Opening Doors and Opening Minds: Best Practices for Inclusive Teaching of Information Literacy
Type of Presentation
Panel
Conference Strand
Diversity and Inclusion
Target Audience
Higher Education
Second Target Audience
K-12
Location
Session 1 Workshops/Panels
Relevance
Online college classes that rely heavily on research skills and academic writing must also teach information literacy while addressing challenges of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Based on the work of Knight (2020) and Cooke-Sather, et. al. (2018) this session explores addressing these challenges by applying the work of Minott (2019), Parker and Trolian (2020) and Alder-Kasner (2019) in a holistic approach.
Proposal
First, participants will share best practices for inclusive information literacy instruction, especially materials, communication strategies, and engagement that empower learners to share diverse perspectives and learning experiences.
Next, presenters provide practical examples of improving inclusivity in information literacy instruction by exploring the best practices across demographics rooted in The Association of College and Research Libraries (2016) belief that Information Literacy means both” ...creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning” (p.8). For example, as Gray-Rosendale (2003) notes, many Native American cultures find certain claims in the formal, structured writing taught in college writing classes adverse to cultural tradition and history. Other demographic groups have their own cultural norms that instruction in information literacy must consider. The session explores how helping all students- regardless of demographics- communicate with and analyze inclusively functions as a responsive approach to the increasingly diverse student populations. The session also examines how WAC functions as a resource for other disciplines to apply similar techniques in their own courses and programs.
Finally, presenters ask participants to review their initial best practices for inclusive teaching of information literacy, including why or why not they may modify the practices. Any remaining time focuses on questions about the issues raised during the session.
References
Adler-Kassner, L. (2019). Designing for “more”: writing’s knowledge and epistemologically inclusive teaching. WAC Journal, 35–63.
The Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, https://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/framework1.pdf
Cook-Sather, A., Des-Ogugua, C., & Bahti, M. (2018). Articulating identities and analyzing belonging: A multistep intervention that affirms and informs a diversity of students. Teaching in Higher Education, 23(3), 374–389. https://doi-org.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/10.1080/13562517.2017.1391201
Gray-Rosendale, L., Bird, L. K., & Bullock, J. F. (2003). Rethinking the basic writing frontier: Native American students’ challenge to our histories. Journal of Basic Writing, 22(1), 71–106.
Knight, M. (2020). The communication skills employers value. Business & Professional Communication Quarterly, 83(4), 363–364. https://doi-org.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/10.1177/2329490620975103
Minott, M. (2019). Reflective teaching, inclusive teaching and the teacher’s tasks in the inclusive classroom: a literary investigation. British Journal of Special Education, 46(2), 226–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12260
Parker, E. T., III, & Trolian, T. L. (2020). Student perceptions of the climate for diversity: The role of student-faculty interactions. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 13(4), 333–344.
Presentation Description
Online college classes rely on research skills and academic writing and teach information literacy through the writing process. These courses face challenges in addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this session members of the Department of Composition and WAC at a major online university discuss a holistic approach to the challenges of inclusivity in information literacy and share how the Department’s evolving WAC services function as a resource to help other disciplines improve the inclusivity of their information literacy instruction.
Keywords
Distance Education Information Literacy Diversity and Inclusion Writing Across the Curriculum Composition Adult Learners
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Kelly, Teresa Marie; Thompson, Stephanie; Vice, Josef; and Lee, Beth, "Opening Doors and Opening Minds: Best Practices for Inclusive Teaching of Information Literacy" (2023). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 4.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2023/2023/4
Opening Doors and Opening Minds: Best Practices for Inclusive Teaching of Information Literacy
Session 1 Workshops/Panels
First, participants will share best practices for inclusive information literacy instruction, especially materials, communication strategies, and engagement that empower learners to share diverse perspectives and learning experiences.
Next, presenters provide practical examples of improving inclusivity in information literacy instruction by exploring the best practices across demographics rooted in The Association of College and Research Libraries (2016) belief that Information Literacy means both” ...creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning” (p.8). For example, as Gray-Rosendale (2003) notes, many Native American cultures find certain claims in the formal, structured writing taught in college writing classes adverse to cultural tradition and history. Other demographic groups have their own cultural norms that instruction in information literacy must consider. The session explores how helping all students- regardless of demographics- communicate with and analyze inclusively functions as a responsive approach to the increasingly diverse student populations. The session also examines how WAC functions as a resource for other disciplines to apply similar techniques in their own courses and programs.
Finally, presenters ask participants to review their initial best practices for inclusive teaching of information literacy, including why or why not they may modify the practices. Any remaining time focuses on questions about the issues raised during the session.
References
Adler-Kassner, L. (2019). Designing for “more”: writing’s knowledge and epistemologically inclusive teaching. WAC Journal, 35–63.
The Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, https://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/framework1.pdf
Cook-Sather, A., Des-Ogugua, C., & Bahti, M. (2018). Articulating identities and analyzing belonging: A multistep intervention that affirms and informs a diversity of students. Teaching in Higher Education, 23(3), 374–389. https://doi-org.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/10.1080/13562517.2017.1391201
Gray-Rosendale, L., Bird, L. K., & Bullock, J. F. (2003). Rethinking the basic writing frontier: Native American students’ challenge to our histories. Journal of Basic Writing, 22(1), 71–106.
Knight, M. (2020). The communication skills employers value. Business & Professional Communication Quarterly, 83(4), 363–364. https://doi-org.libauth.purdueglobal.edu/10.1177/2329490620975103
Minott, M. (2019). Reflective teaching, inclusive teaching and the teacher’s tasks in the inclusive classroom: a literary investigation. British Journal of Special Education, 46(2), 226–238. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12260
Parker, E. T., III, & Trolian, T. L. (2020). Student perceptions of the climate for diversity: The role of student-faculty interactions. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 13(4), 333–344.
