1/25/07 "Information Literacy Taskforce" Recommendation

 

BACKGROUND:
The "Information Literacy Taskforce" was developed mid Fall Term 06 as a response to falling enrollments in Lib 127 ("Information Research Skills").  The taskforce was charged with brainstorming possible alternative models for teaching information literacy skills to COCC students--with the aim of presenting one or two recommendations to the library management team by the end of January, 07.   The taskforce consists of librarians Cat Finney and Kate Gronnemyer (OSU-Cascades Librarian) and COCC composition instructors Rise Quay and Crystal McCage.  Crystal serves as chair of the COCC Composition Committee.  Cat Finney chaired the taskforce and compiled articles, background information and other information on a webpage available at http://web.cocc.edu/finney/info%20literacy%20resources.htm.  The taskforce met 1/25/07 to discuss recommendations regarding to Lib 127.

 

BRAINSTORMING ALTERNATIVE MODELS TO LIB 127: 

Our brainstorming discussion aired the following: teach information literacy skills as a required online "information orientation" much like the current online orientation (maintaining FTE was a concern); course integrated sessions; information research as a 'lab' course; recommend Lib 127 as a pre-requisite for WR 121 and require Lib 127 for Writing 122; and information literacy as a required exam (much like the computer competency exam.)  Composition instructors on the taskforce emphasized that students needed to acquire information research skills before enrolling in WR 122/123.

 

RECOMMENDATION:

The taskforce synthesized several brainstorming suggestions and recommend that the Library develop Lib 127 as a hybrid course.  The course would remain at 2 credits.  The first half of the course would emphasize research skills development and will be taught online.  The second half of the course will be taught as a 'lab' and will emphasize face to face instruction and hands on research in conjunction with a specific research paper that the student has from another course.  Initially, the hybrid Lib 127 course will continue as a recommended co or pre requisite for Wr 122 and Wr 123.   The final assignment for Lib 127 will be a research journal reflecting the student's progress in research from topic definition to annotated bibliography.  A defined grading rubric for this research journal (developed by librarians and composition instructors) will assess students' information searching, retrieval, synthesis and citing skills, especially as required for success in WR 122 or WR 123.    

 

We believe this re-structuring of Lib 127 does not fundamentally change the course curriculum and would therefore not have to be submitted to the Curriculum Committee.   Outcomes for the hybrid Lib 127 would not depart significantly from those currently used, but would be updated to better correlate to current and proposed Writing 122/123 outcomes.

 

Procedures for submitting proposals for hybrid courses will have to be followed.  The taskforce suggests that at least one section of hybrid Lib 127 be developed over winter and spring terms and implemented beginning Fall 07.  We recommend that all sections of Lib 127 follow the hybrid model (as described above) by fall '08.

 

The taskforce suggests that Lib 127 remains a recommended pre-requisite or co-requisite for WR 122 and WR 123 for academic year 07-08.

 

INCLUDING HYBRID LIB 127 WITH THE PROPOSED RE-STRUCTURE OF THE WRITING SEQUENCE:

By April, 2007, the Composition Committee plans on submitting a proposal to the COCC Curriculum Committee to restructure WR 121/122/123 into a two course (4 credits each) sequence--a change that, if accepted, would be implemented for the 08-09 academic year.  The "Information Literacy" taskforce recommends that the hybrid version of Lib 127 be included in that proposal as an enforced, required pre-requisite for Wr 122.   

 

SCAD data analysis shows "that the proportion of students passing WR 123 after passing LIB 127 is significantly higher than the proportion of those passing WR 123 without LIB 127." (E-mail sent to Cat Finney by Sean Rule, 1/9/2007).  We feel that this data supports the enforcement of Lib 127 as a pre-requisite for WR 122 once the writing sequence is restructured, since Writing 123 outcomes would be distributed primarily to WR 122.   Further SCAD studies exploring possible correlations between Lib 127 and the current WR 122 are planned.  

 

Enforcing Lib 127 as a pre-requisite for WR 122 will have a significant impact on library department faculty and staffing.  It is our hope that the online portion of the hybrid Lib 127 can be somewhat automated to help meet those staffing concerns.  In addition, we recommend that students have the option fulfilling the enforced pre-requisite by successfully completing a research assessment tool (something that is experiential as opposed to being an exam) in lieu of taking Lib 127.