The document discusses the development of an information literacy module for PhD students in Ireland. It was created as part of a Strategic Innovation Fund project to develop generic skills training for PhD students. An online demonstration module was developed and piloted at three universities. The goals of the module are to help students improve their skills in finding, evaluating and managing information to support their research and maximize their research time. Challenges include getting support across institutions and maintaining the module long term.

1. o
Supported by
IUISC 5.03.2009
Niall McSweeney
Head of Information Services
NUI Galway
Margot Conrick
Head of Information Services
University College Cork

2. Graduate Information Literacy Module
Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
1 Module Context
2 Online Demonstration
3 Questions / Answers / Discussion

3.  PhD Graduate Education
 4th
Level Ireland
 Generic Skills Modules
 Module Development
 Stakeholder Benefits
 Challenges
 Future Plans

4. 4th
Level Ireland
Key points:
 Doubling the PhD numbers
 Establishment of Graduate School system
 Change from apprenticeship to structured 4-year PhD
 National co-ordination of training provision
 New emphasis on career paths

5. Generic Skills Training
New key element of the PhD Programme
 Structured 4-Year PhD
 Generic Skills
 Enhanced Career Paths
 National Co-ordination / Collaboration
 Increased Student Mobility

6.  Broaden student skills and knowledge
 Provide specialist courses in the research area
(high-level interdisciplinary skills)
 Develop high-level transferable skills with an eye on
student career paths
 Create inter-institutional graduate education
programmes
 Broaden and deepen the intellectual training
which the student will receive
 Develop innovative structures for the provision
of generic skills

7.  Research leading to the PhD dissertation must comprise
at least 240 credits within the overall programme
 Overall minimum of 270 credits with a maximum
of 360 credits
 The PhD programme of study may include up to 90 credits
of generic and speciality training

8.  Strategic Innovation Fun (SIF) 4th
Level Ireland Project
 Learning Outcomes
 Skills that may be develop through
 Research
 Additional Taught Modules
“ …PhD education must also facilitate
additional skills development opportunities.”

9. “ Government fund to promote collaboration,
support change and enhance quality in Irish
higher education so that it is equipped to meet
the challenge of driving Ireland’s development
as a leading knowledge economy…”

11. The SIF Generic Skills Project
has the overall objective of providing
the key transferable generic skills,
with an inter-institutional structure

12.  300 million euro (2006-2011)
 Cycle 1 – October 2006 - 42 million euro
 14 projects
 Generic Skills is one of these
 SIF IL Module is with GS

13. Niall McSweeney,
Co-ordinator
Ronan Kennedy
NUIG
Marie Reddan
Advisor
Isolde Harpur
David McNaughton
TCD
Margot Conrick
Richard Bradfield
UCC
Module Funding
€100,000

14.  Identification of current level of information skills
 Development of existing skills and acquistion of new skills
 In-depth knowledge of key resources available
 Techniques to evaluate and use quality resources
 Maximise research time and effort and avoid duplication
 Learn to adapt and apply skills learned to new research
Key skills to be developed / learning outcomes

15.  Consultation critical
- PhD supervisors
- Deans
- Library staff
- Researchers and students
 National IL standards
 International ‘best practice’

17.  Aimed at PhDs
 may include Research Masters or Post-Docs
 Face-to-face and online
 Integrate with VLE, e.g. Blackboard
 Variety of media options – podcasts / video, etc.

18.  Audit / expand / acquire / update portfolio of IL skills
 Expert guidance on the usage of information resources
 ‘Best practice’ search strategies
 Key concepts of information management
 High-quality literature review
 Mapping / evaluating resources to research needs

19.  Bibliographic management techniques
 Awareness of the ethical issues in using information
 Importance of bibliometrics /impact factors
 Apply & adapt acquired skills research
 Maximise research time

20.  More focused research students/group
 Enhanced research output - information literate students
 Skills profile for structured 4-Year PhD
 Reflective framework
 Well-prepared adaptable/ employable PhD graduates

21.  Inter-institutional collaboration / networking
 Content creation / delivery – national applicability
 Enhancing expertise
 Innovation exchange / enhanced profile
 Tapping-into source of expertise in university and library
 Perception -vs- Reality - Phd Research

22.  3 year timescale 2007 – 2009
 Began April 2007
 Initial partial pilot May 2008
 Full pilot October 2008 – February 2009
 Delivery September 2009 ?

23.  Module content complete
 Online outsourced to media company
 Pilot of Full Module (all 7 units) in 3 universities
October 2008 to February 2009
 STM examples but generic content
 Fully evaluated

24.  Face-to-face / Online
 Weekly delivery
 Formal assessment
 Practical application to own research / supervisor
 More tutorial type sessions
 Exercises should be relevant & authentic
 Competencies should mirror Learning Outcomes
 Competencies capable of being applied

25.  No dedicated Project Support
 Existing resources
 Collaboration
 Institutional differences
 Geographical spread
 Support – Cultural/Political
 each library
 each institution
 Integration of module with PhD Programme
 Registration/Scheduling of module
 Assessment – pedagogy/consistency
 Online (via VL)+ Face-to-face
 Sustainability – resources
 Additional Workshop/Sessions
 New/Additional Content

26.  National research support potential
 Exist complimentary to IReL
 How will it be supported and developed further
 How can cohesion be kept going?
 Great energy and commitment to date
- how can that momentum be kept up?

27. IR
SIF IL Key Element

28. SIF IL Module is hosted by HEANET
www.informationliteracy.ie