3 research outputs found
Is Information Literacy a Public Concern? A Practice in Search of a Policy
Since its emergence in the 1970s, information literacy has developed
in theory, practice, and scope. In the United States, librarians,
business leaders, and political stakeholders have emphasized that
information literacy is essential to an informed twenty-first-century
citizenry. But despite the pervading feeling that the subject is important,
there is as yet no clearly identifiable public policy on information
literacy. Public policy may be defined as governmental
action or inaction, decided upon and taken by the public, the state,
and other actors. Public policies are usually enacted as the result of
sustained effort to place them on the public policy agenda, that is,
bring them to the attention of the public, and gain support from
critical interest groups, influential individuals, and politicians at different
levels of government. The authors contend that information
literacy is not yet part of the public agenda. Rather, information
literacy is claimed by a relatively narrow group of stakeholders, lacks
name recognition and broad-based public support, is not mandated
in U.S. primary and secondary education (“K-12”), and therefore
remains fundamentally ineffective in implementation. This article
considers whether information literacy is a legitimate public interest,
and therefore the degree to which it merits a public policy and where
such a policy might best be located. However, locating information
literacy within education policy, although this seems intuitive, appears
to be problematical. The authors discuss how policy options
emerge, identify barriers to doing so, and provide recommendations
for advancing the critical development and dissemination of
information literacy.published or submitted for publicatio
The Human Factor: Managing Chaos and Change in Times of Uncertainty
The unrelenting, unabating organizational, political, and human resource stressors library managers faced pushed the boundaries of their capacity to keep pace with the longer-term demands of this catastrophic time; however, their dedication and resilience, bolstered by wisdom from the models and theories discussed here, hold promise for a positive future
Advancing Faculty Adoption of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education: A Delphi Study
Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify and describe the perceptions of open educational resources (OER) higher education experts regarding the activities needed at colleges and universities in the United States in order to advance faculty adoption of OER over the next 10 years. Also, this study examined those activities that were most important and had the greatest likelihood of being implemented. Methodology: The researcher utilized a mixed-methods Delphi study technique to identify and describe activities to advance faculty adoption of OER. The target population for the study consisted of a group of OER higher education faculty experts from postsecondary institutions within the United States. This study utilized a purposive criterion sampling method to identify 16 experts. The Delphi method employed questionnaires over 3 successive rounds to gather data from and build consensus among the expert panel. In Round 1, the researcher asked the expert panel for activities to support faculty adoption of OER. In Round 2, the expert panel rated the 35 activities for degree of importance and likelihood of implementation. In Round 3, the panel had an opportunity to revise their score, if desired, in order to move toward consensus. Findings: Analysis of the quantitative data from the study revealed 17 OER activities that received consensus for importance and 11 OER activities that indicated consensus concerning likelihood for implementation. Finally, there were 6 OER research findings on which the expert panel came to consensus concerning equally importance and likelihood of implementation. Conclusions: Based on the data and research findings, 6 conclusions were drawn related to faculty adoption of OER within colleges and universities over the next decade. Recommendations: There were 8 recommendations for further research covering these topic areas: (a) replication of the study within different higher education arenas and across other stakeholder groups; and (b) examination of faculty receptivity and resistance to adopting OER, utilizing a change theoretical framework; (c) a model for open pedagogy; and (d) an examination of K-12 educators’ OER adoption practices