Competent research practice underpins a range of information work at managerial level. The ‘challenging’ AIR module at London Met gives students confidence in their skills in this area, as Susie Andretta explains.
A ‘can-do’ attitude was one of the priorities identified by employers in a consultation exercise undertaken in 2002 to isolate the research competencies information professionals need for information work.
At the School of Information Management at London Metropolitan University we interpret a ‘can-do attitude’ as the development of an independent learning approach because, in our view, this underpins the problem-solving strategies needed in research. Self-directed learning also paves the way for lifelong learning practices crucial in keeping abreast of an ever-changing information environment.
To foster this attitude we run the Applied Information Research (AIR) research module. It forms one of the core modules of the MA in Information Services Management,1 accredited by CILIP. By examining the views of students who completed this unit in 2004-05, both on entry and on completion, we were able to demonstrate its impact and the transformation that information literacy (IL) education has on the students’ personal and professional development.
An action-research approach, combined with Bruce’s model of learning, provided the framework. Bruce’s model consists of three main stages of development: ‘experiencing information literacy [learning]; reflecting on the experience [being aware of learning]; and applying the experience to a new context [transfer of learning]’.2
In addition, action research promotes an iterative method of investigation where ‘Each cycle has four steps: plan, act, observe, reflect’.3 IL education is given context in the AIR module through the development of research design competencies focusing on real research using communication strategies that involve the identification of appropriate audiences, and where dissemination exploits a variety of media.
Lack of familiarity with theory
These competencies are tested through an oral presentation and a written proposal for a funded research project which must explore an information management issue.
Students who have completed AIR often describe their inexperience in one word – ‘challenging’. Most of them find it difficult to come to terms with the learn-how-to-learn approach, and this is compounded by their lack of familiarity with research theory and practice:
‘I’ve learned a lot and have been pushed hard to develop good [research] design backed up with valid sampling/ methodology.’
The general profile of the cohort was drawn from a survey completed at the beginning of AIR. There were 41 respondents, with a majority of female students (66 per cent) and an even higher percentage (78 per cent) studying part-time.
Such a predominance of part-time students is not surprising, given that the course attracts primarily professionals who work full-time as information practitioners. A large number of students (95 per cent) have at least a year’s work experience in an information sector. Of these, 39 per cent claim 1-5 years’ experience as practising information professionals, 29 per cent have between 6-10 years’ work experience, and just under 26 per cent a period of 10-20 years.
The majority (41 per cent) are practitioners from the public sector, followed by 34 per cent in the academic sector (mainly from HE). When asked which sector they expected to work in after the course, both percentages for public and academic sectors dropped considerably to 29 per cent and 24 per cent respectively, which seems to imply some dissatisfaction with current sector of employment. The voluntary and commercial sectors were seen as possible options for a change of career.
Twenty-nine per cent of both male and female respondents identify career development as the main reason for selecting the MA, while 23 per cent mention getting a professional qualification (from CILIP) as their motivation. Thirty-two per cent of the students are financed entirely by their employer, while a further 15 per cent contribute jointly with employers to the fees. These figures illustrate support by the profession for the Information Services Management programme, and imply approval of its value as an effective CPD strategy for information practitioners.
Students’ comments made during the first week of AIR reveal a number of problematic areas in terms of their competencies in research and information literacy. These are summarised as follows.
- Low IL competencies and lack of an independent-learning attitude – the unfamiliar is perceived as ‘daunting’. In particular, students highlight difficulties in defining a topic for research, identified by most IL frameworks as the first IL standard: ‘With my undergraduate dissertation I found the main problem was defining exactly what I would research and how.’ Similarly, the lack of familiarity with the literature review process shows poor information-seeking and -handling competencies, addressed by IL standards covering finding, evaluating and managing information: ‘[the literature review is an] unknown area, I have not done this and feel a little daunted.’
- Poor self-assessment and reflective competencies, which have a direct impact on the students’ ability to fulfil the fourth stage of the action-research approach – reflection on the research design employed. The students associate these difficulties with their inability to distance themselves from their own work, and this is compounded by a sense of academic deficiency: ‘Lack of confidence in my own academic work... I find it hard to get enough distance from my work to view it objectively.’
- Fear of public speaking. Students’ concern about the assessed 10-minute presentation on the research proposal (to an adjudicating panel consisting of three members of school) is shown in comments made during the first-week seminar: ‘Don’t like public speaking’, and ‘I get very nervous and find it difficult to think on the hoof’.
Students’ perception on completion of AIR
The students’ feedback on completion of AIR shows a distinct shift towards a ‘can do’ attitude by most of the cohort. The challenging aspects of AIR magnified the students’ sense of achievement.
