Mapping information literacy using the Business Research Competencies

Abstract

Purpose Librarians in higher education have adopted curriculum mapping in an effort to determine where effective information literacy instruction can help fill gaps in the curriculum and prepare students for both coursework and future research demands. While curriculum mapping has been used widely across academia, few studies have considered business curriculum and the development of information literacy instruction. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current landscape of curriculum mapping across business courses at two institutions and a replicable methodology for other institutions. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors will examine two case studies at large research universities that evaluate curriculum mapping against the BRASS Business Research Competencies at the undergraduate and the graduate business levels. Findings This study found that the Business Research Competencies are a valid method to evaluate in both case studies. Curriculum mapping also uncovered various gaps in business education across the curricula at both institutions and led to open discussions with faculty in an effort to improve the success of students both during their degree programs and into their careers. Originality/value This study provides a framework and methodology for evaluating business curriculums against robust standards to improve student success. With examples from undergraduate and graduate programs, the results of this project promise to have long-lasting implications on the development of curriculums across business programs, including the value of librarian support in developing Business Research Competencies.

Research Competencies Mediated by Technologies: A Systematic Mapping of the Literature

“…To achieve this objective, we performed a systematic mapping of the literature based on the proposed methodology by Petersen, Robert, Shahid and Mattson (2008) and adjusted by García and Ramírez (2019) and García-Holgado, Marcos-Pablos and García-Peñalvo (2020). Many authors have used this methodology (López et al, 2015;Pérez & Vladimirovna, 2017;Van Eck & Waltman 2017;Howard, Wood & Stonebraker, 2018;Aydoğdu, 2020;Whalley & Barbour, 2020) and agree that the following stages must be carried out: 1) definition of the guidance questions, 2) location of scientific production, 3) refinement of identified scientific production, 4) design of the bibliographic database, and 5) analysis of the bibliographic information.…”

Research Competencies Mediated by Technologies: A Systematic Review of the Literature in Scopus

“…To achieve this objective, we performed a systematic mapping of the literature based on the proposed methodology by Petersen et al [26] and adjusted by García and Ramírez [27]. Many authors have used this methodology [24,25,28,29] and they agree that the following stages must be carried out: 1) definition of the guidance questions, 2) location of scientific production, 3) refinement of identified scientific production, 4) design of the bibliographic database, and 5) analysis of the bibliographic information.…”

Training the trainer to embed IL into curricula

“…To accomplish such integration, librarians have collaborated with instructors in myriad ways (Mounce, 2010). Specific examples include Lecea & Perez-Stable's (2019) study where collaboration with faculty was determined to improve the IL abilities of political science students, Miller and Neyer's (2016) research documenting the use of curriculum mapping as a vehicle for collaboration with nursing faculty, and Howard, Wood, and Stonebraker's (2018) work investigating IL gaps in business curricula. While beneficial for addressing information literacy goals, these projects are typically small in scale, as one or two librarians work directly with one or two classroom instructors.…”