Problem-Based Learning at University
College Dublin
Lorna Dodd
Liaison Librarian
Human Sciences
University College
Dublin,
Belfield, Dublin 4,
Ireland
Supporting Information Literacy in different educational
approaches
Ursula Byrne
Head of Academic
Services,
Humanities & Social
Sciences,
University College Dublin,
Belfield, Dublin 4,
Ireland
Background
• Largest university in Ireland
• Problem-Based Learning (PBL) currently in practice within several programmes
• Government funding (SIF) to support development of further initiatives across campus
What is PBL?
• Centres on the student
• Work in small tutorials
• Presented with complex, real-life ‘problems’
• Identify what they know from their existing knowledge
• Identify gaps in their existing knowledge
• Formulate ‘learning issues’ for next session
The flashy trainers
Why is Information Literacy important in PBL?
• Self-directed learning
• Development of life-long transferable skills
• Critical and reflective thinking
Identify an information
need
Convert Learning Issues
into search strategies
Identify most
appropriate source
Identify kind of information &
resource
Effectively retrieve relevant
information
Evaluate reliability, relevance, currency
& appropriateness
Use the information
in an ethical way
Apply information to problem &
integrateinto existing knowledge
APPLYING INFORMATION LITERACY TO
PBL
• Anatomy of the lung Factual Information –
Textbooks
• Allergens and treatment Current Research – Journal
Articles or Websites
• Is the information reliable?
• Is the information relevant to problem? Location Availability of treatment
The Coughing Horse
Information Literacy Instruction in PBL
• Traditional lectures clashes with philosophical foundations of PB L
• Usefulness of traditional workshops
• In PBL context students need to use a range of information resources in order to find a range of information types
• Often need to explain to academics that a change in educational approach requires ALL aspects of student instruction to change
Workshop approach
• Keep students in their PBL groups
• Identify common “Learning Issues” across all groups
• Let students search for information without any guidance or instruction
• Each group reports back Which resources they used Why they chose each resource How useful each resource was What strategy/language they used
Workshop approach
• Librarian then looks at “Learning Issue” Identify which ‘type’ of information is required Identify appropriate sources Think about language, keywords, alternative terms
• Students then repeat exercise and report back
• Students also asked how the information they find applies to the problem
Using a ‘problem’ approach
The M50 - Europe’s Largest Car park?
Using a ‘problem’ approach• Psychology/sociology
Research on stress associated with long commutes
• Environmental Studies Comparative literature on impact of new motorways on
developing countryside
• Planning & Policy Government reports in infrastructure planning
• Economics Current Irish & European statistics
Conclusion
• Information Literacy is increasingly consciously developed encourage students to think about information they
need challenge students to critically evaluate the
information they find and the source
• Information Literacy is often: Included as a learning outcome An assessment criteria
• Librarians are more involved in curriculum development: Ensure there are sufficient resources Help students develop necessary skills
Conclusion
• Introduction of PBL can dramatically change library & librarian’s role
• Librarians often act as group facilitators in PBL Significant departure from their traditional role New skill set
• Information literacy essential component Many academics begin to understand the importance of
IL and librarian as a result of PBL This often leads to a ‘spill over’ effect
How do we strike the balance between taking advantage of new opportunities and managing growing workloads?