Teaching Metaliteracy in the Religious Studies Classroom

Abstract

<jats:p>This paper reflects upon the collaborative work between a professor and a librarian, who constructed a course on religious communes in the United States implementing the seven elements of metaliteracy as put forth by Jacobson and Mackey (2013). The shifting terrain of information literacy is hard enough for librarians to traverse, but it can feel insurmountable for professors in the classroom. Working side by side with a librarian can be one of the most fruitful ways for professors to advance in this field. The seed for this project came from a collective intent to create lifelong learners with strong habits of inquiry rather than merely teaching students discrete search strategies and skills. By using technology and team based learning, we opened up students to a critical yet empathetic understanding of religion and to help them develop as informed users and creators on the internet.&#x0D; </jats:p>

Editors Note

“…There's an article on using avatars in an undergraduate course on Early Christianity (by Laura Dingeldein, Jeffrey Wheatley, and Lily Stewart [2020]). There's an article on teaching information literacy, co-authored by a professor and librarian (Marianne Delaporte Kabir and Sanjyot Pia Walawalkar [2020]), applying a theory of "metaliteracy" that views students as creators as well as consumers of information. And there's a case study by Andrew R. H. Thompson (2020) of a hybrid online-residential program, which is particularly apt for the "hybrid" bi-vocational priests and deacons who attend the program while continuing in their current vocations (and are thus often unable to commit to full-time residential study).…”