Beyond Information Literacy: What Comes Next

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Beyond Information LiteracyWhat Comes Next?

• James W. Marcum
• Fairleigh Dickinson University
• VALE USERS CONFERENCE
• Rutgers University
• January 2004

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A Frustrated Dialogue

• I have attempted to raise issues of the long-term
  adequacy of the information literacy (IL) model
  because
• IL is grounded in the information processing (and
  transfer) paradigm
• IL focuses on the individual and their learning
• IL focuses on textual resources at the expense of
  visual and multi-media resources
• IL is grounded in academic rather than workplace
  / professional development concerns.

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Information Processing Paradigm

• Begins with mathematical theory of communication
  (bits, signals, measures, entropy information
  reducing uncertainty) - Shannon Weaver
• Relies on representation (symbols used both by
  computers and the human mind) - Simon Fodor
• Emphasizes content analysis (linguistic,
  communication and statistical models) -
  Krippendorff
• Views information as flow - Dretske
• All consistent with cognitive science and
• Noise gt Data gt Information gt Knowledge
  model
• 
  - Marcum, Rethinking IL

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Information Processing and TRANSFER Paradigm
Assumptions

• COGNITION Mind works like a computer
• COMMUNICATION as signal
• INSTRUCTION as method
• CONTENT TRANSFER as purpose
• INFORMATION ACCUMULATION as goal more is better
  (i.e. more intelligence)

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Anomalies in the IP Paradigm(select)

• Information ? Knowledge
  - Salomon
• Inappropriate identification of mental and
  computer logic (consider the role of emotion in
  human logic) -
  Brier
• Information today is dynamic, not linear

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Criteria for the Future IInformation is Social
and Contextual

• Useful information today is as much social
  (co-created set in rich networks) as it is
  tangible, a commodity consequently, the
  requisite skill is collaboration within a social
  context - Brown Duguid
• Knowledge construction is a dialogic process,
  intentional, among people with mutual intentions
  - Valsiner
• Short-term knowledge and skills are less critical
  than social / workplace / domain competency for
  those who must become lifelong learners
  - Kellner
  

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Criteria for the Future IIBridging the
School-Real World Divide

• It is a strange and challenging workplace in
  which our university graduates find themselves
• graduates must also somehow manage with
  heightened accountability, weakened authority,
  and more teamwork to get the job done.
  - Evers, xi
• change will not happen until people look
  beyond the simplicities of information and
  individuals to the complexities of learning,
  knowledge, judgment, communities and
  institutions - Brown Duguid, 213

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Criteria for the Future IIIA Visual Ecology

• We live in a visual culture, nay, a visual
  ecology
• The new reality is a visual ecology, a
  comprehensive and continuous participatory event,
  a universe of action, and a world of knowledge
  and learning rather than of information
  transfer - Marcum, Beyond
• Managing text is insufficient for a multi-media
  world - Brockerbrough Horn
• 
  

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• How do we help students prepare for this new
  reality?
• Information as co-creation
• Communication as convergence
• Information management as handling text,
  graphics, audio, and (moving) image

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Is Literacy the right criterion?

• Computer-
• Visual-
• Information-
• Media-
• Multi-Media-
• Mulitiple-
• Tool
• Representation
• Abell, ACRL, Alverman, Brunner, Christ,
  Meyrowitz, New London Group, Owusu-Ansah,
  Silverblatt, Tyner

- Literacy
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Limitations of Literacy

• Level I (Basic)
• Ability to read, write, and communicate
• Level II (Advanced)
• 2nd language, critical analysis (text and / or
  media), computer / Internet, visual learning
• 
  - di Sessa Moje
• IL is too academic, not workplace / civic life
  orientated - Bruce, Corbin, ETS, Hull,
  Kellner
• How far should the meaning of literacy be
  expanded?

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Defining Competence (Cm)

• Behaviors
• Cognitive (thinking learning information
  processing)
• Affective (using emotions, feelings productively)
• Conative (persistence, determination)
• Habits and experience (Cm requires
  participation)
• - Raven, 258
• Skills
• Managing self (adapting, dealing with change)
• Communicating (with variety of people, groups)
• Managing people and tasks (coordinate resources,
  people)
• Mobilizing innovation and change (take
  initiative)
  - Evers

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Defining Competence (Cm) 2

• Comprehensive 5 elements
• Explicit knowledge (domain)
• Skill (knowing how)
• Experience
• Value judgement (knowing why)
• Social network
• 
  -Sveiby, 35-38
• DANGER Easily perverted into skills testing,
  measuring performance against benchmarks
• 
  - Raven, 439-489

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Information Competence

• Used by ACRL to demonstrate literacy
• Concept guides extensive work at Cal State
  University, UCLA, etc
• assumes a literacy-competency equivalence
• - ACRL, CSU, Rockman
• Inadequately addresses
• Media / visualization issues
• Social / contextual issues

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• What does address these shortcomings?

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Proposal Cyber-competence

• Social-technological information competence
  Cyber-competence (for sizzle)
• Cyber-competence consists of the converging
  technology-based interactive skills and practices
  required to find and utilize information in
  multiple formats and varied contexts to foster
  knowledge creation, encourage knowledge sharing,
  and enhance organizational effectiveness in a
  global, networked, and highly competitive
  environment.

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Approaches to Developing Competence through
Education

• Create environments for values development
  McClelland by Raven, 275-302
• Self-directed, reflective learning and action
  learning - Raven, 302-364 Schön
  
• Perspective text analysis to show attitude,
  communication skills, and synthesizing strategies
  - Bierschenk

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Cyber-CompetenceA proposed 6-course certificate

• INFORMATION AND RESEARCH COMPETENCE
• Find, analyze, and effectively use information
  sources in domain scanning, surveys, and
• information management.
• VISUAL AND MEDIA LITERACY
• Engage the visual ecology and the role of
  media in todays culture critique and translate
  representations among multiple media.
• DIGITIZATION, VISUALIZATION, AND PRESENTATION
• Use basic digitization and visualization tools
  to manipulate and display data and
  representations to enhance cognitive learning and
  understanding to influence others.
• INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKING
• Utilize networking and collaborative tools
  (groupware) to build intellectual capital.
• ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGY
• Understand organizational dynamics, quality
  process improvement practices, the role of
• technology in competitive strategy, and
  professional responsibility in domain practice.
• SELF KNOWLEDGE, ACTION RESEARCH AND INTELLECTUAL
  CAPITAL
• Understand personal learning style, develop
  learning plans know how to learn experiential
  and collaborative learning to create
  organizational and domain knowledge.

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Questions for Discussion

• Will information literacy be a sufficient goal
  for library instruction for the future?
• Is a different literacy more appropriate?
• Is a more advanced level (fluency or competency)
  the appropriate goal for the profession for the
  long term? If so, how should we proceed?
• How useful is cyber-competence as a new program
  for professional endeavor?
• What do YOU think?