Information literacy skill development and life long learning ...

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RESEARCH PAPERRole of the curriculumStudents identified a number of factors as bestassisting them with their information searchingskill development. They considered a significantpercentage of their success was attributed to theIL content and assessment in course materials.Indeed, the data from stage 1 of the project showsthat students are involved in a range of informationliteracy tasks across the BN program. However itis evident from this data that a progressive andorchestrated process that ensures students developIL skills does not exist. Further, strategies tend to bereactive rather than proactive when students’ IL skillsdo not reach expectations. This is likely to be in partdue to the increasing complexities of the academicenvironment and the widening scope of curriculawhich must increasingly contain educational as wellas professional content. In addition, curricula mustmeet the needs of students from diverse culturalbackgrounds as well as increasing internationalism(Meldrum and Tootle 2004). Teaching IL requiresan understanding that such development is notextraneous to the curriculum but is planned andwoven into its content, structure and sequence. Itmay be discipline specific (George et al 2001) but itrequires an accumulative experience through a rangeof courses (Bundy 2004). Shorten et al (2001) confirmthat such integrated approaches result in studentshaving a positive outlook on their achievements.Role of lecturers and peersStudents identified that a large contribution to their ILskill development came from the university lecturersand also their student peers. This supports thatstudents preferred episodic assistance from moreeasily accessible sources to finish the assignment athand, rather than through more formal informationseeking strategies that will contribute to life longlearning skills and best practice. The influence ofpeers in assisting students to develop and maintainIL skills cannot be ignored and supports the conceptthat all students must be well educated about ILso appropriate information is shared. Similarly, aconsistent understanding of the term ‘informationliteracy’ and a consistent effective approach toteaching and learning these skills is essential. Theliterature reports little about the impact of peerlearning on IL skill development but the value oflecturer involvement is clearly positive and essential(O’Shea 2003).Implications for practiceIn the health professions, in this case nursing,information literacy skills are the foundation forstudents’ success and an essential componentof successful and safe evidence based practice.However misunderstanding of the term ‘informationliteracy’ and neglecting to link IL skills with lifelong learning can have a significant impact on theperceived value of these for the profession, the qualityof its professionals, and their ongoing practice.Program contentIL skill development is a constituent of any level ofstudy, not only at undergraduate level. Nursing isjust one of the professional groups which shouldensure their workforce is well equipped to access,decipher and use the latest available information.Understandably, undergraduate study is best placedto commence teaching an understanding of theconcepts, values and the skills involved in IL. Takingthe specific need of all students into account, onestrategy could be to develop and apply a transparentand staged model of IL skill development acrossundergraduate programs. Such a model should beginfrom an understanding of the link between IL andlife long learning and include a sequential buildingof skills that ensures a graduate whose practice iscontinually evidence based. That is, the model mustbe transparent and include increasing complexity oflayers across the program resulting in a high level ofIL skill at graduation.Collaborative strategiesStrategies that build students’ IL skills must includecollaboration between librarians, study advisorsand academic staff (Nayda et al 2007; Whitmire2001). The results from this study have been sharedwith library staff with a view to developing moresuccessful models to assist students to grasp theimportance of a long term understanding and use ofAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING Volume 26 Number 2 32
