Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 15th Aug 2025, 10:16:16am CEST

 
 
Session Overview
Session
B8S4_WS: Workshop
Time:
Wednesday, 24/Sept/2025:
4:25pm - 6:05pm

Location: MG1/02.05

Parallel session; 50 persons

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Presentations

Identifying Outdated Notions in Research Assignment and Information Literacy Instruction

Adrienne Warner1, Jane Hammons2, Glenn Koelling1

1University of New Mexico, United States of America; 2The Ohio State University, United States of America

In the United States, librarians frequently express frustration about the quality of research assignments students are expected to complete. These assignments can sometimes include instructions or strategies many educators now consider to be ineffective. For example, in their report, Sam Wineburg and his colleagues (2020) provided examples of failed strategies for evaluating sources. Librarians at two large research institutions have identified more examples of outdated guidance over the past two years. These outdated research notions are often shortcuts in the research process – attempts to make complex ideas easier for students, for example discounting Wikipedia as a source because “anyone can edit it.” Or they may be remnants of ways of thinking about information that are no longer as useful as they once were, for example indicating print sources are more authoritative than digital sources. Either way, these notions have become embedded in the curriculum.

As the research landscape has evolved, guidance about effective research practices has also changed. Practices that once made sense no longer work within the context of the current information environment. Continuing to provide outdated guidance can frustrate students and make it difficult for them to develop their information literacy. By identifying these outdated research notions, we can start the process of removing these roadblocks for students in order to align with information literacy best practices (ACRL, 2016).

Objectives:

• Provide examples of outdated research notions that have been identified by librarians in the United States

• Discuss the prevalence of these outdated notions within the European context

• Guide participants to apply these concepts in their own librarianship

Methods:

This interactive workshop will be divided into two parts. In the first part, we will present outdated research notions in our context and answer questions. In the second part, via reflection and structured discussion, participants will identify outdated research notions for their own contexts, including how these notions may arise in their work.

Outcomes:

• Participants will identify several outdated research notions applicable to their context in order to bring conversations about these notions to their own librarianship practice.

• Participants will be able to support students’ information literacy development in our current information environment by working to change stakeholders’ understanding of effective research practices.

References

Association of College & Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

Wineburg, S., Breakstone, J., Ziv, N. & Smith M. (2020). Educating for misunderstanding: How approaches to teaching digital literacy make students susceptible to scammers, rogues, bad actors, and hate mongers. Retrieved December 13, 2024 from https://purl.stanford.edu/mf412bt5333.