Abstract
A syllabi study was conducted by the health science librarian and nursing faculty members in a baccalaureate nursing program to map information literacy and communication learning outcomes. Nursing course syllabi and assignments were examined for particular evidence of information literacy and communication learning outcomes in relationship to three sets of standards from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the Association of College & Research Libraries, and the rubrics of the Association of American Colleges & Universities. A crosswalk was created between the standards to identify areas where the librarian and nursing faculty could better collaborate to assist students in their achievement of these standards. The resulting analysis led to a change in the librarian’s practices with greater involvement with the nursing department. Information literacy skills are needed in a growing number of professions that value evidence-based practice, thus suggesting that similar curriculum mapping projects are useful for other academic disciplines. This project was supported by the Bloomsburg University Teaching and Learning Enhancement (TALE) Pedagogy-Related Research Grant.
Highlights
The importance of information literacy in health science professions is well established, and many disciplines recognize and incorporate information literacy concepts into their curriculum
Graduate students were not part of this research, and syllabi studies on this group could prove insightful to sequential learning and lifelong general education related to information literacy
Syllabi could list remedial resources, faculty and librarian consultation availability, and other unique course methods to improve information literacy, such as consistently soliciting more librarian feedback during the writing process. The significance of this descriptive syllabi study is the mapping of curriculum with the published information literacy standards of the AACN, Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), and American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)
Summary
The importance of information literacy in health science professions is well established, and many disciplines recognize and incorporate information literacy concepts into their curriculum. Librarians and health science subject faculty, especially nursing, have a shared understanding of information literacy standards. In order to recognize curricular redundancies and gaps, collaboration is helpful for outlining content that is associated with information literacy (IL) and written communication standards. Faculty members review the maps, identifying strengths, gaps, and overlaps. A review of the literature was conducted on curriculum mapping in higher education. Information literacy was a common skill identified within academic standards. The frequency, range, and requirements of assignments were noted to be inconsistent when 179 syllabi were compared across college programs. The assignment objectives and method of feedback varied. These findings are valuable for highlighting areas where curriculum and instruction can be improved
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