RESEARCH PAPERIL. Successful strategies will consider: the best useof resources; the availability of staff and computers;the difficulty in accessing and understandingonline environments; employing strategies thatincrease students’ independence and self directedlearning; and meeting the needs of various studentbackgrounds including mature age students, schoolleavers, on shore international students and distanceeducation students.Preparation for clinical practiceWhile universities can address shortfalls in preparingnursing students with a high level understandingof IL skills, health organisations also have aresponsibility in further facilitating these skillsthroughout the graduate year and beyond. Liaisonbetween university teachers and graduate nurseprogram facilitators can result in strategies aimed atcontinuity and consolidation of IL skill developmentand implementation for the beginning practitioner.The outcome of such initiatives will include a highlyinformed workforce, well prepared clinical preceptorsfor future students and professional advancement.ConclusionIt is a significant concern when student nurses havenot grasped the value of IL, its links with educationsuccess, and its role in maintaining professionalknowledge. In addition these skills assist compliancewith legal requirements in nursing practice. While anumber of factors influence the development of theseskills the impact of curriculum philosophy and designcannot be underestimated in motivating and guidingstudents’ thinking. Similarly educators’ knowledgeand teaching processes play an important role inassisting nurses to develop these responsibilitiesand skills. Changes are essential to improve theIL skills and understanding of these students andacademics through: staff development; collaborationbetween academics, librarians and study advisors;and the design and implementation of a consistentand progressive curriculum approach to teachingand assessing these skills. Such activities need tobe cognisant of increasing demands on academics’time and other resources.ReferencesBarnard, A., Nash, R. and Obrien, M. 2005. Information literacy:developing lifelong skills through nursing education. Journal ofNursing Education, 44(11):505‐510.Bundy, A. 2004. Australian and New Zealand information literacyframework (2 nd edn). Library publications, UNISA: Adelaide, SouthAustralia.Cheek, J. and Doskatsch, I. 1998. Information literacy aresource for nurses as a lifelong learner. Nurse Education Today,18(3):243‐250.Fox, L., Richter, J. and White, N. 1996. A multidimensionalevaluation of a nursing information literacy program. Bulletin ofthe Medical Library Association, 84(2):182‐190.George, R., McCausland, H., Wache, D. and Doskatsch, I. 2001.Information literacy: an institution wide strategy. AustralianAcademic and Research Libraries, 32(4):278‐293.Gopee, N. 2002. Human and social capital as facilitators of life longlearning in nursing. Nurse Education Today, 22(8):608‐616.Hansen, E. 2006. Successful qualitative health research: apractical introduction. Allen and Unwin: New South Wales,Australia.Jacobs, S., Rosenfeld, P. and Harber, J. 2003. Information literacyas the foundation for evidence based practice in graduatenursing education: a curriculum integrated approach. Journal ofProfessional Nursing, 19(5):320‐328.Lunyk‐Child, O., Crookes, D., Ellis, P., Ofosu, C., Omara, L. andRideout, E. 2001. Self directed learning: faculty and students’perceptions. Journal of Nursing Education, 40(3):116‐123.McNeil, B., Elfrink, V., Bickford, C., Pierce, S., Beyea, S., Averill,C. and Klappenbach, C. 2003. Nursing information technologyknowledge, skills and preparation of student nurses, nursingfaculty and clinicians: a US survey. Journal of Nursing Education.42(8):341‐349.Meldrum, A. and Tootle, H. 2004. Integrating information intocurriculum assessment practices: an informatics case study.University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.Nayda, R., Rankin, E. and Goedhard, M. 2007. Evaluation of BNstudents’ information literacy skill development and the designingof a staged model linking information literacy practices withGraduate Qualities. Research Report. School of Nursing andMidwifery: University of South Australia.O’Shea, E. 2003. Self‐directed learning in nurse education: a reviewof the literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 43(1):62‐70.Patterson, C., Crooks, D. and Lunyk‐Child, O. 2002. A newperspective on competencies for self directed learning. Journalof Nursing Education, 41(1):25‐31.Payton, A. 2003. Self‐reported perceptions of literacy skills innursing programs at southern institutions. PhD thesis. Universityof Southern Mississippi, USA.Powell, C. and Case‐Smith, J. 2003. Information literacy skills ofoccupational therapy graduates a survey of learning outcomes.Journal of the Medical Library Association, 91(4):468‐477.Shorten, A., Wallace, C. and Crookes, P. 2001. Developinginformation literacy: a key to evidence‐based nursing. InternationalNursing Review, 48(2):86‐92.Wallace, M., Shorten, A. and Crookes, P. 2000. Teachinginformation literacy skills: an evaluation. Nurse Education Today,20(6):485‐489.Wallace, C., Shorten, A., Crookes, P. and Brewer, C. 1999.Integrating information literacy into an undergraduate nursingprogramme. Nurse Education Today, 19:136‐141.Whitmire, E. 2001. Factors influencing undergraduates selfreported satisfaction with their information literacy skills. Librariesand the Academy, 1(4):409‐420.AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING Volume 26 Number 2 33
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