Getting WILD: Writing and Information Literacy in the Disciplines
Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
Room 210
Proposal
Many institutions are trying to develop a programmatic campus-wide approach to information literacy. However, these efforts are often hindered by low faculty buy-in, perceptions of an administrative mandate, or the belief that information literacy is “just one more thing” that will take away from course content. We describe a grassroots approach to information literacy, embedded in our campus general education reform project, emphasizing the complex relationships of writing and information literacy within disciplines. To implement our campus’ commitment to writing and information literacy, the Writing and Information Literacy in the Disciplines (WILD) initiative was established, bringing together library faculty, composition faculty, and disciplinary faculty. This presentation examines the opportunities and challenges involved in creating discipline-based writing and information literacy outcomes within these partnerships. To date the initiative has successfully paired research and practice in writing across the curriculum with our campus’ liaison-based approach to information literacy. Department by department, we begin to articulate what discipline-based approaches to information literacy mean for writing assignments and how writing (and sometimes speaking) depends on the scaffolded development of information literacy concepts. WILD pushes departments to create a more timely and sequenced approached to both writing and information literacy within a discipline’s undergraduate courses. We will frame our presentation with questions aimed at helping other campuses address the challenges of defining writing and information literacy outcomes within disciplinary frameworks.
Presentation Description
This presentation examines the opportunities and challenges involved in creating discipline-based writing and information literacy outcomes within these partnerships. We report experiences from a campus initiative that pairs research and practice in writing across the curriculum with our campus’ liaison-based approach to information literacy. This presentation asks questions that will help other campuses assess the possibilities of discipline-based writing and information literacy work.
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Harrington, Susanmarie; DeSanto, Dan; and Mehrtens, Charlotte J., "Getting WILD: Writing and Information Literacy in the Disciplines" (2015). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 74.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2015/2015/74
Getting WILD: Writing and Information Literacy in the Disciplines
Room 210
Many institutions are trying to develop a programmatic campus-wide approach to information literacy. However, these efforts are often hindered by low faculty buy-in, perceptions of an administrative mandate, or the belief that information literacy is “just one more thing” that will take away from course content. We describe a grassroots approach to information literacy, embedded in our campus general education reform project, emphasizing the complex relationships of writing and information literacy within disciplines. To implement our campus’ commitment to writing and information literacy, the Writing and Information Literacy in the Disciplines (WILD) initiative was established, bringing together library faculty, composition faculty, and disciplinary faculty. This presentation examines the opportunities and challenges involved in creating discipline-based writing and information literacy outcomes within these partnerships. To date the initiative has successfully paired research and practice in writing across the curriculum with our campus’ liaison-based approach to information literacy. Department by department, we begin to articulate what discipline-based approaches to information literacy mean for writing assignments and how writing (and sometimes speaking) depends on the scaffolded development of information literacy concepts. WILD pushes departments to create a more timely and sequenced approached to both writing and information literacy within a discipline’s undergraduate courses. We will frame our presentation with questions aimed at helping other campuses address the challenges of defining writing and information literacy outcomes within disciplinary frameworks.
