An article in Inside Higher Ed today, Research Methods Beyond Google, highlights two initiatives that explore how we can promote information literacy at large, decentralized research institutions. The Cornell Undergraduate Information Competency Initiative just got underway this year, and UC Berkeley’s Mellon Library/Faculty Fellowship for Undergraduate research was an initiative I worked on in my previous position. Both models focus on working with faculty fellows to redesign assignments and courses to promote information literacy or research-based learning. Berkeley’s program has now moved to working with departments.
The central idea behind these programs, to quote Inside Higher Ed, is that “the gap between students’ research competence and what’s required of a modern college graduate can’t easily be solved without a framework that encompasses faculty members, librarians, technicians and those who study teaching methods.” Bringing all those players together in true collaboration to promote effective practices requires sustained effort and a willingness to work outside the usual boundaries of our responsibilities is a huge challenge that requires sustained effort and resources, as well as a campus commitment.
Our own efforts in this area are focused in two areas: getting involved in curriculum redesign processes at various levels and developing tools/models that librarians can use in these conversations. We’re also piloting collaborative course and assignment consultations with other campus units. The accomplishments of these programs provide some good inspiration to keep at it.
