SMU Libraries’ Faculty Information Literacy Stipend awards $1,000 to faculty for proposals that best implement an information literacy assignment into their course. Faculty collaborate with their subject librarians to design an information literacy framework to support student learning activities and assignments.
The stipend is awarded upon completion of the course and the submission of a report from the faculty member that describes the assignment, the method of assessment, and the impact on student learning.
Submit your proposal for Spring/Summer 2022 Course by December 22, 2021.
Fall 2021 Information Literacy Stipend Winners
Congratulations to our five stipend winners from Fall 2021! We caught up them to see how implementing information literacy into their assignments has impacted their courses thus far.
Dr. Daniel (Dan) Moss, English
Dr. Moss, in collaboration with Humanities Librarian, Rebecca Graff, for his Shakespeare: The Big Four (ENGL 4333) course stated:
“I’ve been with the research guide Rebecca Graff of Fondren Library set up. My students and I have looked to that guide frequently to branch out from the usual close-reading of Shakespeare’s texts to the comparative viewing of scenes from multiple productions, fostering some really wonderful conversations in class and on the Canvas discussion board. The entire course has emphasized not just Shakespeare’s tragedies, but also modern adaptations of his plays, from Tom Stoppard’s Theater of the Absurd take on Hamlet to Akira Kurosawa’s samurai version of Macbeth to Amiri Baraka’s radical revision (more like a rejection) of Othello. Students who choose to do their final paper on these adaptations will want to look beyond JStor, searching out video recordings of live theater, reviews, and the like, at which point the research tools Rebecca has pointed out for us will be even more crucial for them. Overall, the IL Stipend has pushed me to teach outside my usual focus on the primary texts, and I’m excited by the resulting multimedia hybrid course.”
David Jacobson, J.D., M.B.A., Management and Organizations
Professor Jacobson, in collaboration with Director of the Business Library, Sandy Miller for his Complex Problem Solving (MNO 6228 ) course stated:
“My course is about business research. The work we have done with the library and the support of the library liberates our students to achieve their potential. It is very exciting to watch that process in action.”
Rev. Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, Theology
Rev. Dr. Clark-Soles, in collaboration with Reference and Digital Services Librarian, Leslie Fuller for her Interpretation of the New Testament (NT 6301) stated:
“Implementing information literacy into my introductory course this semester has allowed students to become aware of, assess, and use the best tools for, enhancing their ability to understand the New Testament texts both in their original contexts, through the transmission process of the texts over the past two millennia, and in our current context. It also allows students to understand and assess arguments made by scholars in this field. The ability to practice using these tools in a hands-on fashion brings the scholarly process to life in ways that just reading about it does not. The knowledge gained will ‘stick’ and the students will use it in other contexts in which they study these texts.”
Dr. Michael Lively, Music
Dr. Lively, in collaboration with Music and Theatre Librarian, Pam Pagels for his course on Form and Analysis (MUTH 3350) stated:
“The best part of the project has been the opportunity to work closely with Pamela Pagels, the Music Librarian. Her energy and enthusiasm have motivated the students in my class to pursue their research projects this semester with careful attention to detail as well as genuine intellectual interest in their chosen topics. The Information Literacy award allowed for the creation of an iterative research process, in which the students are required to consistently review and revise their work within a meaningfully engaged process of evaluating their own research and as well as that of their peers. With the help of Ms. Pagels, I believe that the system developed for teaching this class achieves many of the central goals of the Information Literacy Stipend.”
Dr. Piyawan Charoensap-Kelly, Corporate Communication and Public Affairs
Dr. Charoensap-Kelly, in collaboration with Director of Educational Initiatives, Megan Heuer for her course on Communication Research and Data Analytics (CCPA 2375) stated:
“I have really enjoyed working with Megan Heuer to implement information literacy into my Communication Research and Data Analytics course. My students are widening their understanding of different types of sources, advanced search techniques, and how to synthesize relevant sources into a strong literature review. We have much to learn until the end of the semester but I’m happy with what the students have gained so far.”
What is Information Literacy?
Information literacy is a set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.
Including an information literacy framework into a course develops learning outcomes, in which students:
- Evaluate information with an understanding of context.
- Understand how and why information is produced.
- Recognize information’s value and use it ethically.
- Approach research with an open-minded inquiry.
- Understand that knowledge is developed through sustained discourse and competing perspectives.
- Apply critical thinking and knowledge of information systems to search.
Submit your proposal for Spring/Summer 2022 Course by December 22, 2021.
Want more information? Contact your subject librarian.