Information Literacy Project, Staffordshire University

Project Coordinator and Partners

The initiative is local to Staffordshire University 

Background

The Information Literacy Project of Staffordshire University is designed to be a strategic approach to integrating information literacy into the learning landscape. 

Their Statement of Good Practice http://www.staffs.ac.uk/infoliteracy/statement/index.php has been implemented as an initiative in e-learning, emphasizing that widening participation and quality in education can be supported by giving greater emphasis to information literacy.

The information literacy statement can work in tandem with both the e-learning policy and the employability policy to enrich and deepen student experience of learning at Staffordshire University. This statement can also be used to underpin modular undergraduate courses, postgraduate courses, distance learning courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate) and Staffordshire University Regional Federation (SURF) courses.

Core Objectives

This course specifically focuses on the area of information literacy. The aims of the course are:

• to develop understanding of information literacy practice;
• to support learning through information literacy;
• to provide implementation through IL tools.

The overall objective is to deepen students’ understanding of information literacy, their development of IL skills and to manage and support their transition to higher education through their first piece of assessed work. 

Details

A range of deliverables have been developed at Staffordshire University to underpin the University’s new strategic approach to information literacy included:

1. ASK or the A ssignment S urvival K it (http://www.staffs.ac.uk/ask ): a student centered learning support tool designed to help students tackling their first assignment.
2. Embedded Support Sessions : embedding information literacy skills within taught courses means that students understand and apply these skills better than if they are presented separately outside the context of work done within a module. 
3. Information Skills Module : developed with first year students in mind but is also available as a general option to all students who feel that they need help in refining their research skills
4. VLE Folder support activity : provide support and collaboration in working together with the academic staff to integrate Information Literacy activities and resources for the specific subject.  The University has a standard VLE information literacy folder which can be used in its “off the peg” form or which can be tailored especially for the module’s needs
5. Staffordshire University Information Literacy Community of Practice (SUILCoP) : following the success of the Information Literacy programme and recognizing the need Staffordshire University set up an Information Literacy Community of Practice http://www.staffs.ac.uk/suilcop/. The aim of this was to allow the ongoing sharing of good practice and discuss new ideas in Information Literacy teaching and learning within the university sector by organizing the annual conferences and a blog.  Both continued until 2009-2010 but no evidence of activity can be found in 2011.

Results

The Information literacy project at the Staffordshire University was a strategic approach to integrating information literacy into the learning landscape. 

The Statement of Good Practice was implemented as an initiative in e-learning.

Research into various aspects of Information Literacy and its implementation have provided new resources that are still available to all stakeholders and interested parties.