Despite their initial reservations about their lack of IL and research abilities, overall the cohort’s competencies developed rapidly, both in the actual formulation of a research design and in the dissemination/presentation strategies employed.4 In some cases, the outcome took the students by surprise: ‘I would have said my skill at developing a relevant research design can be muddled. But I surprised myself during the funding proposal with the design I formulated.’
This has also brought about a commitment to continuing their development beyond AIR, thus confirming the lifelong learning influence of this module: ‘[Research design]: it’s hard but a good challenge. Definitely one I need to continue working on/developing.’
These advances have led to increased confidence in activities in the early stage of the research, such as defining a topic, seen by students as a particularly difficult area at the beginning:
‘Having done the module I feel I have adequate skills in this area. However, a lot of it is down to confidence and believing that an idea can work.’
In addition, the iterative approach, promoted by IL and action research, points to practical application of a systematic research framework and its language: ‘ With each piece of work I have done for the AIR module, my confidence has grown in my own understanding of the vocabulary we have been taught and my ability to use it/put it into practice.’
The ability to reflect on and evaluate their own research competencies is also shown by a clear identification of areas for improvements and of ways to address these. Comments here isolate the need to refine research design techniques to enhance their academic work, and the dissertation in particular:
‘I feel I have a much improved understanding of research designs but want to spend some time reading about it in depth so I can apply it to the dissertation to the right standard for a Master’s.’
Another area recognised as in need of further work is the identification of the audience(s), and the consequent selection of appropriate, yet innovative, dissemination strategies:
‘With the work I have completed so far, I think I’ve probably relied on quite obvious or traditional target audiences, e.g. mailing lists, academic journals – maybe I need to be thinking further afield or more laterally?’
In addition, the importance of reflecting on one’s own learning is fully embedded in the students’ professional perspective: ‘AIR has highlighted the importance of reflecting on one’s everyday [information] practices and feeding this into a continual process of learning.’
However, not all students make a successful transition to the learn-how-to-learn approach, owing mainly to a lack of self confidence, particularly when it comes to presenting their ideas: ‘I feel I have a weakness in oral presentation and communication of ideas. Based on a lack of confidence rather than a lack of understanding.’
The transforming effect of AIR is evident from the comments made by most of the students on the impact of this module on professional practice. This is seen particularly in the feedback given by part-time students working in the public sector, where competent research practice underpins a range of information work at managerial level:
‘As an information manager I feel more confident in researching and supplying current information to users (individuals, groups, business, councillors, senior managers). I also feel that I have the expertise to provide proposals to improve the service through comparisons with other information providers and following examples discovered through research. I am also more confident with bidding for funds.’
Similarly, the feedback from students working in an academic library environment points to an increased sense of confidence in research that enhances the librarian’s status in relation to other professional groups, such as academics: ‘[AIR] has given me a greater confidence when dealing with academics/academia [and] it has made me look, increasingly, to evidence-based decision making when confronted with changes in the work environment.’
This enhanced status is complemented by improved competencies in supporting their academic users: ‘I work in a postgraduate library so doing a thorough research module like AIR will help me to help students at the enquiries desk when they have queries relating to their dissertations. AIR will also help me to do a relevant action-research study that will raise my profile in the school.’
The learn-how-to-learn approach promoted by IL and embedded in an action-research perspective seems to offer a successful route to the ‘can do’ attitude expected of information professionals. However, what this evaluation has shown is that the successful adoption of this attitude must be underpinned by a sense of professional confidence that current information practitioners seem to lack. This can be addressed by CPD modules such as AIR.
References
1 For more details on the MA in Information Services Management see: www.londonmet.ac.uk/pg-prospectus-2005/courses/information-services-management.cfm
From the academic year 2005-06 AIR will be offered as a core for the new MSc in Digital Information Management also run by the Information Management School. Details of this programme are available at: www.londonmet.ac.uk/pg-prospectus-2005/courses/digital-information-management.cfm
2 C. Bruce. Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change: a background paper. White Paper prepared for Unesco, the US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and the National Forum on Information Literacy, for use at the Information Literacy, Meetings of Experts, Prague, Czech Republic, July 2002, pp. 1-17. (www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconf&meet/papers/bruce-fullpaper.pdf).
3 R. O’Brien. 1998. An Overview of the Methodological Approach of Action Research (www.web.net/~robrien/papers/arfinal.html).
4 This is illustrated by the quality of the group-based proposals presented by the students in Week 6 of the module (www.ilit.org/airlevel3/gp_present0405.htm).
Susie Andretta is Senior Lecturer in Information Management, London Metropolitan University.
Updated: 13 July 2005