Accreditation: An Opportunity to Promote Information Technology
Fluency
NLII Annual MeetingSan Diego, CA
January 26, 2004Joan K. Lippincott
CNI
Overview
• Confluence of accreditation, transformative assessment, and information fluency
• Interest of accrediting agencies• Guidelines of national groups• Opportunities and barriers• Operationalizing information
fluency
Terminology
• Computer Literacy • Information Literacy• Fluency with Information
Technology (FITness)
Technology and Learning: The Tool Approach
• Improving student learning• Improving retention• Improving sense of community
Learning about Technology: The Content Approach
• How to use technology as a tool in a discipline
• How to think critically about information
• How to consider technology policy issues in a democratic society
A good fit
• Mandate of accrediting agencies• Conceptual framework of
transformative assessment• Need to promote fluency with
information technology
Accrediting Agencies
• Middle States• General education: demonstrate
college-level proficiency in technological competency and information literacy
Accrediting Agencies
• North Central Association• “The organization assesses the
usefulness of its curricula to students who will live and work in a global, diverse, and technological society.”
Accrediting Agencies
• WASC• “Evidence should cover
knowledge and skills taught throughout the program’s curriculum.”
Transformative Assessment
• Align activities with institutional goals
• Use institution-wide assessment in an integrated way
• Transform teaching and learning through the use of technology
Convergence
• Prepare students for tech society
• Evidence throughout curriculum
• Demonstrate usefulness of curricula
• Align with goals
• Integrate at all levels
• Transform teaching and learning
Accreditation Transformative Assessment
Fluency in Information Technology
• National Research Council CSTB report in 1999
• Calls for a “deeper understanding” of technology than implied in the term “computer literacy”
FITness
• Skills, e.g. use a computer to communicate with others
• Foundational concepts, e.g. societal impact of information and information technology
• Intellectual capabilities, e.g. organize and navigate information structures and evaluate information
Information Literacy
• ALA ACRL Standards for Information Literacy
• A “tool for developing instruction and for assessing learning”
• Includes standards, performance indicators, and learning outcomes
Information Literacy
• Know, e.g. determine nature and extent of information needed
• Access, e.g. access needed information effectively and efficiently
• Evaluate, e.g. choose information critically and incorporate appropriately
Information Literacy
• Use, e.g. use information effectively to accompish a purpose
• Ethical/legal, e.g. understand economic, legal and social issues surrounding use of information
Convergence
• Encourage fluency in information technology as an institutional goal (align)
• Reform the curriculum to incorporate FITness (transform)
• Assess programmatically and institutionally the difference FITness makes to student learning (assess)
What about the real world?
• 80% of campuses surveyed in an ACRL/AAHE study were not implementing IL standards
• NRC: fundamental FITness concepts and capabilities are not essential in most curricula in any meaningful way
Barriers
• Faculty– No need– It’s a library or computer center
thing– No time in their course, especially
for “skills”– Students should already know this
• Information professionals– Lack of time– Lack of teaching skills
Can we persuade faculty?
• Focus on higher level and discipline concerns
• Address information policy issues • Address ethical issues• Integrate, not separate
Operationalizing FITness
• NRC: Implement through a series of well-chosen projects in each discipline
• Information literacy - Project SAILS: Kent State and ARL
Demonstrate results
• Think through assessment at outset
• Assess student learning throughout the curriculum and beyond
Leverage the Convergence
• Accreditation• Transformative Assessment• Fluency in Information
Technology
