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Creating a new teaching programme within a functional model - Carey
Áine Carey is a Teaching and Research Development Librarian at Maynooth University in Ireland. She manages a team that provides information literacy instruction using a new functional model with three areas of focus: Teaching and Learning, Research Support, and Academic Engagement. The university adopted a new curriculum emphasizing critical thinking skills, prompting the library to map its information literacy classes to a new framework. The functional model has improved collaboration, though initial concerns about specialization existed. Student feedback is now sought to further enhance responsive, activity-based teaching that scaffolds skills development.
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Creating a new teaching programme within a functional model - Carey
- 1. LILAC Information LiteracyConference University of Nottingham 25 April 2019 Áine Carey Teaching & Research Development Librarian Twitter: @aine_carey And action…!
- 2. About me andmy role Manage Teaching and Research Development team in MU Library Functional model based on Teaching & Learning, Research Support, and Academic Engagement Worked across a range of information environments (larger / specialist academic environments; private sector consulting) ‘Client-facing’: getting to students’ point-of-need
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- 4. What I’ll cover Whywe chose a functional model – and what it looks like The impact on teaching Our activity-based model of teaching What we have learned – and where we are headed
- 5. Move towards afunctional model Existing subject-based structure (based on Faculty) not reflecting changing information landscape - academic integrity; writing skills; open access; critical thinking and analysis Gaps and overlap in our IL provision Not exploiting our expertise fully – responsive rather than proactive Need to meet the varied information needs of a growing, diverse community Issues of scale – how we continue to reach an ever-increasing student population Introduction of a new undergraduate curriculum with information literacy at its core
- 6. A new curriculumwith a key focus on critical skills ‘…graduates are expected to be … capable of gathering and critiquing information from a variety of sources’ (Maynooth University, 2015)
- 7. • Mapping & evaluatingthe information landscape • Managing & presenting information • Managing the transition • Understanding ethical & social dimensions of information • Researching within the disciplines Deep Knowledge & Critical intellectual skills Autonomous and responsible learners Breadth of perspective Skills for life and work Information Literacy Framework for ‘A Maynooth Education’
- 8. Research support: bibliometrics, open access,research impact Classes: mapped to our IL Framework Online support tools and tutorials Teaching & Learning Academic Liaison Research Support Academic Engagement TRD Functional Model Academic Engagement: via Library Reps, Heads of Departments, Faculty meetings; holistic & symbiotic
- 9. • Mapping & evaluatingthe information landscape • Managing & presenting information • Managing the transition • Understanding ethical & social dimensions of information • Researching within the disciplines Deep Knowledge & Critical intellectual skills Autonomous and responsible learners Breadth of perspective Skills for life and work Mapping our classes to our MU Information Literacy Framework Successful Searching By the end of this session, your students should be able to effectively find academic information and use library resources. This can be tailored to any subject Evaluating Information Students will develop their ability to evaluate information and thereby find the information most relevant for use in their assignments Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism Students will learn to recognise plagiarism, improve their knowledge of referencing and develop skills for managing their references Databases in your subject Students will learn how to access and navigate some of the top recommended databases in their subject area
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- 13. Academics book usingforms
- 14. Teaching approach • Agreedlearning outcomes • Standardised lesson plans • Establishing students’ prior learning
- 16. Initial outcomes Some concern from academics – especially departments who had specific, intensive engagement with Subject Librarians previously Within the team, uncertainty about how we worked now as a team; fear of losing touch with one another Were we losing specialism? Becoming ‘generic’? Worked really well for departments and staff we were newly engaging with – gave them a route map of support and opportunities for collaboration Created an opportunity for the Library to have a clear voice in Teaching & Learning forum Enunciated our IL expertise clearly
- 17. During the pilotphase Initially resistant academics quickly endorsed our new approach New opportunities for collaboration and co- teaching Lecturers as partners in the classroom – the key to success Each class retains the same learning outcomes but is adapted to meet the specific module requirements Based on identified point-of-need e.g. an assignment, project or thesis Within the team, actively seeking areas of collaboration – where do we need to meet and work together? Identification of projects Weekly catch-up meetings Individual regular meetings with each team member Away-days to build team-working and work through concerns
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- 19. Where we arenow Collaboration with academics is vital – linking the class activity with what is being covered in the module and their lectures Attendance of lecturer at classes ensures that the lecturer too is following IL best practice! Learning outcomes and ensuring these are achieved is the key – this may involve changing approach during the class Co-teaching approach now in place – essential for allowing responsive approaches in class Pre-class tools and post-class follow up matter Focus on the student experience – did they respond? Interact? Participate? Did they ask questions or admit they weren’t sure? Can you establish an enhanced sense of engagement for each student by the end of the class? Was the atmosphere warm, responsive and relaxed?
