Developing Ethical, Responsible, and Reliable Information Producers

The university course that I teach addresses information literacy and metaliteracy, derived from both the Association of College & Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and metaliteracy\u27s roles (https://metaliteracy.org/ml-in-practice/metaliterate-learner-roles/) and learning domains, respectively. The course uses Wikipedia editing to bring home a number of important concepts and practices to students, These include the frames Information Has Value (in particular, we consider gender issues connected to Wikipedia editing and content), Searching as Strategic Exploration, and Information Creation as a Process. The metacognitive and affective learning domains are highlighted, and two metaliteracy themes, Engage with Intellectual Property Ethically and Responsibly and Produce and Share Information in Collaborative and Participatory Environments are also a focus. Students’ use of the Wiki Education program’s dashboard and training materials while learning to become Wikipedia editors provide an immediate and vivid context in which to consider core components of information literacy and metaliteracy. Writing for Wikipedia unsettles students because of the very different norms and rules that differ from their academic writing. I will show how the combination of information literacy, metaliteracy, and Wikipedia editing can be a powerful teaching tool that encourages students to see themselves as ethical and responsible (i.e., reliable) information producers and participants in an online community that works for the common good. Metaliteracy will probably be new to most attendees, but I would like to encourage them to consider how it might be valuable in their teaching generally, and in connection with Wikimedia project engagement

Creating Shareable Knowledge: Exploring the Synergy between Metaliteracy and Open Pedagogy

Open educational resources (OERs) have created conditions for a transformational change in teaching and learning. New models and frameworks provide the basis for innovative, learner-centered pedagogical practices. Open pedagogy, which builds upon the use of OERs and open educational practices, envisages learners as knowledge creators. Metaliteracy proposes a number of active, reflective learner roles, with a particular emphasis on online, participatory environments. Learners who find themselves in open pedagogical situations may feel anxiety and uncertainty concerning the unaccustomed environment and expectations placed upon them. Metaliteracy provides a comprehensive scaffolding and flexible framework for the learning required in such settings, a development that extends life-long and life-wide. This presentation will explore the synergistic relationship between metaliteracy and open pedagogy that enhances learner engagement and empowerment. Several examples will be explored, including a course in which students edited and created Wikipedia articles within a metaliteracy framework

Analyzing Information Sources Through the Lens of the ACRL Framework: A Case Study of Wikipedia

Might the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education be used to analyze information resources? Would a Framework-focused analysis of one commonly used resource, Wikipedia, yield valuable insights for the teaching and learning of key information literacy concepts? Each of the six frames is explored in the light of Wikipedia, and metaliteracy, a founding principle of the Framework, is introduced when it provides additional scaffolding in connection with the goals of a particular frame as a way to enhance student learning opportunities. There are a number of components in Wikipedia that align with the Framework, many of which are associated with its structure and community of editors. The idea of connecting information sources with the Framework is being offered as a conversation starter and as a potential mechanism for thinking of the Framework more broadly

“Exploring Digital Badging: The What, Why and Some of the How”

In a hands-on workshop presented for members of the Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRLC) participants learned about digital badging and its applications in higher education and libraries. The presentation provides an overview of micro-credentialing as a growing trend in education, and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the development and implementation of the Metaliteracy Badging System (metaliteracybadges.org), a collaborative project led by librarians, instructional designers and disciplinary faculty across State University of New York (SUNY) institutions. Participants had the opportunity to engage with each other about badging examples and brainstormed ideas for creating a badging program

Habits of Mind in an Uncertain World

The current political and cultural polarization in the United States and other countries has significant implications for all educational institutions and for libraries and librarians. The interrelated issues of trust, credibility, and authority now present major challenges because of the uncertainty of the social media environment, competing information “bubbles,” and enduring cognitive biases. The accelerating fragmentation of the media and information ecosystems undermines communal understanding of large and complex issues that citizens must face. To address this profound societal challenge, academic librarians should collaborate with faculty members to create communities of inquiry for students—sustained “high impact practices” that address the complexity of the current information environment. This article shows one model for using the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education to create learning goals for a range of in-depth learning experiences that cultivate habits of mind essential to discernment in the current political and cultural climate

Maximizing Student Engagement and Learning with Team-Based Learning

Team-based learning (TBL) has the potential to radically reinvent what happens in the classroom and how students learn. TBL is increasingly used in a wide range of disciplines, from the health sciences to criminal justice to art history. While there are few reports of its use in information literacy instruction, librarians who have used it have found it to be transformative. Team-based learning was developed by Larry Michaelsen at the University of Oklahoma in the 1970s. It is distinct from problem-based learning or the informal use of groups. Team-Based Learning strategies encourage students to take more responsibility for their learning, and engage them in actively applying course content to relevant problems. The presenters have experience using TBL for one-shot information literacy sessions; in 3-week for-credit information literacy classes; and in half-semester information literacy classes. Through hands-on activities, workshop participants will discover how TBL methods can be used to engage students in actively learning information literacy concepts

Separating Wheat from Chaff: Helping First-year Students become Information Savvy

Many traditional first-year students arrive on college and university campuses with a great deal of experience in searching the Internet. In fact, they can find prodigious amounts of information with relative ease—as evidenced by the lists of Web sites used to document many of their research papers. Most of these students, however, lack the critical-thinking skills and database-searching proficiency necessary for them to fine-tune their information searches. They need to know how to focus their topics, where (in addition to the Internet) to search, and how to evaluate and use the information they retrieve—skills commonly encompassed in the phrase “information literacy” (Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[CHE], 1996, p. 15). As Ernest and Paul Boyer (1996) have observed, college students need help “becom[ing] savvy consumers of information” (p. 126). The Boyers believe that, in partnership with faculty, librarians have the expertise to instruct students in information retrieval and evaluation (pp. 130–131)

Teaching Critical Thinking and Metaliteracy Through OER: Theory and Practice in a Course Collaboration

Textbooks are often the primary reference when we think of open educational resources (OER). While these textbooks are important and offer obvious economic benefits to students, the range of OER is wide and growing. In this paper, we introduce a specific set of OER, under the rubric of the metaliteracy framework, designed to strengthen critical thinking and the overall learning capacities of students. We describe a successful collaboration between an instructor of a political science course and a librarian, which employed these resources to enhance the overall student experience and to focus student attention on becoming more active contributors to their own learning