Cross-institutional collaboration for transfer student success

Abstract

Purpose Each of Ventura County’s four public institutions of higher education list information literacy (IL) as either an institutional outcome or general education outcome for their students. Despite this, communication between the four campuses on this topic was limited. Librarians from these institutions applied to be part of the grant-funded Project ALAS Faculty Fellows Program to find ways to collaborate with each other and with teaching faculty to support the development of IL skills in transfer students. Design/methodology/approach Librarians from Ventura County’s four public institutions of higher education, with funding from the Project ALAS Faculty Fellows Program, held a one-day IL summit to bring librarians and teaching faculty together to unify objectives and create a seamless IL transition for transfer students. Findings Creating an opportunity for librarians and teaching faculty to discuss the definition and potential applications of IL in courses and assignments led to positive outcomes. Teaching faculty learned about library resources and took steps to begin collaborating with their campus librarian(s). Librarians also learned about different academic expectations in various disciplines, made new connections and made plans for future IL-focused collaborations. Originality/value Studies have demonstrated that IL is a key component to student transfer success. However, this is not an element in education that can be achieved by one department alone. The collaborative effort described in this paper can serve as a model for other librarians hoping to foster dialogue and cooperation amongst their regional institutions.