Presentation to PaLA TL&T roundtable in spring, 2015.

1. +
A Continuum of
Learning: The
Common Core and
Higher Ed
Ellysa Stern Cahoy
April 13 2015

2. +
The ACRL Standards
 Adopted in 2000
 A ‘framework for assessing the information literate
individual’
 Cognitive learning outcomes relative to
 Finding
 Evaluating
 Using
 Citing information

3. +
An Updated IL Definition
Information literacy is the set of
integrated abilities encompassing the
reflective discovery of information, the
understanding of how information is
produced and valued, and the use of
information in creating new knowledge
and participating ethically in
communities of learning.

4. +
Threshold concepts
 A threshold concept framework includes “the core ideas and
processes in any discipline that define the discipline, but that are so
ingrained that they often go unspoken or unrecognized by
practitioners.” (Hofer, Townsend, Brunetti, 2011, p. 184)
 Definitional criteria
 Transformative—Learner has a shift in perspective
 Integrative– Unifying separate concepts into a whole
 Irreversible– Once learned, cannot be unlearned
 Bounded– Unique to a discipline
 Troublesome– Difficult ideas that may place a roadblock in the learning
process
Townsend, L. & Brunetti, K. & Hofer, A. R.(2011). Threshold Concepts and
Information Literacy. portal: Libraries and the Academy 11(3), 853-869. The
Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from Project
MUSE database.

5. +
Threshold concepts

6. +
The Final Threshold Concepts…
 Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
 Information Creation as a Process
 Information Has Value
 Research as Inquiry
 Scholarship as Conversation
 Searching as Strategic Exploration
 TCs in Plain English: bit.ly/TCEnglish
 Framework PDF: j.mp/ACRLFramework

7. +
Threshold Concept:
Scholarship as conversation
Scholarship as conversation refers to the
idea of sustained discourse within a
community of scholars or thinkers, with new
insights and discoveries occurring over time
as a result of competing perspectives and
interpretations.

8. +
Scholarship as Conversation as a
threshold concept
 Definitional criteria
 Transformative—Learner has a shift in perspective
 Students learn how to think critically and speak as a scholar
 Integrative– Unifying separate concepts into a whole
 Students observe and participate in a range of scholarly conversations
 Irreversible– Once learned, cannot be unlearned
 Students develop new information based on conversations
 Bounded– Unique to a discipline
 Scholarly conversations are specialized
 Troublesome
 Are outside perspectives welcome in a scholarly conversation? How does a student
establish their voice?
Townsend, L. & Brunetti, K. & Hofer, A. R.(2011). Threshold Concepts and Information
Literacy. portal: Libraries and the Academy 11(3), 853-869. The Johns Hopkins University
Press. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from Project MUSE database.

9. +
Scholarship as conversation
 Knowledge Practices (Abilities)
 Learners who are developing their information literate abilities…
 Cite the contributing work of others in their own information
production.
 Summarize the changes in scholarly perspective over time on a
particular topic within a specific discipline.
 Critically evaluate contributions made by others in participatory
information environments.
 Identify the contribution particular articles, books, and other
scholarly pieces make to disciplinary knowledge.
 Recognize that a given scholarly work may not represent the only
or even the majority perspective on the issue

10. +
Scholarship is a conversation
 Dispositions
 Learners who are developing their information
literate abilities…
 Suspend judgment on the value of a particular
piece of scholarship until the larger context for
the scholarly conversation is better understood.
 See themselves as contributors to scholarship
rather than only consumers of it.

11. +
Common Core and Threshold
Concepts
Common Core and the IL
Framework:
Making the Connection
Between K-12 and
College

12. +
Common Core and Threshold
Concepts
 Evaluate author’s credentials and background to
determine point of view or purpose. (Model Curriculum
11-12)
 Authority is Constructed and Contextual:
 Define different types of authority, such as subject
expertise (e.g., scholarship), societal position (e.g.,
public office or title), or special experience (e.g.,
participating in a historic event).
 Use research tools and indicators of authority to
determine the credibility of sources, understanding the
elements that might temper this credibility.

13. +
Common Core and Threshold
Concepts
 Evaluate information found in multiple sources and
mediums to address a question or solve a problem.
(Model Curriculum, 11-12)
 Research as Inquiry (Framework)
 Synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources
 Draw reasonable conclusions based on the
analysis and interpretation of information

14. +
Common Core and Threshold
Concepts
 Analyze texts for information based upon purposes and
arguments for credibility, relevance, bias, accuracy and
currency. (Model Curriculum, 11-12)
 Authority is Constructed and Contextual (Framework)
 Define different types of authority, such as subject
expertise (e.g., scholarship), societal position (e.g.,
public office or title), or special experience (e.g.,
participating in a historic event).
 Use research tools and indicators of authority to
determine the credibility of sources, understanding the
elements that might temper this credibility.

15. +
Common Core and Threshold
Concepts
Where does the
crosswalk between the
Common Core / Model
Curriculum and the
Framework end?

16. +
Common Core and Threshold
Concepts
Information Creation
as a Process
Information Has Value

17. +
Common Core and Threshold
Concepts
 Student as content creator
 Framework: Articulate the capabilities and
constraints of information developed through
various creation processes
 Framework: Assess the fit between an
information product’s creation process and a
particular information need
 Framework: Articulate the traditional and
emerging processes of information creation and
dissemination in a particular discipline

18. +
Common Core and Threshold
Concepts
 Information has Value
 Framework: Decide where and how their
information is published
 Framework: Understand how the
commodification of their personal information and
online interactions affects the information they
receive and the information they produce or
disseminate online

19. +
Food for thought…
 How does the Common Core (and the PA Model Curriculum)
inform the work of academic librarians?
 Does the emphasis within the Framework on content creation
and the value of information have significance on the choices
we make in our teaching?
 What are the content creation tools we are using with our
students today?
 What is a typical student’s understanding of the value of
information upon entering college?
 Do we have building blocks in our college / university’s
curriculum to develop students’ understanding of these critical
areas?

20. +
Questions? Comments?
Ellysa Cahoy
Penn State University Libraries
ellysa@psu.edu
 TCs in Plain English: bit.ly/TCEnglish
 Framework PDF: j.mp/ACRLFramework