be able to pinpoint exactly what was missing, or out of place.
It is often feelings like these that create change and sometimes also improvements. Indeed, it was feelings like these, and the thoughts that followed them, that spurred the authors of this book to take a new look at how we teach information literacy (IL) at our institution, and eventually also to want to share those thoughts with our fellow teachers.
1.1 I'll Tell You What We Want, What We Really Really Want
This book is an attempt to answer some of the many questions that arise in IL discussions: What do we want our students to learn from our IL sessions? How do we teach IL in a way that makes students see the relevance of it to their own studies and their lives in general?
What we want is for students to develop proper learning strategies and critical thinking skills. We think these are the two most important skills for librarians to teach in today’s modern information society. Together they form a firm basis for any kind of learning activity, be it at university or at work. Learning how to learn is like installing electric lights in a house previously lit by candles. It removes some of the obstacles for the acquisition of knowledge, and consequently aids the production of new knowledge. Critical thinking skills are important when analyzing and evaluating information, and thus a necessary tool in ensuring quality in the student’s research process. In other words, librarians teaching students how to cite sources and evaluate literature is not enough. We want to influence their perception and understanding of the academic world.
In this book, we attempt to provide an answer to the question of how to make information literacy more meaningful for students, and how to help them learn better and become valuable contributors to the academic community. We hope to do this by arguing that teaching IL is much more than just teaching search, source evaluation and referencing. To enable this the traditional scope of IL teaching needs to be broadened.
We like to think of libraries as havens fostering creativity, understanding and deep thinking. But is this reflected in our IL classes? Writing a reference is a skill any machine can master, and many databases do indeed have a function that automatically generates references for you. Searching for research literature is perhaps slightly more complicated, but how much does it challenge the student’s perception of how research is made and used to create new knowledge? And is it at all smart to talk about Boolean operators when the crowd in front of you still struggles to grasp what a research article actually is?
Sometimes the functional or practical elements of information literacy takes the focus away from the core of the matter, which in our view is asking why we need to know how to search for quality literature and how to cite the literature we use correctly. We are, of course, not suggesting that most IL teaching concentrates solely on the practical aspects of academic integrity, but rather that many teachers are perhaps too busy to sit down and reflect on why IL is so important to learners of all ages, or perhaps that academia in general (including students) has certain expectations of what a library lecture or course should contain. Nor are we suggesting that IL teachers abandon all the practical elements of IL to please the crowd, or to simplify our courses so nothing new and challenging is presented to the students. Quite the opposite!
By bringing students step by step through increasingly challenging stages, all the time setting goals that makes students stop and think, perhaps even struggle a bit, librarians make their teaching more valued and interesting, since overcoming small challenges can install a feeling of confidence and mastery in the learner. We suggest that to be able to do this the librarian teacher must have a thoughtful and considered view of, not just information literacy, but also of teaching and learning, and of academic literacy, Academic Bildung, academic integrity, and learning strategies.
In our opinion, founding our teaching on these elements might facilitate linking information literacy and the student’s discipline specific courses. If an IL course is perceived as a gateway between the student’s previous education and academia, it might not just increase student engagement but also increase IL courses’ reputation for being useful to new students, and therefore also an asset for academic institutions and society at large.
1.1.1 Learning how to learn1
Most people enter higher education (HE) with the intention of learning something. Still, for many young students, the reasons for entering a university might be of a more “shallow” character; their friends do it, they need qualifications to land their dream job, or they simply do not know what else to do. Whatever the reasons, the fact that they have chosen to take one step up the education ladder also means that they need to be prepared for and welcome an advanced level of reading and learning.
To have a mature approach to learning means understanding that learning is a process, and that it needs steady attention over a certain period to bear fruit. It also implies facing challenges and figuring out how to deal with them without compromising on one’s standard of work.
Many students find the experience of not understanding what the lecturer is talking about, or not being able to make head nor tail of the required reading material, particularly stressful and demotivating. However, learning new things implies encountering problems you have not met with before. If you go through your studies without ever facing any difficulties, it probably means you have not learnt much new. “Reading difficult scholarship is challenging. That is the point. If everyone could complete a university degree, they would do so.” (Brabazon, 2013, p. 44). We will come back to the topic of desirable difficulties in Chapter 4, Learning Strategies.
Added to the difficult literature, and sometimes new teaching methods, is the tendency in academia to expect students to know more about methods, theories and concepts than they actually do. In primary and, to a certain extent, in secondary education, there is a strong focus on explaining new material thoroughly, and the teacher does her best to make sure that the teaching is adapted to the pupil’s age and abilities.
A university professor does not necessarily have this accommodating approach to teaching when she plans her lectures. Rather, she expects students to take it upon themselves to make sure they are academically “fit” to take her class. If a student starts a biology course without the proper grounding, it is up to the student to get this. The biology professor will usually not check whether her students do the preparations needed to follow the lectures and learn from them. A study by Pritchard and Lee concludes that “students seemed to expect more help from faculty than they may actually be receiving at the collegiate level” (Pritchard & Lee, 2011). The same is found in other studies, for instance by Smith and Hopkins who report that for “first-year students it can be a shock coming to terms with independent, student-led learning, rather than the more guided, teacher-led learning experience of A-level study.” (Smith & Hopkins, 2005, p. 309).
Being able to reflect on what you learn and connect new knowledge to previous experience or knowledge receives more and more explicit attention in HE research. (Read more about this in Chapter 3, Things We Know About How Learning Happens, and Chapter 4, Learning Strategies.) Thus if we link information literacy closely to awareness of learning, reflection and metacognition become as much parts of IL skills as searching and referencing. Reflecting on our own work and extracting meaning from what we read are both essential to enhance understanding and to grow as human beings through education. This aspect of education is however often lost somewhere between secondary education and the induction course at university, possibly because many students are simply not sufficiently prepared for what is expected of them in higher education.
For many students, thinking deeply about what they have learnt and why, is a novel experience. The shift from being told what to learn, to becoming an independent learner with sufficient self-discipline to regulate their own learning is not always easy for new students to adapt to, and can be experienced as a major challenge in higher education. It might also contribute to some students taking the drastic decision of actually dropping out of their planned education. In a study from Germany, “problems in performance”, i.e., finding studies or academic requirements too hard, is the most frequently listed reason for dropping out of university (Heublein, 2014, p. 506).
Seeing that more and more people choose HE, representing a greater variety in motivation and preparedness for their studies, we need to prepare them better on how to learn in academia. Being able to evaluate the information they find ensures that their reading is limited to quality literature that enhances and broadens their existing knowledge. Understanding how to extract meaning from other texts and using them in their own work to create new knowledge not only heightens their own learning, but can, by creating new research, eventually also contribute to other people’s learning. For these reasons, we believe learning needs to be at the forefront of every IL discussion.
1.1.2 The oil in the machinery
“Education is the new oil”2 is an expression we sometimes hear from educators and politicians. As traditional industries and the need for manual labor decrease, there is a growing, global need for people with higher education. According to Thomas Bailey, in the United States, “growth in productivity increasingly depends on the reach and quality of higher education” (Belfield & Levin, 2008, p. 75). He explains that due to technological advancements and competition from other countries, the American economy to a greater degree than earlier will base the strength of its economy on advanced skills (Ibid., p. 78).
Along with the need for a highly educated work force, more people than ever before choose to enter higher education. Sadly, many struggle to complete their degree, and every student not finishing their degree is costly for society, both because money and time has been lost, but also because society has missed out on potential competence.
Students are more prone to drop out of their studies during their first year at university. An American study revealed that as many as 22% of students did not return for their second year of higher education (Morrow & Ackermann, 2012, p. 483). Similarly, a report from Ireland found that 16% of new students did not progress after the first year (Patterson & Prendeville, 2014, p. 6).
