Charissa JeffersonBusiness and Data Librarian

California State University at Northridge

Framing the ACRL Information Literacy Threshold Concepts in a Credit-Bearing

Business Research Methods Course

Context of the Course• Business Honors Program - special topics seminar• Freshmen-Senior levels enrolled (~29 students

enrolled) • Synchronous Class meetings• 10 weeks

• Asynchronous materials offered on Moodle• Graded on research project proposal, annotated

bibliography and literature review.• Pre and post-assessments

Learner-Centered Teaching“Rather than simply imparting information, we make sure students understand and can use it. We provide opportunities to discuss and use new information” Huba & Freed, 2000.• Student Learning Through:

Facilitated Discussion ReflectionInteractivity

Significant Learning• “For learning to occur, there has to be some kind of

change in the learner. No change, no learning. And significant learning requires that there be some kind of lasting change that is important in terms of the learner’s life.” L.D. Fink, 2003• Beyond cognitive learning. • A new kind of learning to include:• Ethics• Communication skills • Leadership and Interpersonal skills• Character and the ability to adapt to change

Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning (2003)

Fink’s Taxonomy kaleidoscope & the ACRL Framework Threshold Concepts

Authority is contextual

Searching is Strategic

Information Creation is a Process

Research as Inquiry

Information has Value

Scholarship as Conversation

Threshold Concepts Learning Outcomes• Authority is Contextual – Foundational Knowledge

• I understand… my responsibility to seek out authoritative information.• I can… determine what makes an authoritative source in my discipline.• I value… important ideas and facts in my discipline.

• Searching is Strategic – Application• I understand… information systems are organized.• I can… determine when sufficient information has been gathered. • I value… developing skills to seek and locate useful information.

• Information Creation is a Process – Integration• I understand… how individuals create & disseminate info. in my field. • I can… identify different types of sources.• I value… being connected to the manifestation of ideas.

Threshold Concepts Learning Outcomes (continued)• Research as Inquiry – Learning How to Learn

• I understand… how to frame useful questions in academic research.• I can… combine findings to identify questions for future research. • I value… my persistence and flexibility in transferring knowledge.

• Information has Value – Caring • I understand… implications of intellectual property and OA in my work.• I can… make informed choices when sharing information.• I value… reputable resources as contributing to my academic success.

• Scholarship as Conversation – Human Dimension• I understand… all information sources display a perspective.• I can… identify influential works which demonstrate contributions to my field.• I value… my ability to critically reflect & sensitively respond in the

conversation.

Lesson PlansBringing the Framework Threshold Concepts to a Reality

Authority is Contextual - Lesson Plan• Students reflect on someone who has authority in ones

own life.• Students learn about professional associations in their

field.• What does the association publish?

• What standards do they impose (incl. citation style)?• Hands-on activities:

• Use Ulrichs Web to find peer-reviewed journals and the corporate author• Use Google to look up professional associations• On an association's website: look under Publications

Research as Inquiry - Lesson Plan• We already do research (although we may not call it by that

name). • Students are prompted to teach something they already

know well to a partner. • Their partner asks them question about it.

• What if you wanted to know more?• The perfect source may not exist.• Need to try multiple sources.

• See “The Research Discussion” in Bravender, P., McClure, H. A., & Schaub, G. (2015). Teaching information literacy threshold concepts: Lesson plans for librarians. ACRL.

Scholarship as a Conversation – Lesson Plan• Instructor explains: • Securities and Exchange Commission • US Census Bureau

• Discussion on information in business research• Choose a US public company & find: • Annual report (SEC) • Industry statistics (US Census – Economic Census).

• Writing reflection: • News media coverage compared to an annual report

Information Creation as a Process – Lesson Plan• Students learn about primary sources. • Hands-on demonstration of special collections and archives.

• In-class exploration:• Regional labor union documents• Rare books • Hand-written artifacts

• At-home:• Explore chosen company’s social media presence • Reflect upon the communication process• Consider intended audience and information not seen

Searching as Strategic Exploration – Lesson Plan• Class is divided into medium sized working groups.• Become entrepreneurs to plan a business.• The group develops a search strategy.• Each group member selects type of source.• Screen shot of source to Padlet page• Justify choice and teach search strategy to group.

Information has Value – Lesson Plan• Students reflect and discuss: • How do we get information? • What should information look like? • What should information be able to do?

• Students journal and share a time they needed information. • Students reflect on their access to information. • Instructor explains implications of intellectual

property, copyright, open access and fair use.

Suggested References• Bain, K. (2004). What the Best College Teachers Do. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.• Blumberg, P. (2009). Developing Learner-centered Teaching : A Practical Guide for Faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-

Bass.• Barkley, E. (2010). Student Engagement Techniques : A Handbook for College Faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Bravender, P., McClure, H. A., & Schaub, G. (2015). Teaching information literacy threshold concepts: Lesson plans

for librarians. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, A division of the American Library Association.

• Brockbank, A. , & McGill, I. (1998). Facilitating Reflective Learning in Higher Education. Buckingham ; Philadelphia, PA: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.

• Fink, L. (2013). Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• "Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education", American Library Association, February 9, 2015. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework (Accessed February 18, 2016) Document ID: b910a6c4-6c8a-0d44-7dbc-a5dcbd509e3f

• Huba, M. , & Freed, J. (2000). Learner-centered Assessment on College Campuses : Shifting the Focus from Teaching to Learning. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

• O’Neill, G. & Murphy, F. (2010). Assessment: Guide to taxonomies of learning. University College of Dublin Teaching and Learning Resources. Retrieved from: http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/ucdtla0034.pdf

• Weimer, M. (2013). Learner-centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint.

Discussion

Charissa.Jefferson@csun.edu