Information Fluency What? Why? How?

1. Information FluencyWhat? Why? How? David G. Brown VP, Dean (ICCEL), Professor (Economics) Wake Forest University Information Literacy Symposium Associated Colleges of the South Georgetown, Texas November 19, 1999

2. Thought Starters WHAT? Your Answers My Answer My Own First Year Seminar Class Wake Forest Students in General WHY? College Answer Faculty Answer HOW? Who Does What? Where’s the Funding? What’s the Role for the Consortium? YOUR CHARGE FOR TOMORROW!

3. Metaphors for Achieving Information Fluency • Use a library--23 • Drive a car--13 • Write an essay--10 • Speak French--8 • Give a speech--6 • Play tennis--4 • Program a VCR--3 • Name State Capitals--3 • Pass drivers’ exam--1 • Understand tennis--0 Check the two that for you come closest!

4. Components of Information Fluency • Evaluate materials on the web & in print--40 • Know where to get help when stumped--39 • Find materials on the web & in print--39 • Recognize the perishability of information--35 • Organize information against hypotheses--35 • Place information on the web & in print--26 • Create a Spreadsheet--18 • Create a Web Page in html--9 Check all that apply & add others.

5. Group Ideas: Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can... • Critically recognize, use, and present quality information. • Use and present material on the Web critically and efficiently. • Ethically find, synthesize, evaluate and present information effectively. • Identify and communicate to create new knowledge using all available technologies.

6. Group Ideas: Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can… • Find, evaluate, utilize, and present information in various formats. • Identify a problem, find essential information, and solve the problem. • Use scholarly methodologies and personal and professional encounters with information. • Transform information into knowledge for their own purposes

7. Group Ideas: Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can… • View technology as transparent because of its familiarity and ease of use. • Find, comprehend, evaluate, and disseminate relevant and reliable information concerning an issue. • Evaluate their own evolution as information users and generators. • Select, evaluate, analyze, and present information effectively from multiple formats.

8. Group Ideas: Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can... • Locate, evaluate, organize, and interpret information from various sources. • Apply information to tasks. • Present the results of an interdisciplinary project using multiple strategies. • Use information to provide value. • Identify a problem, find essential information, and solve the problem.

9. Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can Find Evaluate Organize & Use Data

10. These goals are achieved in liberal arts colleges by nurturing students with-- Concepts--relevant, useful Resources--reliable information Skills-- finding, analyzing, presenting Accessing and sorting skills are as important as knowledge!

11. FIRST YEAR SEMINARThe Economists’ Way of Thinking A Course Required of All Freshmen Wake Forest University Wake Forest University

12. Before Class Students Find URLs & Identify Criteria Interactive exercises Lecture Notes E-mail dialogue Cybershows During Class One Minute Quiz Computer Tip Talk Class Polls After Class Edit Drafts by Team Guest Editors Hyperlinks & Pictures Access Previous Papers Other Daily Announcements Team Web Page Personal Web Pages Exams include Computer Materials Forever Brown’s First Year Seminar Wake Forest University

13. Results in My Own Course: Compared to OtherFirst Year Courses More Same Less How much did you learn? 2/3 1/3 -- How much time did you spend? -- 2/3 1/3 How much did you enjoy the course? 3/3 -- -- Wake Forest University

14. 3600 undergrads 92% residential $850M endowment Winston-Salem NC 500 each: Med, Law, MBA, PhD #1 Wired College (USA--most recent survey) #3 Wired University (USA--most recent survey) #28 Research University (USA) 1300 SAT Average Wake Forest University

15. Laptops for all New Every 2 Years Own @ Graduation Standard Template IGN for Faculty Keep Old Computers 75% CEI Users +15% Tuition 4 Year Phase In THE WAKE FOREST PLANF96:IBM 365XD, 16RAM, 100Mhz, 810MB, CD-ROM, 14.4 modemF97: IBM 380D, 32 RAM, 130Mhz, 1.35GB, CD-ROM, 33.6 modemF98: IBM 380XD, 64 RAM, 233 Mhz, 4.1GB, CD-ROM, 56 modemF99: IBM 390, 128RAM, 333 Mhz, 6 GB, CD-ROM, 56 modem 1999 Software Load Netscape 4.5, Dreamweaver 2, SPSS 9, Maple V 5.1 Windows 98, MS Office Prof 97 CourseInfo Wake Forest University

16. WHY INFORMATION FLUENCY?…the institutional answer • Communication & Community! • Level Playing Field • After College Use • Faculty/Students Demand Them • Customized/Personalized • Digitized Scholarship • Marketable Difference Wake Forest University

17. Consequences for Wake Forest • +SAT Scores & Class Ranks • +Retention & Grad Rates • +Satisfaction & Learning (over 90%) • +Faculty Recruitment Wake Forest University