Most HE institutions work hard on their retention strategies to limit the number of students who for various reasons end their studies without a degree or an exam. We believe that some of those dropping out do so because they struggle to adapt to academic life, and are not prepared for the demands of reading, writing, and learning in higher education. A European report on dropout and completion in HE confirms this, listing student support services, like preentry preparation and study skills, as influencing completion rates (European Commission, 2015, p. 20). According to this report, “preparedness of the student for higher education and their competence are seen as major determinants for study success” (European Commission, 2015, p. 21).
How can the library contribute to increased learning and lower dropout rates in HE? Focusing on what it means to be part of academia is a way of preparing new students to the expectations they will be met within HE, and how they themselves can prepare for this (often) last part of their educational plan. This would for instance imply training in how to select, read, and extract meaning from academic texts. Another example would be teaching fresh students how to work independently and be able to self-regulate their learning behavior.
In the book, The Price We Pay: Economic and Social Consequences of Inadequate Education, Thomas Bailey writes that some students “lack academic skills” and “arrive at college with little idea about what will be expected of them” (Belfield & Levin, 2008, p. 84). One of his solutions to this problem is to strengthen “high school academic preparation” (Ibid.), so that when students arrive at university or college, they are better equipped for academic studies. We believe that can contribute to give students a better understanding of what it means to be part of academia, perhaps enough to take them on to the much “safer” year two and thus help young people finish their degrees. How to accomplish this is the focus of the main body of this book.
As we will return to later, there is an increased focus on information literacy in educational settings, both from university administrations and, to a certain extent, also from faculty. The reason for this is not to give students more to worry about, but because the demand for information skills in society has grown. In addition, the challenges concerning plagiarism has also contributed to a higher realization that students need guidance towards academic integrity and behavior.
In an academic setting, there is a suggestion that increased study and research skills can both improve retention rates and exam results. In other words, IL skills might prove beneficial for HE institutions and society in general. Unfortunately there is not a substantial amount of evidence-based research to support this claim, but some studies have proposed links between IL skills and exam results, most notably the Library Impact Data Project from the University of Huddersfield in the UK, which found “a statistically significant relationship between library resource use and level of degree result” (Stone & Ramsden, 2013, p. 546). Research by Soria, Fransen, and Nackerud (2013) shows similar conclusions. More studies like these are clearly needed, but if these claims hold true, they should be enough of a motivation factor for both students and academic institutions as a whole to embrace information literacy.
1.1.3 Too much information driving me insane3
It is been a long time since we have heard anyone complaining about not being able to find enough information. The opposite is rather more common and we get impatient if we do not get our answers immediately. Whatever a citizen types into his favorite search engine, he will get a long result list. Some of it is probably quite relevant too. The big challenge is identifying the sources with the highest level of quality and relevance.
As IL teachers, this is something we should give some attention. If our search behavior and expectations are connected to speed and immediacy, are we still able to focus on quality and relevance? The complexity of our world of immediate access and the constant flow of information have changed the way we lead our lives. We are now in a position where “there is less a need to focus on retrieving information, but more on filtering, understanding, adapting and communicating it” (Whitworth, 2009, p. 175).
The process of evaluating online texts requires a certain skill in reading and analyzing texts. A student researching a certain topic will almost certainly encounter vast amounts of literature. If this is a beginner student, an even bigger challenge will be to “decipher” some of the more advanced academic writings. To trust a text about something you are not an expert in, you need skills in detecting the text’s logic, its argumentation, and the validity of its conclusion. To some students, being advised to evaluate the information they select might therefore seem like an impossible task. Teaching students how to handle masses of information will thus benefit from also teaching them how to read and analyze academic texts, since this will make the filtering process easier for them.
