PowerPoint

Title: Student Transition: An Exploration of Concepts and Current Developments

Abstract: Increased attention is being given to the notion of successful student transition in view of its importance to improving student retention in the tertiary sector. Whilst different institutions in this sector take different approaches to transition, the objectives of transition initiatives are the same. These are to support student learning and to create an inclusive educational environment so that student success and retention are maximised.
In general, institutional strategies that are commonly used to address transition related issues include student-centred approaches at the classroom level, curriculum innovations and quality of teaching enhancements, as well as more pastoral initiatives and student orientation programs. Increasingly, institutions are attempting to integrate transition initiatives within the curriculum, a process that appears to have parallels with that of “embedding information literacy within the total educational process” (ANZIIL Constitution).
This paper will present an overview of student transition, including how transition has been conceptualised, factors that affect transition, the importance of addressing these issues and some strategies that have been used to effect successful student transition in recent times. The paper will also present some of the challenges and responses to integrating transition initiatives into the curriculum and these will be discussed with particular reference to work that has been carried out at Victoria University.

Biographies: Gill Best is a lecturer in the Student Learning Unit at Victoria University where she has worked since 1991. As well as working intensively with students, Gill works at a systems level to change institutional practice. Central to this work is increasing sensitivity and improving responses to students’ transition needs. As part of this process, Gill has a leading role in developing student peer mentoring across the cross-sectoral institution with the underlying philosophy that student to student collaborative learning is a powerful way to aid students’ social and academic transitions. In 2002, Gill received her doctorate entitled ‘First Year Students and their Parents: Conjoint Experiences of University’ in which she focussed on the positive contributions the families of first-generation students make to students’ transition to university. Major transitions in Gill’s life include migrating to Australia in 1991 and the birth of her two daughters in 2002 and 2004.

Kanchana Jayasuriya is the Academic Transition Coordinator at Victoria University where she has worked since the end of 2004. After completing her doctorate in Chemical Engineering at The University of Queensland in 1994, she worked as a consulting engineer on several engineering projects in industry. Since returning to academia in 2000 she has focussed on enhancing learning and teaching to assist the transition of students to and from University, teaching and establishing programs to promote diversity in engineering. As part of her current role she works with academics across the University to improve student engagement and retention by incorporating active and collaborative learning practices in the classroom. Kanchana has presented recent work at the annual conference of the American Society for Engineering Education in 2005 and at Engineering Education 2004 in the UK.

Abstract: As work with IT and the internet intensifies, and becomes central to success in education and employment, we place greater emphasis on synthesising information and knowledge as key learning and job activities. Success in organisations depends on recruiting, retaining and motivating people with superior information literacy, and the ability to deploy the analytical, critical and practical thinking associated with tertiary education. Optimising this human resource depends on managers operating as, motivators, coaches and facilitators of CPD, and the boundaries between HE/FE and work become more fluid as knowledge working and learning converge.
In these circumstances it makes sense to focus these emerging characteristics of education and work at different points on an individual's lifelong learning trajectory. This could entail and span: pre-graduation preparation, early career learning, further formal study, and learning from work. Educators and managers will need to support students/ staff in developing an information literacy which connects with their needs, opportunities and behaviour at different points in their learning trajectories. This will include acknowledging their existing information habits, skills and experience, and Information behaviour research can help us in this area of pedagogy. Equally 'transitions' between work and education, may be conceived less in terms of formal movements between different kinds of organisations ( the Colleges/ Universities/ Workplaces of the 20th century ) and more in terms of shifts in consciousness embodied in new forms of work/study reflecting new forms of relationship between work and learning in the 21st century.

Biographies: Sheila Webber is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield, England. Her key areas of teaching and research are information literacy and business information. Together with Bill Johnston she was a recipient of an AHRC grant to investigate UK faculty's conceptions of pedagogy for information literacy and she maintains the Information Literacy weblog at http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/. Before joining the department at Sheffield, she taught at Strathclyde University, and previous jobs include Head of the British Library's Business Information Service. She is a frequent invited speaker in the UK and internationally. She is a member of the SCONUL (UK university librarians) Working Group on Information Literacy and the CILIP Information Literacy committee. Sheila is a Fellow of CILIP, and a member of the Higher Education Academy.

