Information Services are developing a range of materials to support and enhance students’ Information Literacy skills.  We want to work closely with academic colleagues to ensure that these are appropriate for all students.  At the moment we can offer:

• Embedded support sessions
• Assignment Survival Kit (ASK)
• Information Skills module
• VLE Folder support
• Staffordshire University Information Literacy Community of Practice (SUILCoP)

Embedded support sessions

We believe that information literacy skills are best developed through embedded means.  Embedding information literacy skills within taught courses means that students understand and apply these skills better than if they are presented separately outside the context of work done within a module.  

If you would like to discuss how best you could embed information literacy support sessions within any of the modules which you teach please contact either your  Subject Support Librarian or Alison Pope, Information Literacy Project Manager.

We can also assist you when Awards are undergoing validation/re-valiadation.  We have produced some standard information on Information Literacy which can be included into Student Handbooks.  Further information on this is available on the page  IL Statement of Good Practice.

A list of contacts for each Faculty/School is available from the link below.

Contact:  Information Literacy contacts

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Assignment Survival Kit (ASK)

Being faced with their first assignment at University can be a daunting prospect for students - particularly those who have little experience of self-directed study. ASK is an on-line tool which can help students to manage this transition to higher eduction and support them through their first piece of assessed work. 

Once a student enters the start and deadline date for their assignement a detailed 10 step schedule mapping out key stages and dates in the completion of the work is returned. This gives a suggested timescale for activities including planning the essay or report, finding and evaluating materials, citing references and presenting the results of their research.

In July 2007 ASK was awarded the CILIP University College and Research Group (UC&R) Award for Innovation.   

Visit: Assignment Survival Kit (ASK) webpage

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Information Skills module

We will continue to offer the Information Skills module to all students. For more information about this module,

Visit:  Information Skills Module for Students (AM25001-1)

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VLE Folder support

If you have already created or plan to create a VLE for your module we can work together with you to integrate Information Literacy activities and resources for your specific subject.  We already have a standard VLE information literacy folder which you can use in its “off the peg” form or which we can tailor especially for your module’s needs.  

You can view a sample of this within Blackboard: 
Information Literacy VLE folder
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/uniservices/infoservices/infoliteracy/bb_demo/index.htm

From the above page, click on Course Documents on the left, then select Information Literacy from the links on the centre of the next page.  On the next page click on InfoLit to access the Information Literacy pages.

Staffordshire University Information Literacy Community of Practice (SUILCoP)

Following the success of Information Literacy: Recognising the Need Conference held at Staffordshire University on the 17 May 2006 Staffordshire University set up an Information Literacy Community of Practice. The aim of this is to allow the sharing of good practice and discuss new ideas in Information Literacy teaching and learning within the university sector.

As part of this initiative a series of workshops are held through out the year.  Each half-day workshop features two topics or areas of interest and includes speakers from a wide range of institutions and backgrounds, both in the UK and overseas.

These workshops provide a valuable opportunity for University staff to find out more about IL activity in other institutions and meet other colleagues with interest in this area.

The presentations from all the workshops 2006-7 are available on the SUILCoP web pages, together with the programme for the next series of events. 

For further information visit: SUILCOP web pages