1.1.4 It’s not over till it’s over: Lifelong learning
The enormous amount of information around us might make it difficult for the average citizen to make well-founded choices when looking for answers. In his book Information Obesity, Whitworth writes that “the reliability and credibility of information is challenged in many ways: overt restrictions on access; an inability to discern what is quality information through the data smog; and a lack of critical information skills in the general population” (Ibid., pp. 130–131).
Since information literacy therefore is relevant, not just to people within an educational institution but as a supportive skill for learning in all stages of life, an emphasis on how you learn is very relevant in current IL teaching. In fact, the American Library Association (ALA) stated as early as in 1989 that
information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand. (American Library Association, 1989).
This has led The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to declare information literacy a “basic human right” and that “information literacy and lifelong learning are the beacons of the Information Society” (UNESCO, 2005). The Alexandria Proclamation establishes a clear relationship between IL and lifelong learning:
Information literacy enables people to interpret and make informed judgments as users of information sources, as well as to become producers of information in their own right. Information literate people are able to access information about their health, their environment, their education and work, empowering them to make critical decisions about their lives, e.g. in taking more responsibility for their own health and education. (UNESCO, 2005)
The information age is characterized by a constantly changing environment for workers, students and all citizens, very often led by new technology, new organizational forms, and new services replacing old ones in society. Most importantly, our age is characterized by access to a seemingly endless stream of facts, marketing, news, fiction, stories, thoughts, and ideas. In other words the need for information literacy does not end on the day of graduation. Rather, IL comprises competencies and skills that transcend education and stretch far out into the work force and into our leisure time. When faced with major decisions, be it political, medical, educational, or even personal, a citizen needs to be able to make up his/her mind based on the right information, and not alternative facts.
If most of the information you relate to comes from sources made by people with likeminded views to yourself, your chance of development or intellectual growth can be reduced. These kinds of echo chambers are reinforced by our modern media habits, where you choose whom or what to follow on social media, and where Facebook is your major news channel. How will you know you have made the best choice for you and for your society if you have not had access to all options? Development of a plurality of perspectives is part of the academic formation process.
IL is essential in understanding how information is made and how it affects your life. With recent international developments in mind, it is quite clear that we more than ever need to focus on critical evaluation of the information sources we use. Who will lead the way in this quest? Could it be you and other IL interested actors? Learning and forming well grounded decisions are skills deeply relevant, not just to students, but to everyone. Could libraries, both public and academic, take IL to a wider audience, encompassing all age groups and occupations?
Information literacy can assist people when looking for further education, or when preparing for new jobs or attracting financial support for work projects. Further, it can enlighten people in their personal lives, e.g., when it comes to news, health issues or political questions. Many parts of our modern lives are built upon finding the right bits of information at the right moments. When you, for instance, take a choice concerning your child’s health, you want it to be an informed choice, based on the best possible advice and not hearsay.
Adaptability is another of many “new” skills that are believed to be essential in the modern work force. Evidence from a European report “shows that employers do not recruit people based only on their formal qualifications (vocational or academic), but also look for other competences that add value to their organization. They prefer flexible workers able to adapt quickly to unforeseen changes” (CEDEFOP, 2010, p. 69).
Information literacy carries with it an element of being able to analyze a given situation to find the best available solution, for instance finding the right information on which to base a decision. An information literate worker is not stuck in earlier training, but has learnt ways of updating her previous knowledge, or at least acknowledging that a change in approach is needed.
Whatever line of employment we look at, most will have changed the last few decades, some quite dramatically. When leaving HE we should be prepared to go through regular “updates” of our skills, like computer programs. This includes staying on top of new developments in a field, managing diverse equipment and new systems, and adapting to new forms of leadership and organizational change. Sometimes an employer will make sure the employee stays informed and ready, other times the employee must take responsibility for her own further education and modernization.
Having learnt valuable information skills will thus make people an asset in the work force, not just because they are able to renew themselves and their skills, but also because they know how to learn what they need to get ahead with a job. No education will ever make us fully prepared for everything that might happen at work. But being flexible and able to adjust when necessary will make sure we stand a good chance of being an attractive employee in a company or an institution.
