The role of faculty autonomy in a course-integrated information literacy program

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore the significance of faculty autonomy in sustaining a successful information literacy program. Design/methodology/approach -Faculty members were given the opportunity to create courses that integrated and assessed information literacy as part of a course grant program associated with an institutional assessment mandate. This case study analyzes course grant proposals, course assessment methods and results. It also presents results of a follow-up survey of faculty participants to see if they continued to integrate information literacy in other courses. Results are situated in the context of self-determination theory to better understand the role of autonomy in faculty motivation and participation in an assessment program. Findings -Defining and integrating information literacy themselves allowed faculty to align information literacy with their own course goals. Supporting faculty in choosing their own assessment methods for these integrations also provided program administrators with new information about faculty members' teaching and learning practices and values. Results of a follow-up study confirmed that faculty continued to integrate information literacy in their courses of their own accord, underscoring the importance of an autonomy-supportive program structure. Originality/value -This paper provides evidence for information literacy advocates that faculty autonomy can be a strength, not an obstacle. It demonstrates ways to incorporate and allow for autonomy within program constraints and introduces librarians to self-determination theory, a way of thinking about motivation that can help librarians pursue more effective collaborations with faculty.

Librarians, Faculty, and the Writing Center Partnering to Build an Interdisciplinary Course: A Case Study at the University of Houston, USA

“…By moving from theory to practice using information literacy concepts and high-impact practices as guidelines, librarians were able to focus on working with faculty to create assignments with specific outcomes and measureable assessment criteria (Millet, Donald, & Wilson, 2009;Harris, 2013;Saunders, 2012;Porter, 2014;Jumonville, 2014). While there has been some speculation as to whether these initiatives would be sustainable after the QEP funding had been spent (Jumonville, 2014), the literature suggests that librarian collaboration with faculty and support centers on campus has remained and grown as a vital part of library outreach by: creating course-specific LibGuides with faculty input (Little, Fallon, Dauenhauer, Balzano, & Halquist 2010); supporting interdisciplinary research across departments (Knapp, 2012;Gauder & Jenkins, 2012); partnering with campus writing centers (Ferer, 2012); co-teaching and assignment design (Ferer, 2012); incorporating learning theories and ACRL concepts to create measureable outcomes (Porter, 2014;Jumonville, 2014); and embedding librarians in semester-long courses (Knapp, 2012;Reale, 2016). As a result of these QEP initiatives, librarians play a more holistic, or "blended librarian" role in course collaboration, instruction design, and development, which goes beyond the traditional one-shot introduction to library resources session, although this is still an integral component of library outreach (Knapp, 2012).…”

From Service Role to Partnership: Faculty Voices on Collaboration with Librarians

“…Insights from additional articles, mostly from the librarian perspective rather than from the faculty viewpoint, reiterate the importance of the skill development theme, the most frequently reported reason for collaboration in the present study. Faculty are often moved to work with librarians to develop or increase their students' research skills 42 or to offer IL to improve student performance. 43 Because IL goals often resonate with faculty pedagogical aims, 44 unearthing these shared values can serve as a strong foundation for collaboration.…”

“…Faculty are often moved to work with librarians to develop or increase their students' research skills 42 or to offer IL to improve student performance. 43 Because IL goals often resonate with faculty pedagogical aims, 44 unearthing these shared values can serve as a strong foundation for collaboration. 45 The second most frequently occurring motivational theme was librarian expertise.…”

Academic Librarians’ Experiences as Faculty Developers: A Phenomenographic Study

“…Professional, disciplinary, and cultural differences between how librarians and faculty approach IL can influence the librarian-faculty dynamic within a development program. Writing about the faculty development effort at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, Maybee, & Fundator Academic Librarians' Experiences as Faculty Developers to integrate IL across the undergraduate curriculum, Jumonville (2014) noted differences between how librarians expressed their goals and how faculty described the ways they wanted their students to use information. Observing similar divergences in goals, Maybee, Doan, and Flierl (2016) recommended librarians and faculty use course learning goals as a guide for determining how students need to use information within the specific learning environment.…”