According to Nazari's contextual methodological model emerged from her PhD study, people's conceptions and experiences of information in real-life contexts play a key role in illuminating competencies they need to effectively make sense of, and use information. In this presentation, Nazari presents four conceptions of geospatial information as emerged from the conceptions of a group of GIS educators and students in a joint online distance learning GIS partnership programme in the UK and US. Drawing on the conceptions, she presents several competencies identified in the context of each conception and discusses their implications for information literacy education. Hope you find it useful :)

1. Conceptions of Geospatial information: Implications for Information Literacy Education Maryam Nazari University of Sheffield Department of Information Studies Information Literacy: Research and Strategy Seminar, Centre for Information Literacy Research, University of Sheffield, March 2008

4. Two big questions IL in the GIS ODL What does IL mean in disciplinary areas? How can it be illuminated? Competencies needed to accomplish GIS tasks Nature and characteristics of GIS discipline To explore real learning and teaching experiences Various meaning and conceptions Various meaning and conceptions To explore real learning and teaching experiences

5. A rationale for this study Information Literacy Education What does it mean in disciplinary areas? How can it be illuminated? Competencies needed to accomplish information and learning tasks Nature and characteristics of GIS Some other disciplines but NOT Geographic Information System/ Science (GIS) Phenomenography and Survey but NOT Exploratory Case Study Librarians but FEW Academics and educators Face to face but NOT Online Distance Learning (ODL) programs

6. Methodology Real information and learning needs Perceptions, and teaching and learning experiences of, GIS and geo/spatial information Real IL educational needs An embedded exploratory case study Identify Explore - Academics and students - 30 GIS ODL courses - 3 ODL programs - semi-structured interview - questionnaire - students’ reflection - document study - To identify competencies GIS students need: a) to be able to find, evaluate, and use geospatial information; b) to solve problems geo/spatially Explore

8. Conceptions of GI Spatial Temporal Spatially Technology-mediated Spatially contextualised Geospatial information

9. Conceptions of GI - 1 Spatial Geospatial information Location Attributes Locational (e.g. name of streets, postal codes) Non-locational (e.g. diseases, pollution, sand, water etc) Represents the earth feature Information about the location Information about the target phenomenon in the location

10. Conceptions of GI - 2 Temporal Geospatial information It represents features of the earth in certain point(s) of time It is about a dynamic-temporal phenomenon i.e. the earth It has a life span e.g. census data

11. Conceptions of GI - 3 Spatially contextualised Geospatial information needs to be spatially conceptualised and contextualised socially and geographically constructed phenomenon

12. Conceptions of GI - 4 Spatially technology-mediated Geospatial information GI is readable and usable by GIS It needs to be formed and transformed - x,y,z coordinates; - latitude-longitude; - spatial identifier GI is originally in any format - Text ; e.g. names of streets, lakes etc - Number ; e.g. table of census data, columns of spreadsheet etc - Visual formats ; e.g. maps, graphs, digital maps and images, scanned aerial photographs etc. but readable and usable in certain formats

13. Forms of mediation Formation Manipulate Analysis Handle Communicate Map Apply Display Overlay Transformation Organise To make sense of GI To make use of GI With the involvement of spatially and non-spatially enabled technologies and tools

14. User input

15. Forms of user input and needed competencies Conception User input Competencies C1- Spatial Spatial way of thinking of GI - To conceptualise GI as a spatial phenomenon - To understand, visualise, represent GI as 3-D information C2- Temporal Spatial and temporal way of thinking of GI - To conceptualise GI as a dynamic and temporal phenomenon - To understand, visualise, represent GI as 4-D information