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The III CAMPUS UJ
Institute of Information Studies
Faculty of Management and Social Communication
Łojasiewicza 4 Str.
Presentations
Building Knowledge across the Curriculum: Utilizing the Learning Community Model to Maximize Relevant Information Literacy Instruction
Emily Zekan Brown, Laura Hogan, Susan Souza-Mort
Bristol Community College, USA
Librarians at a southern New England Community College designed a freshman-level college course intended to teach information literacy skills to students within the context of their majors through a linked Learning Community. It is critically important for students to understand research within the context of their fields. As they progress through their education, students will build on the information literacy skills gained in their first two years of college, creating engaged and research-focused students and professionals (Virtue et al., 2019). The new course will align to different courses through the Learning Community model, allowing students to connect information literacy skills with real-world application within their discipline. Hopefully, through completing this course students will be encouraged to engage in life-long learning and potentially transfer to a four-year institution.
Objectives
In this session we will focus on the collaborative efforts of the librarians at this Community College and their new course in information literacy designed to teach research methods within specific majors. We created the course to act as a sort of “lab” for a foundational course in the disciplines that will focus on research methods utilized in those academic areas. For example, the course could be paired with a foundational sociology course and would then focus on the research methods in that field. Or, it could be paired with a history course, where students would learn research methods in that field. The course would include bringing in the college writing center in order to teach students to write within their chosen field as well as feature guest lecturers who have conducted research so that students can ask questions about interviewing, data collection, and other facets of research.
We will base the course on the High Impact Practice (HIP) of a learning community. The course will be offered as part of the required college first-year curriculum but will specifically be tailored to declared majors. The course, as a part of a learning community, would teach to the research assignments that are assigned in its partner course. In doing so, the students will be able to gain the research skills and support required to complete assigned research assignments.
Methodology
Our course proposal was approved by the College Wide Curriculum Committee in March of 2023. We intend to run several sessions in the summer of 2023, if possible. A faculty member in sociology has already agreed to participate in the first learning community, planned for Fall 2023. A variety of concerns are present, including staffing to teach the course in a time of low enrollment. Thus, the librarians feel that tailored courses will have more of an impact on student learning of information literacy concepts. Our presentation will include current research on information literacy and learning communities to illustrate the need for a modern approach.
References
Virtue, E. E., Maddox, G., & Pfaff, K. (2019). The lasting effects of learning communities. Learning Communities: Research & Practice, 7(2). Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1240093
