Course Journals: Leveraging Library Publishing to Engage Students at the Intersection of Open Pedagogy, Scholarly Communications, and Information Literacy

Abstract

This article presents a case study for developing course journals, an approach to student writing and publishing that involves students in the production of an online, open access journal within a structured classroom environment. Simon Fraser University (SFU) Library’s Digital Publishing program has partnered with instructors in four different departments across the university to implement course journals in their classrooms using Open Journal Systems. Two models of course journals have emerged, both of which offer valuable learning opportunities for students around scholarly communications, information literacy, and open pedagogy. In Model 1, students act as both authors who write and submit their work for publication in the course journal and as reviewers who referee each other’s submitted work. In Model 2, students act as the course journal editors, crafting the course journal’s call for papers, soliciting content, recruiting reviewers, and managing the editorial workflow from submission to publication. This article discusses challenges and opportunities of both models as well as strategies for smooth implementation and collaboration with classroom instructors.

Open Journal Systems as a Pedagogical Tool to Teach and Learn Scholarly Publishing

“…Simon Fraser University (SFU) Library's Digital Publishing program partnered with instructors in four different departments across the university to implement classroom or course journals (we will use these terms interchangeably from now on, referring to an open access journal produced during a course or seminar). According to Shuttleworth et al (2019), students who engage in classroom journal assignments develop skills in scholarly communication and information literacy. They describe in the paper how the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy can be applied in classroom journal assignments (Shuttleworth et al, 2019).…”

“…According to Shuttleworth et al (2019), students who engage in classroom journal assignments develop skills in scholarly communication and information literacy. They describe in the paper how the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy can be applied in classroom journal assignments (Shuttleworth et al, 2019).…”

“…The composition of the editorial board may change regularly. The teacher can continue in the role of managing editor when the journal gets a new editorial board (Shuttleworth et al, 2019).…”

“…The frames bolstered the connection between scholarly communication and information literacy (Reed, 2018;Riehle & Hensley, 2017). According to Shuttleworth et al (2019), all six frames can be identified in classroom journal assignments. For example, copyright issues and open access publishing are essential part of the frames.…”

Reimagining Scholarly Communication through Experiential Learning: Merging Theory and Practice for MLIS Students

“…This is accomplished in large part through assignments and activities directly related to ELIP. As discussed in the growing body of literature on student publishing and course journals in particular, student-run journals provide ample experiential learning opportunities (see, e.g., Bauer et al, 2009;Hare, 2019;and Shuttleworth et al, 2019). Moreover, grounding scholarly communication topics in real-world activities helps to avoid pitfalls that arise in relation to MLIS research methods courses, which have been criticized for failing to prepare students "to responsibly consume and competently produce research" (Mandel, 2017, p. 200).…”