|
||||
|
|
|
Close Window |
Edited by Keith Gresham
As an event for the academic library community, Think Tank III: Information Literacy and the Technological Transformation of Higher Education continued a long tradition of focused discussions on the future direction of library instruction in higher education. As a publication for the academic library community, this work serves as the official record of the papers and discussion documents that were part of the Think Tank III working session and subsequent online forum.
Think Tank III teamed leaders in the field of information literacy with leaders in the field of educational technology for day-long discussions and agenda-setting sessions focused on the information literacy movement's impact upon higher education. The various events of Think Tank III were funded through the support of the ACRL Initiative Fund, with added contributions from e-book publisher netLibrary and individual donors.
The librarians and educational technologists selected for the Think Tank III working sessions were grouped into teams and assigned six topics for exploration:
1. Defining Moments: The Role of Information Literacy
in the 21st Century Construct of Education
Mark Donovan and Anne Zald from the University of
Washington were asked to examine how the
challenges posed by an information driven society
demand a rethinking of higher education, as well as
how instruction librarians and teaching faculty will
be affected by institutional efforts to prepare active,
critical, and information literate students.
2. Our Future Revisited: Redefining the Teaching Role
of Librarians on the Wired Campus
Elizabeth Dupuis of the University of Texas at
Austin and Margit Misangi Watts of the University
of Hawaii at Manoa revisited William Miller's
comments from Think Tank II on the teaching role of
academic librarians in light of the major information
literacy initiatives witnessed in higher education in
the past 10 years and the widespread integration of
technology into the daily lives of students.
3. Deep Impact: Changing Technologies and the
(R)evolution of Information Literacy
Judith Swanson of California Polytechnic State
University and Dane Ward of Wayne State
University were asked to examine the impact of
technological changes and an increasingly
"technologized" student population on the design and
delivery of campus-wide information literacy
programs.
4. Lessons Learned: Computer Technologies as
Learning Tools and Their Applications to Library
Instruction
Karen Williams and James Austin of the University
of Arizona discussed what current research tells us
about the successful use of computer technology as
a teaching tool and they explored how knowledge can
best be applied to the teaching of information literacy
in academic libraries.
5. Justify Our Love: Information Literacy and the
Role of Assessment in Higher Education
Anne Scrivener Agee and Craig Gibson of George
Mason University explored how information
literacy efforts affect student learning in the
classroom and examined relevant issues regarding
the measurement and assessment of information
literacy outcomes in light of the demands being
placed upon higher education for increased
accountability.
6. In Search of Common Ground: The Information
Literacy/Computer Literacy Connection
Patricia Iannuzzi of Florida International
University was asked to examine why the teaching
of information literacy in higher education seems
not to have received widespread acceptance and
enthusiasm to the same degree as the teaching of
computer or technology literacy. She also
explored what opportunities exist for
collaborative partnerships between proponents of
these two skill areas.
Ree DeDonato of Columbia University was invited to serve as moderator of the working sessions, and Kathleen Kern, a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was invited to serve as recorder.
In order to broaden the deliberations about the important Think Tank III topics, online discussions with the authors were scheduled. The ACRL/IS Think Tank III Online Forum provided visitors a "virtual" think tank where they could read the working papers, leave comments for the authors, and participate in real-time "chat" sessions with the authors. The authors posted either a working copy of the paper or the main ideas and questions so participants in the online discussion could read the papers before logging on for the chat sessions. Session transcripts are included in this publication.
Think Tank III was a success. Topics discussed during the event included the nature of change, appropriateness of technology, instructional environments, and collaboration. Issues of assessment and information literacy's place within higher education were also part of the discussion. The participants provided excellent papers raising critical issues that will need additional deliberation. The Think Tank model provided for a focused dialogue on several themes, but the online discussion sessions allowed involvement beyond the initial participants. With the ongoing support of IS and ACRL, the Think Tank events will continue to provide a forum for discussion, evaluation, assessment, and a creative model for future information literacy, technology, and instruction issues.
Think Tank III Participants
Introduction
by Allison V. Level and Keith Gresham
Think Tank III Opening Remarks
by Randy B. Hensley, chair (1997-1998), ACRL Instruction Section
About the Contributors