1. Hidden Vegetables:
A collaborative approach to
embedding information and academic
literacies in the curriculum
Lucy Carroll
Subject Librarian (Sciences)
Alison McEntee
Effective Learning Tutor

2. The Hidden Vegetables
‘The hidden vegetables refer to the policy drivers, like graduate attributes and
employability skills, that are already present in the curriculum. They are initially
hidden from students, but if they stay hidden, students don’t understand them
or realise their significance for their learning and development.
When hiding vegetables in children's food, we delight in telling them, after the
fact, that they’ve eaten something that was good for them. So we explicitly tell
students;
“here’s what we’ve just taught you, and here’s how it will help you develop as a
graduate”.
The embedded sessions add colour and flavour to their learning, and
encourage them to engage with the ‘vegetables’ in the future!’

3. ‘Generic’ PDP sessions
Dates Times & Rooms Session Lecturers
Week 1 Monday 12-1, R101 Lecture: Introduction to PDP Alison McEntee,
Neil Pitcher
Week 2 Monday 12-1, 2-4 in ICT
or
Tuesday 3-5 in ICT
Computer lab: ePortfolios.
This is an informal hands-on
session. Turn up at any of
these time slots, the session
should take you about 40
minutes.
Neil Pitcher,
Richard Thacker,
Alison McEntee
Week 3 Monday 12-1, R101 Lecture: Academic Writing Alison McEntee
Week 4 Monday 12-1, R101 Lecture: Library Skills Lucy Carroll
Week 12 Monday 1130-1230, R101 Lecture: PDP summary, exam
skills, “What Next?”
Evaluation
Richard Thacker,
Alison McEntee,
Neil Pitcher

4. A New Approach
PDP as ‘being and becoming’ a scientist; a focus on the
process of PDP as it relates to subject learning, and
students development as a science graduate:
Trimester one
• Generic PDP sessions delivered alongside cells and molecules lectures
• Linked to tutorial on academic writing relating to specific essay question and
session on referencing and plagiarism
Trimester two
• Direct input into scientific investigation module
• Lectures on literature searching for case study; group work and writing a case
study report; and poster presentations
• Lecture on reflective writing for e-portfolio

5. Assessment
Graduate
Attributes
Student
HEA
Employability
Profiles
UWS
Graduate
Attributes
SCQF/
Learning
Outcomes PDP/
ePortfolio
Assessment
Assessment

6. Essay
Graduate
Attributes
Student
HEA
Employability
Profiles
UWS
Graduate
Attributes
SCQF/
Learning
Outcomes PDP/
ePortfolio
Assessment
Assessment

7. Essay
Graduate
Attributes
Student
HEA
Employability
Profiles
UWS
Graduate
Attributes
SCQF/
Learning
Outcomes PDP/
ePortfolio
Assessment
Assessment

8. Essay
Graduate
Attributes
Student
HEA
Employability
Profiles
UWS
Graduate
Attributes
SCQF/
Learning
Outcomes PDP/
ePortfolio
Assessment
Assessment

9. Academic Literacies
• Literacies as social practice (Lea and Street 1998,
2004).
• Writing in Higher Education ‘involves new ways
of knowing; new ways of understanding,
interpreting and organising knowledge’ (Lea and
Street 1998, p.158).
• Writing as ‘usefully problematic’; writing to learn
and learning to write (Britton 1982, p.94).

10. Class sessions

11. Class sessions

12. The hidden vegetables

13. Information literacy
“Information literacy is knowing when and why you need
information; where to find it; and how to evaluate, use and
communicate it in an ethical manner.” (CILIP, 2013).
“Knowing when and why
you need information” –
exploring the essay question
“Where to find information“–
finding information for essays
& finding literature for a case
study
“How to evaluate, use and
communicate information in
an ethical manner “– how &
why should you reference &
how to avoid plagiarism

14. Class content
• “The average temperature in winter is
lower than in summer.”
– Established fact, wouldn’t need a reference.
• “The coldest temperature ever recorded in
the UK is -27.2°C”
– Stating a specific fact that isn’t widely
known, would need a reference for this.
• “It rains more on the west coast of Scotland
than the east coast of Scotland.”
– Making a claim, would need evidence (e.g.
records of rainfall reported in a text book) to
back this up. Needs a reference.

15. UWS CoRE Referencing Toolkit

16. The hidden vegetables

17. Assessment Data
•10 % increase in students from 2011-12 to 2012-13
•23 % improvement in average module mark
•15 % increase in pass rate after resit
•86 % increase in PDP mark and 64 % increase in PDP engagement

18. Impact of the New Approach
•Enhanced module metrics
•Explicit contextualised approach to PDP – student awareness of reflection
•Student engagement in the PDP process – improved feedback
•Building on trimester 1 to produce a solid Level 7 platform for integrated growth
•Improved quality of output (writing skills, referencing, information literacy,
presentation skills)

19. The way forward
• Programme based development
• Learning objects at all programme levels
 Support for ‘vertical’ student development
• Embedding of
 Academic literacies
 Digital and information literacy
 Policy drivers embedded as learning processes
• Will inform curriculum development and module assessment
• Joint working between academics and support services

20. References
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (2004) Information
Literacy: definition. [Online] Available: http://www.cilip.org.uk/get-
involved/advocacy/information-literacy/pages/definition.aspx [Accessed: 14
June 2013].
Higher Education Academy (2007) Student Employability profiles, A guide.
[Online] Available: http://www-
new2.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/employability/Employability_profiles_
print_pdf [Accessed 20 August 2013].
Lea, Mary R. (2004) Academic literacies: a pedagogy for course design. Studies
in Higher Education. Vol.29(6), pp. 739-756.
Lea, Mary R. and Street, Brian V.(1998) Student writing in higher education: An
academic literacies approach. Studies in Higher Education. Vol.23(2), pp. 157-
172.
Britton, J. and Pradl, G. (ed.) (1982) Prospect and retrospect: Selected essays of
James Britton. London: Heinemann.

21. Questions, comments,
reflections…
 Lucy Carroll
Subject Librarian (Sciences)
University of the West of Scotland
Paisley
PA1 2BE
Tel : 0141 849 4116
Email : lucy.carroll@uws.ac.uk
 Alison McEntee
Effective Learning Tutor
University of the West of Scotland
Paisley
PA1 2BE
Tel :
Email : alison.mcentee@uws.ac.uk