Alice J Trussell Kansas State University Presented at: 25 th Annual IATUL Conference:

1. Librarians and Engineering Faculty: Partnership Opportunities in Information Literacy and Ethics Instruction Alice J TrussellKansas State University Presented at: 25th Annual IATUL Conference: Library Management in a Changing Environment Kraków, Poland May 31, 2004

2. Introduction—a quick survey • Librarians have tradition of patron service • Information literacy is essential • Patrons are changing • Where are accreditation standards headed? • We can assist faculty in meeting accreditation standards • Let’s examine converging factors

3. Librarians and Engineering Education • Engineering education itself is changing • Accreditation standards changing • Closer relationships with partner corporations • Students from more variable background • Librarians: traditional warehoused system • “Just in case” paradigm • Library instruction paper & object based • Parameters well defined

4. Librarians and Engineering Education –Con’t • Electronic Access: expanded information gateways • Patron expectations skyrocket • Librarians organizing the world of information • High potential for patron information confusion

5. Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology: North America ABET 2000 Criterion #3 Engineering Programs must demonstrate that their graduates have… • An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility • Each program must include an assessment program

6. ABET 2000 Criterion # 4 • Students must be prepared for engineering practice… • Incorporate economic, manufacturability, ethical, et.al.

7. Role of the Engineering Librarian as collaborators • Librarians have the necessary information utilization skills • Librarian can be a neutral party for collaboration, partnering • Librarian mediate electronic interface • Emerging roles as content developers • Instruction

8. Information Literacy…critical thinking skills • Recognize when information is needed • Locate, evaluate & use information effectively • Understand the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and use the information ethically and legally (ACRL).

9. Today’s Student • Millennial students are different (Newton) • More general knowledge, but less experience in exploring a subject in depth • Technical mastery not equal to critical thinking • They don’t “know all that stuff” (Weiler). • Values gap: cut and paste plagiarism • The internet is “free” & “public” information • Skills can be embedded into curricula

10. The Global Perspective • Engineering and engineers becoming more mobile • Accreditation and licensing standards now relevant to international employers • ABET active in international “mutual recognition” agreements • 1970’s= USA and Canada • 1980’s=Washington Accords; 6 countries

11. Globally: the forecast? • Reciprocal recognition sought • Seeking “substantially equivalent” programs • ABET has emerged as a leader • ABET’s shifting emphasis to qualitative potentially impacts reciprocity of future agreements • Reasonable forecast concludes more and more schools will require ethics training

12. Implementation • Librarians have the skills • Clearly label specifics as “ethics” issues • Embed in the curriculum-not sporadic • Nerz, Weiner • Must include assessment-ABET • Engineering & Library faculty collaborate on cycle of assessment/improvement

13. THE END Alice J. Trussell Assistant Professor and Director Fiedler Engineering Library Kansas State University alitrus@ksu.edu