Rethinking Assessment: Information Literacy Instruction and the ACRL Framework

A Critical Praxis in the Information Literacy Education Classroom Using the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

“…It was found that participatory environments enhance students' critical literacy and ability to question. Citing Brookfield and Preskill [12], Anderson [8] confirms the value of allowing group discussions in IL training as it facilitates collaborative learning and helps learners to analyse their own assumptions. Moreover, the advantages of group discussion are associated with the Framework which envisions that students should be able to "contribute to scholarly conversations at an appropriate level" [1, p. 8].…”

“…Information literacy has become increasingly important in higher education institutions over recent years Anderson [8] and Hepworth [3]. Subsequently, academic librarians have experienced increased pressure to assess the information literate capabilities and higher order thinking skills of learners, Whitlock and Nanavati [9].…”

“…More significantly, he claims that the extended time that the lecturer and learner spent posting comments and feedback means that teaching and learning was taking place beyond the classroom [13, p. 16]. Anderson [8] reinforces this notion by affirming that blogs function well as formative assessments and that they may be seen as user-generated instructional tools [8, p. 8]. Furthermore, sharing critical commentary on blogs develops the understanding of Scholarship as Conversation as learners should be able to "critically evaluate contributions made by others in participatory information environments" [1, p. 8].…”

“…Online discussion boards, for instance, are commonly used in information literacy training as they allow the learner to reflect on content by way of "individualistic critical thought" [8, p. 6]. Halbach [10] concurs with Anderson [8] by stating that students' reflection often describe their own perception of the course and the issues that they find challenging. The skill of critical reflection is congruent with the Framework's concept of Authority is Constructed and Contextual where students should be able to "acknowledge that they are developing their own authoritative voices in a particular area…" [1, p. 4] through questioning and seeking solutions.…”

“…This confirms Chawinga's [13] findings that online blog posts ensure that teaching and learning could continue beyond the classroom. As mentioned in this paper, blogs are acceptable means of instructional tools which enable students to construct user-generated sources of information [8]. Preparing IL Lessons Using the Framework Drafting lesson plans for the various frames also provided students with additional insight into information literacy training and "prepared them with a basis with which to train students" (Student 1: Cohort 2015).…”