Debate topics: August 2002

Many thanks to Mandy for introducing such a timely - or 'about time' - discussion and I heave a sigh of relief that it has lurched from the IL/TandL shadows... Tiresome deadlines have pinned me to the lurker wall but I've been itching to get into this discussion. Yes - itching. Sad really. ;-) But I have recently made a startling and somewhat scary self-realisation - I'm starting to become obsessed by the assessed!

I think Mandy's done a great job defining and delineating between the two processes, while illustrating their overarching complementary relationship. I, for one, look forward to the scholarly reinterpretation - may it be published in a non-librarianship journal Mandy!!

In many ways, some of what Mandy suggests might be considered as highly contentious. Just as it was once considered ridiculous and unnecessary for women to have the vote, so I think is the general opinion of librarians dabbling in such issues as curriculum development, assessment, and perhaps to a degree, evaluation (although I agree it's perhaps not quite as serious as being denied the vote but it's a useful analogy!). But, for me this issue rests hand in glove with librarians developing new roles and engaging in new professional pursuits beyond collection management and reference services - ie: our role as educational partners and educators in our own right. It comes with the territory. And yes, I'm back to that old bandwagon... but with an extension on the theme....

So - I would like to toss Mandy's eloquent deliberations down at our own feet, tucked in a gloved gauntlet, with the challenge: that we cannot teach IL effectively, nor ensure our students learn IL effectively, if we do not understand, adopt and implement sound assessment and evaluative principles such as those identified by Mandy. I believe that if we choose to ignore this facet of TandL, then we can only ever do half a job, half as well. Self-evident you might say but how much time and thought do we really pay to AandE of information literacy?

Sadly, I confess not much - not in our camp here at QUT anyway (although I'd be delighted for one of my happy campers to pitch in (pun intended) and disagree). Yes, we evaluate - mostly - everything we do in terms of TandL and information literacy, and yes, we assess - occasionally - some of what the students learn but I don't think we really do it as effectively or consistently as we should... Until we do, I believe that we won't truly know the heights we can climb. And when I say we, I don't just mean librarians - I mean "we" as in us and our academic colleagues together. This is new and somewhat difficult territory for all of us again, and I question whether "we" collectively comprehend the possibilities.

Discussions with Mandy, and my own developing interest in assessment, has served to push this issue to the forefront of my mind and not a moment too soon, as we begin here to tackle the issue of assessing learning in an online environment using computer assisted assessment methods.

And I ask myself - how can we do this well if we're still struggling with the basics? And - how can we advise our academic colleagues on good practice with the teaching and learning of information literacy if we're a little dodgy on assessment and evaluation principles and practices ourselves?

One other issue which gives me some sleepless nights (well, slight exaggeration I suppose but it sounds more dramatic!) is that of the strong competency-based nature of information literacy. I realise that it's an inherent aspect of IL, but I have this uneasy feeling that this aspect may, in the end, be used for evil rather than for good, particularly if we don't learn ourselves how to effectively assess the development of the actual skills and their real-life application in solving problems. So other troublesome concepts start to raise their heads above the trench line, such as accountability, benchmarking and accreditation. The idealist in me longs for all of us to take AandE to our hearts just for the sake of quality TandL of IL but are we already beginning to see the signs (some in TAFE may say again!) of competency-based measurement becoming the driving principle behind funding and, ultimately, activity? Worse still in my mind is that information literacy might become just another competitive edge sharpened by university administrators.

I agree - assessment and evaluation serve different purposes and they can be used independently and interdependently and they are essential to good teaching and learning and the development of information literacy AND we must add this area to our repertoire to make it all gel. But now surely it's time to focus on that which lies beyond the discrete appendix-like measurement of skills via usual means (eg: IL MCQ as a 5 per cent assignment) - surely embedding IL into the assessment of units/courses is just as vital as embedding the teaching of the skills into the curriculum in the first place? Or more important, if you view the former as the key to the latter.

AandE doesn't come with a warning lable or instructions so we are going to have to learn ourselves what to do with it all - if know one else thinks we need to know yet, they soon will and then - will we have the answers?

My .02c.... I'm not sure I've said anything new or revolutionary, but it was fun getting it off my chest! ;-)

Judith Peacock
Information Literacy Co-ordinator

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