Scottish Information Literacy Project and GCU Learning and Teaching Assessment Strategy 2008-2015 (LTAS)

Our work actively supports the LTAS Rationale:

‘We will develop graduates with the appropriate attributes to meet the complex demands of the modern workplace, and to take their place as independent lifelong learners in a knowledge-based, global economy’

Our work informs the following LTAS goals:

1.  
   • ‘Identify how learning can be developed
   • Recognise how knowledge and skills gaps can be addressed
   • Construct strategies for learning
   • Locate and access resources for learning
   • Compare and evaluate resources obtained from different sources
   • Organise, apply and communicate knowledge to others appropriately
   • Synthesise and build creatively on existing knowledge’

‘To build students’ competencies in the skills demanded by employers in a global knowledge economy’ and in particular ‘augment existing links with employers across a range of contexts’.

We are working actively with Skills Development Scotland to promote Information literacy as a career choice, progression and workplace decision making skill, with Glasgow Chamber of Commerce to promote information literacy as an essential small business skill, with the Royal Society of Arts in Scotland to promote information literacy as part of their skills based educational agenda and with the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) to promote information literacy as an employee skill.

 ‘Active engagement with relevant national and international networks and external bodies’ we lead and or co-ordinate most aspects of information literacy R&D in Scotland and have UK wide and international bodies, facilitated through such organisations as the US National Forum on Information Literacy.

Mechanisms for achieving our goals we particularly recognise:

• focus on skills for enterprise and ensure relevance to employers’ needs
• provide more flexible learning and teaching opportunities for students
• develop more authentic work related learning activities reflecting local, national & international contexts

We are keen to:

• enhance research teaching linkages across GCU
• develop action research projects in learning and teaching
• develop appropriate pedagogical models to underpin innovations in the curriculum
• embed innovation in learning and teaching using Caledonian Academy as a resource to identify and disseminate research findings
• develop excellence in pedagogical research through internal and external collaborative activities.

John Crawford & Christine Irving