EMBEDDING 21ST CENTURY LITERACIES

IN TEACHING AND LEARNING AT UWC

Shehaamah Mohamed

Senior Librarian: Information Literacy

University of the Western Cape (UWC)

Leadership for the enhancement of graduate attributes and literacies across the university is facilitated by the University’s Executive structure such as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) Academic and the Directorate for Teaching and Learning.

The DVC Academic’s Strategic Plan for 2016-2020 embraces pedagogies that enable graduates to acquire attributes of the 21st century graduate.

The plan mentions the development of a framework for embedding critical research skills for students and also requires that teaching and assessment practices be aligned with the curriculum.

To achieve these university objectives the Library also has a responsibility, in collaboration with other stakeholders, to provide leadership and expertise to develop and enhance 21st Century literacies so that students are equipped to become lifelong learners.

CONTEXT

The Library Executive believes that the ideas represented in

the new ACRL (Association of Colleges and Research

Libraries) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher

Education (the Framework) should form part of learning

activities within the curriculum

OUR JOURNEY SO FAR…

Workshops with lecturers

HELIG Webinar 2015

Workshop with librarians

Faculty Librarians: Contributions to IL

Teaching module for PG Dip LIS

Towards Professionalisation of Teaching and Learning

Programme

Online IL intervention: Google Docs

THE FRAMEWORK FOR INFORMATION

LITERACY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Threshold

Concepts for

Information

Literacy

engaging with each successive draft of the new ACRL Framework by running internal workshops with the Faculty Librarians;

practicing to apply the Framework in library instruction by assigning homework for the librarians on the internal IL Blog

preparing guidelines based on the Framework to incorporate information literacy into Teaching and Learning at UWC

maintaining close consultation with the university’s Deputy Deans for Teaching and Learning to channel communication to faculties and departments

conducting several departmental workshops across Faculties

1. WORKSHOPS WITH

ACADEMICS

2. WEBINAR ON THE ACRL FRAMEWORK FOR

INFORMATION LITERACY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Hosted on 26 February 2015

Approximately 40 Librarians

registered

Feedback: interest elicited from

various institutions

UFH, UP

Held workshop at UFH in

September 2015

3a. WORKSHOP WITH

THE FACULTY LIBRARIANS

: The Gallery Walk

A month prior to the workshop, faculty

librarians were requested to design

posters for a frame that might in turn be

used as teaching aids. The groups were

given a rubric to use as a guide and

selected from different software

programmes to aid this task.

One hour and forty five minutes

were allocated to the Gallery Walk

activity. In pairs, teams visited each

poster and spent 10 minutes per

session to add comments and

critique to fixed questions alongside

each poster.

The activity ended with each

group presenting their poster

and responding to prompts such

as conceptual understanding;

artistic ability; clarity of message;

relevance of texts and images to

the Frames; Expression of frames; I

Wonder; I like….

3b. Design a Lesson

This activity focussed on

instructional design. Having selected

one Frame from a hat, groups of

two were formed. Based on a

rubric, groups were asked to design

a lesson which enhances

understanding of the Frame. They

were tasked with designing 3

learning outcomes, 3 learning

activities, and to show how these

activities relate to the knowledge

practices and dispositions of the

Frame in question.

Presenting lesson to

the group

4. Faculty Librarians :

Contributions towards

Information Literacy

SmartSearch

Programme

One –on – One

Coaching

Subject –Specific

training

PG Workshops and

Research Clinics

5. TEACHING FUTURE LIBRARIANS

TO USE THE FRAMEWORK

• PG Dip LIS class: 707 S2 2015

• Second Semester

• The aim is to review the Information Literacy

module to include the ACRL Framework for

Information Literacy

• Weekly classes

• Theory and group work

• iKamva as a collaborative communication tool

RESOURCES

Readings on

iKamva

Discussion Forum: iKamva

Student’s blog

Learning

Outcomes

Activities

Knowledge Practices

and Dispositions

Comments

6. TOWARDS THE PROFESSIONALISATION OF

TEACHING AND LEARNING PROGRAMME

In the 2nd year after appointment, new lecturers (inexperienced and

experienced) must produce an e-portfolio of evidence to show their

teaching is in tune with scholarship of teaching and learning (ie, informed by

theories) and is aligned with UWC goals and graduate attributes. It's

mandatory as part of the probation process.

The short course is intended to help those who would like help to meet the

requirements of the process. Lecturers may opt to pursue the course or

simply produce a portfolio that responds to the questions asked. I guess the

less experienced lecturers would choose to do the course. The course has

only be run once so far in 2015. The portfolios are assessed for

competence.

CURRICULUM RENEWAL AND 21ST CENTURY

LITERACIES

Most modules profess to incorporate the graduate attributes, but may not actively and explicitly create opportunities to extend students’ capabilities within the course activities.

Graduate attributes are the qualities, skills and understandings a university community agrees its students should develop during their time with the institution. These attributes include but go beyond the disciplinary expertise or technical knowledge that has traditionally formed the core of most university courses

The UWC graduate attributes broadly reference 3 ontological positions for students. They are expected to develop

A stance towards knowledge – a stance towards themselves - a stance towards society

To be competent and capable in the 21st century requires

a different set of knowledge and skills

• Culture of technology-driven abundance and access of

information requires independent thinking, creative

thinking

• Manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of

simultaneous information

• Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts

• Develop relationships with others and confront and

resolve problems collaboratively

How can we incorporate such 21st-century literacies

within traditional curricula?

7. DESIGNING LEARNING USING

TECHNOLOGIES: AN INTERVENTION TO

ENHANCE 21ST CENTURY LITERACIES

Discussions, critique and recommendations have taken place in a face to face environment. Informal peer review and feedback in workshops has been the only means of assistance and guidance for lecturers to infuse the Frames in their assignments and rubrics.

Online intervention: Google Docs to collaborate with lecturers

Lecturers should be able to collaborate with me (as the IL Librarian) by using an online platform so that I am able to synchronously as well as asynchronously edit their assignments.

Lecturers are required to upload their

assignments, view the comments, comment on

the work of their colleagues, edit their work, re-

work and resubmit their assignments on the

Google Docs platform.

Faculty of

Education

Faculty of Education

Collaboration with lecturers:

infusing literacies in assignments

)

Faculty of Economics and

Management Sciences (EMS

Faculty of Economics

and Management

Sciences (EMS)

THE WAY FORWARD…

Close collaboration with and support for academic teachers

Continual development of faculty librarians

Closer liaison with ACRL community

Development of adequate online resources for teachers and librarians

Lingering

thoughts or

questions?