- 20. Next steps Continuingto examine what we do! Get more student feedback (academic feedback positive) Pre-class tools – partner with Critical Skills to develop an IL quiz that could be credit-bearing if wanted What about more able students? How do we facilitate students who are doing well and want to attain a higher grade? Where is the students’ point-of-need? E.g. for most it revolves around an understanding (or lack of) the academic research and writing process. Tailor classes to focus on assignments Scaffolded classes – how do we progress from one-shot classes? Co-teaching – a success for students and has positively impacted our team Supporting Teaching & Learning Librarians to feel confident in this fluid teaching appraoch Embedding our online resources within module content – initial steps taken, essential if we are to reach students more effectively Catering for out-of-hours students and classes - how to deliver parity of service
- 21. Áine Carey Job Title MaynoothUniversity Email: aine.carey@mu.ie Telephone: 00353 1 474 7123 Twitter: @aine_carey See what we do: https://nuim.libguides.com/guides_tutorials
Editor's Notes
- #3 My current role and what that means – size of team; what TRD does My background – different work experience Why it’s relevant – I spent 10 years in a very specialist, and specific environment, and another decade in a variety of roles and contexts, where I think I have been ‘new’ a lot. Even in current role, I am slightly over 3 years in MU, but have had a number of role changes in that time. Newness means I am asking questions a lot and have a lot ot learn; but it also means I am able to ask questions and think ‘how can we do it better or differently’. In particular, I still bring the ‘client’ function along with me from my days working in a client driven environment
- #4 Picture captures the essence of MU really – shows the front of the library building – which is a dramatic extension built about 6 years ago now and in the background you can see the historic buildings that comprise the original St Patrick’s College Maynooth campus, which has been in existence since the 18th century. On 16 June 2017, Maynooth University celebrated its 20th birthday, having been formally established as an autonomous university in 1997. Yet, it traces its origins to the foundation of the Royal College of St. Patrick in 1795, drawing inspiration from a heritage that includes over 200 years of education and scholarship. Located 25km outside Dublin, occupies quite a unique position – close enough to be considered a ‘Dublin’ university, in a way, and draws its catchment from there, but also has a significant commuter population especially from the midlands and more rural parts of the country. Again, we are geographically close to communities of new Irish, those who have made Ireland there home having immigrated in the last 20 years from all around the world including Africa and Eastern Europe etc. Fastest growing university in Ireland – 2010/2011, 2000 first year students; overall student population of 9,600. By 2016/17, 3000 first years students, overall population of just over 12,000. Challenges with this – resources – campus wide; library fared better – but managing the ‘friendly, personal environment’, while catering to the variety of needs a challenge. Most diverse – socio-economically, those with various access requirements, making up nearly ¼ of all our student intake.
- #7 ‘Maynooth Education’ introduced 2015: a new curriculum: focus on critical thinking; key skills include – problem solving, independent learning, critical thinking, analysis, reflection, communication skills, understanding academic standards, ethical responsibility. Key role for library to support this work in all our teaching - development of online tutorials key to support this work.
- #8 Unique opportunity for the Library. The graduate attributes essentially relate to core IL competencies that we had enunciated in our IL Framework. Mapped IL Framework to ‘A Maynooth Education’ Key partnership with Critical Skills – natural understanding of each other’s approach and areas of work. Embedding IL within these programmes meant that students receiving IL instruction without library The key thing here is that the functional model allows us to focus on the competencies we identify as important for the student – those competencies relate to all stages and disciplines and allow us to focus on the quality and purpose of our teaching
- #9 A bit more about TRD – what are the functions? Note – the key to our functional model is the academic engagement role – connects us to our academic colleagues and also facilitates collaboration within the Library What kind of work do we do within these areas? Note: emphasis on symbiotic (mutually rewarding) aspect of academic engagement role
- #10 Briefly as won’t have time to go into depth The key thing here is that the functional model allows us to focus on the competencies we identify as important for the student – those competencies relate to all stages and disciplines and allow us to focus on the quality and purpose of our teaching
- #19 Explain the difference in putting activity front and centre of each class. The role of Menti in discovering student’s understanding and where they are at. Where this leave the instructor.
- #22 By Barry Mangham [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons