Information Literacy and Learning
INFO 254

Bernd Becker
E-mail
Office Hours: by appointment via email and/or phone/text (see Canvas course for details).

Provides theory and practice for teaching information literacy in a LIS setting. The course emphasizes learning theory as well as the practical aspects of teaching. Students learn methods and tools for teaching in both synchronous and asynchronous settings.

This course does NOT require a textbook.  All readings will be available through the course site.  Students are encouraged to purchase the Snagit software from Techsmith with the education discount after ensuring that it can run properly on their computers.  Free alternatives will also be made available.

Expectations

Students are expected to participate fully in all class activities. It is expected that students will be open-minded and participate fully in discussions in class and debate in a mature and respectful manner. Use of derogatory, condescending, or offensive language including profanity is prohibited. Disagreement is healthy and perfectly acceptable. Expressing disagreement should always include an explanation of your reasoning and, whenever possible, evidence to support your position. In accordance with San José State University's Policies, the Student Code of Conduct, and applicable state and federal laws, discrimination based on gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability is prohibited in any form.

Course Workload

Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course-related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.

Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.

Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group; contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.

Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes) Supported

INFO 254 supports the following core competencies:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Understand the history and current trends of information literacy instruction, including the development and application of published standards, such those published by ACRL or AASL.
2. Explain and apply major learning theories to instructional design and teaching.
3. Structure instructional materials that meet the needs of diverse learners.
4. Design and produce instructional materials that give learners clear, well-organized content that can be applied in a variety of settings.
5. Evaluate information literacy instruction in light of established learning theory and the current information literacy literature.
6. Design and teach effective information literacy lessons in both synchronous and asynchronous environments.

Textbooks

No Textbooks For This Course.

• Screencast & Reflection: Librarians and information professionals design, create, and post online tutorials/screencasts that explain how to use specific research tools (such as the OPAC or a database). For this two-part assignment, you will have the opportunity to design and create your own brief instructional screencasts (less than five minutes) using the freely-downloadable screen-capturing software. Secondly, you will write a short reflection commenting on your pedagogical choices vis-à-vis the course material. You will produce two of these tutorials over the course of the semester. The Screencast assignment sheet in Canvas will provide detailed information. (Supports CLO #2, CLO #3, CLO #4; Program Learning Outcome/Core Competency K) (20% of final grade)

• Online Research Guide and Reflection: Research guides such as LibGuides are being used by every type of library in the world. These subject-specific pages provide curated lists of links, video tutorials, FAQs, and instructions that instruct patrons in their research and use of library resources. For this assignment, you will have the opportunity to design and create an online research guide and then compose a thoughtful reflection that shows your application of the course material to the design of your guide. Please see the Online Research Guide assignment sheet in Canvas for more detailed information. (Supports CLO #2, CLO #3, CLO #4; Program Learning Outcome/Core Competency K) (20% of final grade)

• Information Literacy Assessment Instrument: The assessment of information literacy skills is a moving target for librarians as we have yet to find the best way to measure them. However, tools can be developed that align with Information Literacy frameworks in order to loosely gauge a user's ability to navigate information.  You will review students’ analytical reports and then assess each one according to the performance indicators for each of the Outcomes on the VALUE rubric. You will determine the “score” and give explanations as to why you gave it the score that you did. Please see the Information Literacy Assessment Instrument assignment sheet in Canvas for more details. (Supports CLO #1, CLO #5; Program Learning Outcome/Core Competency K) (20% of total grade)

• Instruction Session [Tutorial]: You will synthesize the learning theories, teaching methods, and information literacy concepts studied throughout the term by preparing and teaching a 3-part online instructional session using screen-capture software. You will submit a link to your videos and a short reflection via Canvas.  Please see the instruction session assignment sheet and rubric in Canvas for important details. (Supports CLO #3, CLO #4, CLO #6; Program Learning Outcome/Core Competency K & N) (25% of total grade)

• Weekly Online Discussions: The online discussions are a critical piece of our work in this course. Discussions will be structured. Thoughtful participation is expected. (Supports CLO #1, CLO #2, CLO #5; Program Learning Outcome/Core Competency K & N) (15% of total grade)

The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:

In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:

• C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
• B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA) level work;
  For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, or BS-ISDA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation. You must repeat the class if you wish to stay in the program. If - on the second attempt - you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified.
  
• A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.

Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).

Per University Policy S16-9 (PDF), relevant university policy concerning all courses, such as student responsibilities, academic integrity, accommodations, dropping and adding, consent for recording of class, etc. and available student services (e.g. learning assistance, counseling, and other resources) are listed on the Syllabus Information web page. Make sure to visit this page to review and be aware of these university policies and resources.

This schedule is subject to change with advance notice. If there is a discrepancy between the schedule on this syllabus and the schedule on the Canvas page, please rely on the Canvas version and alert me to the issue.

Mode of Instructions
This course will be asynchronous, except for the student instruction session presentations at the end of the term.

Late Assignments Policy
Life happens. If circumstances require you to seek an extension, please do so with as much advance notice as possible, and we can discuss it.