18. WHY INFORMATION FLUENCY?…the faculty answer • Interactive Learning • Collaborative Learning • Communication • Visualization • Different Strokes for Different Folks • From Interactive Learning (Anker Publishing Co., November, 1999) Wake Forest University

19. Personal Use of Computers by Wake Forest FacultySource: 1998 HERI Survey • 98% E-mail • 91% Memos & Letters • 75% Scholarly Research • 41% Presentations • 36% Data Analysis • 22% On Line Discussion Groups

20. Computers Enhance My Teaching and/or Learning Via-- Presentations Better--20% More Opportunities to Practice & Analyze--35% More Access to Source Materials via Internet--43% More Communication with Faculty Colleagues, Classmates, and Between Faculty and Students--87% Wake Forest University

21. With Ubiquity---The Culture Changes • Mentality shifts-- like from public phone to personal phone. • Teaching Assumptions shift-- like from books in the public library to everyone owns a copy of his/her own. • Timelines shift-- like from “our class meets MWF” to “we see each other all the time and MWF we meet together” • Students’ sense of access shifts-- like from “maybe I can get that book in the library” to “I have that book in my library.” • Relationships shift-- like from a family living in many different states to all family members living in the same town Wake Forest University

22. Our students will graduate with “information fluency” when they can Find Evaluate Organize & Use Data

23. Next Steps? Measure/Certify Results Provide Learning Opportunities Assure Universal Access Pilot Programs Raise Awareness

24. Actions to Raise Awareness • Define Information Fluency • Conduct PR Campaigns on Campuses • Sponsor “The Fluency Bowl” • Appoint Blue Ribbon Advisory Group • ________________

25. Pilot Programs • Identify a Lead College • Coordinate the “Eager” Departments from All Member Colleges • Research Other Programs

26. Assure Universal Access(Field of Dreams Approach) • Provide “Client Machines” (e.g. laptops)---either individually or at public stations • Teach Assuming Access • Negotiate a Consortium Contract for Access to Digital Images

27. Provide Learning Opportunities • Fluency Camp • Non-Credit Sessions (Required or Optional) • Degree-Credit Course (Required or Elective) • Fluency Across-the-Curriculum

28. Measure/Certify the Results • Grade for Course • Threshold Proficiency Test • Fluency Certificate

29. Possible Roles for the Library • Politic for “Information Fluency” • Purchase & Manage Electronic Databases • Suggest All College Standards • Train All Students (Just in Time) • Train Faculty and Staff • Certify Information Fluency

30. Possible Roles for the Faculty • Define “information fluency” minimums • Set policies for the use of technology • Teach assuming “information fluency” • Judge the wisdom of a requirement • Politic for adequate funding • Monitor the quality of “fluency” training

31. Possible Roles for IS • Research & Recommend Hardware and Software • Choose “back office” components • Implement and maintain infrastructure

32. Possible Role for the Consortium Suggested by Participant Teams • Facilitate discipline specific conversations. • Nurture a critical mass of faculty & even deans & vps on my campus. • Provide more training opportunities. • Swim with the Eager. • Raise awareness of presidents etc. • Get faculty more involved in a collaborative effort.

33. Possible Role for the Consortium Suggested by Participant Teams • Well defined goals & outcomes. • Gallery of ways to achieve goals • Provide funding for VIPs who really help. • Assess where we are now. • Help us develop a campus strategy, even a coordinator. • Find fundg for a mandatory faculty-staff boot camp.

34. Possible Role for the Consortium Suggested by Participant Teams • Mentors within each department. • Then student boot camp. • Issue a report on the miracles already taking place on our very own campuses • Share info on curricular change as it is tied to inf fluency. • Underwrite skills develop for faculty. A good excuse for cross pollination.

35. Possible Role for the Consortium Suggested by Participant Teams • Help with juried validation of technology projects for faculty who want more goodies. • Road maps are important! How do we get there from here? • More neat meetings with good dinners • Assessment tools!!!! • Curriculum enhancement opportunities.

36. Possible Role for the Consortium • Coordinate Collaborative Teaching • Design & Staff Hybrid Courses • Coordinate Hybrid Courses for Alums • Advance e-mail Forwarding-for-Life • Swim with the Eager

37. Possible Role for the Consortium Suggest Standard Hardware & Software Coordinate Help Desks and Other Support Sponsor STARS Program Certify Information Fluency Solicit Funding

38. Who Must Approve a Consortium Initiative in Information Fluency? • Dean or Provost 34 • Faculty Senate (or committee) 24 • Library Director 24 • Consortium Board (ACS Presidents) 23 • All Colleges (in the consortium) 21 • Chief Information Officer 16 • Students 7 • Chief Financial Officer 4 Check all that apply & add others.

39. Issues for Tomorrow • Concepts • Leaders • Necessary Approvals • Funding

40. David G. BrownWake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, N.C. 27109336-758-4878email: brown@wfu.eduhttp//:www.wfu.edu/~brownfax: 336-758-4875