Bill Johnston is a senior lecturer in the Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. He collaborates with academics to develop their courses and pedagogy, and to research and publish on these topics. He contributes to the University's academic staff development programme, and teaches undergraduate electives in Information Literacy and Personal Creativity. His experience includes: curriculum development; course evaluation and design; academic staff development in teaching, learning and assessment; student learning support; critical and creative thinking; emotional intelligence; key skills in the curriculum; and the first year experience. His research focuses on the problems of progression, integration and diversification of student academic, social and career development in the curriculum. Bill is a member of the Society for Research in Higher Education, and the Higher Education Academy.

CASE STUDIES

PowerPoint

Title: Fishing with the new net. Information skills transfer from secondary to tertiary environment: a presentation on the results of an Otago, New Zealand secondary and tertiary Information Literacy survey

Abstract: A workshop to discuss the results of a study to test anecdotal evidence that New Zealand secondary student “information literacy” skills are not readily transferable to the tertiary environment despite the fact that students have been using “information processes” from an early age in New Zealand schools and have usually completed several secondary “research” assignments for NCEA to an acceptable secondary school standard.

Biography: Glynis Shields is Centre Manager, Dunedin for the National Library of New Zealand. In mid 2005, Glynis was part of a team in Otago that decided to try to test how successful schools had been in preparing students for tertiary education as far as “information literacy” skills were concerned. Research was undertaken in the latter half of 2005 and the results published in early 2006.

Carmel O’Sullivan (Australia)

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Title: Is information literacy a basis for lifelong learning? Observations from the workplace.

Abstract: The premise of university based information literacy programs is that students learn transferable skills relating to the use and management of information, and therefore are well equipped for lifelong learning. From her work with new graduates from most Australian law schools over almost a decade, Carmel O'Sullivan observed that while graduates generally understood the process of finding information, in a professional context this was not enough. The more challenging topics of understanding the need for information, critical evaluation, managing information, synthesising new and existing knowledge, and acknowledging the cultural, ethical, economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information are significant for the success of a junior lawyer. In her role as national training librarian for one of Australia's largest law firms, Carmel designed and delivered a year long information literacy program for law graduates. That program sought to address what Carmel interpreted as an information literacy gap between university and work by encouraging law graduates to un-learn some behaviours and attitudes they had picked up at law school, and to expand on their information seeking skills.

Biography: Carmel O'Sullivan is the inaugural Law and Justice Librarian at Edith Cowan University in Perth. She is currently managing the School of Law and Justice's CaR project, which will embed communication and research skills across the School's law, justice, business law and policing programs using an evidence based practice model. Prior to taking up this position, she managed the legal research training program nationally for Blake Dawson Waldron lawyers. Carmel has law and librarianship qualifications, and her professional interests lie in teaching, information literacy, and forging deep connections with clients.

Title: Information Literacy: a view from one school

Abstract: Since the 1980's school libraries and teacher librarians have been instrumental in offering programmes that encourage the development of information literate teachers and students. Canadians Ken and Carol Ann Hancock were pioneers in this area and CCPT (co operative curriculum planning and teaching) became a mantra for school libraries. As resource based learning became central to school curriculums, teacher librarians were perfectly positioned to work with teachers in the development of learning experiences that embedded information literacy skills across the school curriculum. The arrival of the Internet and its resulting avalanche of readily accessible information has further increased the need for information literate communities. Ensuring that students are equipped to begin the lifelong journey towards becoming discerning users of information is of utmost importance and a key role of the teacher librarian. This presentation will be a practical demonstration of how one school library works in co operation with its staff, particularly the teaching staff in planning learning programmes that encourage the development of information literate students.

CASE STUDIES

Katherine Jackson and Justine Tonkin (Australia)

Title: The transition from work back to study – a case study at Charles Sturt University

Abstract: The identification of effective information literacy strategies to enhance the learning of students moving from work to university has presented Charles Sturt University's Division of Library Services with many challenges as well as opportunities. Students moving from the work environment to university are often mature age, working full time and in many cases have a spouse and/or children. For this student cohort off-campus study is often the only way to juggle these priorities. As such, the planning and delivery of information literacy training for this group of students must take into account factors such as time limitations, prior education, computer literacy levels, online access and cultural backgrounds just to name a few. With these factors in mind, CSU's Division of Library Services has implemented, and is continuing to implement new information literacy strategies that meet the needs of these students. Strategies such as videoconferencing, data conferencing, and online embedded and discrete tutorials allow us to reach these students in a timely and meaningful context, and thus offer information literacy instruction that is deemed worthwhile.

Biographies: Justine Tonkin is the Remote Services Coordinator for the Wagga Wagga campus of Charles Sturt University Library. She has worked in University, TAFE and public Libraries in New South Wales and Victoria. Justine is interested in children's literature, and the challenge of providing information literacy instruction to remote patrons.

