Project Activities

As fitting for a project focussing on exploitation of results 5 of the 8 work packages focus on dissemination and exploitation.

The project starts with a period of desk research designed to:

• Arrive at a practical definition of Information Literacy and an assessment of current thinking on its role in learner performance and learning outcomes at each level of education, taking into account the findings of LLP projects and other European initiatives.
• Assess to what extent Information Literacy efforts are being employed within mainstream education.
• Identify best practices in schools, higher education, adult and vocational educational bodies in formal and non-formal settings.

The resulting Report and Analysis will provide a sound and up to date evidence base and point of reference for much of the remainder of the project’s work including a definition of Information Literacy, the identification of good practices, agendas for round-table discussions and policy recommendations, and will be written primarily for a policy-making audience.

A number of key issues will be considered including: information literacy: concept and strategic context; information literacy standards: charting progress; embedding and integrating IL teaching and learning into curricula; and promoting information literacy.

One important result of WP1 will be to establish a short list of up to 50 Information Literacy projects or initiatives which appear to have been successful in one way or another for further consideration in WP4.

Dissemination (work package 2) starts early in the project and runs through until the end. The partners will develop a dissemination plan, which will include the creation and development of a multi-featured, interactive dissemination web environment and an Information Literacy Network (a stakeholder database of key Information Literacy stakeholders, with a target of 1500 members across Europe and covering all sectors).

Quality assurance, risk management and impact assessment as proposed in work package 3 are also a key elements which will run right through the various activities, tasks and outputs of the proposed work programme.

Exploitation kicks in in work package 4 with the production of strategic models, standards and performance measures and illustrative case approaches which are then validated in workshops and 'road-tested' in real world trials in WP5.

The learning and new information acquired from these will be applied in work package 6 when advocacy materials are created and finalised case studies produced. These will be published on the project website and, following a consultation period they will be presented at the Final policy conference along with an exploitation strategy and set of recommendations designed to stimulate action and emulation of good practice at national and sector levels.