The modern excess of information has created a strong need for skills that ease our quest for answers or new knowledge. Information literacy has developed hand in hand with technical developments, especially in the domain of computers, which have made communication and transfer of information quick and effortless. This is also why the definition of IL has changed its focus somewhat in the last decades and why we believe IL competence is so much more than just searching, finding, and using information.
1.2 What’s in it for you?
We hope that reading this book will make you look at IL teaching with new eyes. We hope that you will recognize some of our suggestions and perhaps think about others in a new way. And most of all we hope that our thoughts about IL teaching, combined with your previous knowledge and/or experience will make both teaching and learning an even better experience for you and your students.
Our first and foremost aim is to emphasize the need for knowledge about learning processes in IL teaching. This is essential to make more out of the little time librarians often have with students. Knowledge about learning enables us to make use of new teaching methods and also to best take advantage of the many useful digital teaching tools that have appeared on the education stage the last decade.
Secondly, we find it truly important to introduce students, especially new students, to academia in a way that helps develop their academic integrity and critical thinking skills. By contributing to the students’ academic formation process the library can play a vital role in supporting society’s future knowledge consumers and producers.
The first part of the book (chapters 1–5) considers fields of research that can be related to IL teaching and learning. The second part of the book (chapter 6) takes a more practical focus, and with a basis in chapters from part one, delineates various ways of teaching IL from a broad perspective on learning.
In Chapter 2, Information Literacy: The What and How, we take a look at the term information literacy, and how it is mainly used today. Part of the book’s argument is that IL often is conceived as a rather narrow set of skills, which we want to broaden quite significantly by adding learning strategies and academic formation to the already established qualities of searching, evaluation, critical thinking, and producing new information.
In Chapter 3, Things We Know About How Learning Happens, we provide a selective review of some of the research that has helped us understand how learning happens. We will briefly describe the human cognitive architecture, looking at how both its strengths and limitations affects our ability to learn. In this chapter, we also consider approaches to learning and teaching, motivational aspects of learning, and some of the research on what actually seems to work best in teaching and learning. We believe that as IL teachers, we all benefit from continually working to develop our conceptions of teaching and learning, using the best available evidence from educational research and the learning sciences to do so.
Building on our conception of information literacy and our understanding of learning and teaching, Chapter 4, Learning Strategies, looks at research on learning strategies. If we accept that learning and IL are inextricably entwined, then deepening our understanding of effective and not so effective strategies for learning should allow us to better help our students become lifelong, information literate learners. In this chapter, we also attempt to point out the inherent affinity between effective (deep) learning strategies, and the thoughts and actions of an information literate knowledge seeker.
In Chapter 5, Toward Academic Integrity and Critical Thinking, we connect to the normative and attitudinal side of information literacy, and the values and norms of academic writing and academic production of new knowledge. We deal with academic integrity and its source in research integrity, and look at the role of critical thinking in IL. We also introduce you to the phenomenon of “Academic Bildung.” Another term for the same phenomenon is “academic formation,” in other words the process of being integrated into academic ways of thinking and learning.
The core of the book is presented in Chapter 6, Teaching It All, where we convert our theoretical reflections into practice. With a student-centered perspective the chapter gives advice on how teachers, fresh or experienced, can undertake IL course development, or refinement of existing methods and material. Using research and our own teaching experience as the empirical basis, we suggest pedagogical methods which have proven successful in IL teaching and which, moreover, are likely to ease the students’ transition to HE, and further, to more advanced levels of study. The chapter consists of a combination of general practical advice, example situations, possible exercises and activities, and tips on how to optimize use of technology in the teaching situation.
Chapter 7, Epilogue, concludes the book, linking the main ideas together, and also emphasizing IL as a discipline that is not static, but in constant change along with developments, both within education and in society in general.