Katherine Jackson is the Coordinator for Information Literacy (Divisional) and Information Services (Wagga Wagga) for Charles Sturt University Library. She has worked in both the public and private sector in a variety of roles, with an emphasis in the area of online technologies. Katherine's particular interests are in the areas of adult education and the practice of information literacy. She is also Secretary for the ALIA, Riverina Group.

Clare Carlsson (Australia)

PowerPoint

Title: First Year at Deakin: building connections for student success

Abstract: The First Year at Deakin (FYAD) initiative was introduced in 2002 to address rising attrition rates of first year students. It draws together a range of institutional strategies to ease new students into university life, and to improve retention and student progress. Librarians were involved in the initial development of institutional policy, and developed a number of specific Library strategies to support the overall aims of the program. Greater emphasis was placed upon orientation as the beginning step in developing students' confidence in accessing and using the Library and information resources. Library orientation programs were re-developed and participations rates increased considerably (from 680 students in 2001 to more than 2,500 in 2005). Over the years a number of additional strategies, such as the use of Elluminate Live (Synchronous communication software) to deliver orientation to off campus students have been introduced to further enhance students' learning experiences. Since FYAD was established the attrition rate of new students has declined and retention into the subsequent year has increased. Those initial strategies are now mainstream University and Library activity.

Biography: Clare Carlsson is the Faculty Librarian for Health and Behavioural Sciences, Deakin University Library. During her career as a librarian she has gained extensive experience in university, public and special libraries including disability, health, hospital, architecture and economics libraries. Clare co-ordinates the Liaison Program for Health and Behavioural Sciences and ensures the provision of high quality services to both undergraduate and postgraduate students and to academic staff. She is strongly committed to educational libraries and feels that the breadth and depth of positions that she has held during her career places her in a unique position to develop strong customer focused library services to all sections of the university community.

CASE STUDIES

Bev Hodges (New Zealand)

Title: Whose job is it anyway? Transition of Information Literacy skills from Secondary School to Tertiary: A project report

Abstract: How this came about: As a result of a discussion with the National Library Secondary Schools Advisor at regional Information Literacy seminar in September 2005. The problem: The lack of Information Literacy Skills demonstrated by students entering Tertiary from Secondary School.  Current practice: National Library encourages and educates secondary teachers to include IL in their school (one or two teachers from each school).  Why it doesn’t work: Teachers move on; don’t have time. The project: To provide “train the IL trainer” sessions for School Librarians and secondary teachers, free of charge. To provide IL sessions to secondary students. The project results: Feedback received will be presented followed by open forum discussion.

Biography: Bev Hodges is an academic staff member at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, Tauranga, New Zealand. Her main areas of responsibility are: coordinating, preparing and delivering an information literacy programme to all staff and students at the Polytech, and teaching on the Certificate of Adult Teaching (CAT) programme. She started her Library career as a Secondary School Librarian, moved on to Tertiary Libraries where she held various roles including Cataloguer, Systems Librarian, and Library Coordinator, before moving on to focus on teaching.  Bev is also a Director of the National Youth Drama School and is well known in the Bay of Plenty as an entertaining MC for charity events.

Heather Horne and Mary Lou Simpson (Australia)

Title: Works in progress: the evolution of information literacy in language and learning at Southbank

Abstract: This paper outlines the development of Information Literacy in Language and Learning classes for the Adult Tertiary Preparation (ATP) students at Southbank Institute. Information Literacy as part of the lifelong learning process helps prepare ATP students to enter further education or the workforce. One of the challenges of developing these classes is the range of ages and life experiences of these students. The ATP teachers are continually identifying students' needs and fitting the classes within the framework of these needs. Using the new employability skills teachers are able to address the information literacy needs of students that will help ease students' transition into further education and or the workforce. This case study looks at the history of Information Literacy in the Language and Learning classes, the current format of Information Literacy, the future challenges, and outcomes for ATP students.

Biographies: Heather Horne is currently working as a Liaison Librarian with Southbank Institute in Brisbane where she teaches information literacy classes to a diverse range of students. She has a background in corporate and educational libraries and has worked in libraries in the UK and Australia.
Mary Lou Simpson helped establish the Adult Tertiary Preparation course at Southbank Institute of TAFE in 1994, and has taught Language and Learning, the compulsory English subject, Literature and Australian Society in this unit. She has taught in high schools in Queensland and the ACT, where she was an inaugural teacher in a Senior College.