The document summarizes the Information Literacy Advocates (ILA) module implemented at the University of Nottingham. The module recruited undergraduate students to support their peers in developing information literacy skills. Challenges included helping peers outside of assignment timeframes and maintaining communication across campuses. Overall, the ILAs improved their own skills and helped peers, and the module benefited library staff. For the future, the authors recommend expanding recruitment, extending the module timeframe, and improving training and community-building.

1. Gaining the Advantage
Advocates for literacy: a
peer learning approach
Wendy Stanton, Ruth Curtis, Paul Fodor
University of Nottingham
April 2014
5/1/2014 1Event Name and Venue

2. Outline
• Role of the Information Literacy Advocates (ILAs)
• Nottingham Advantage Award (NAA)
• Developing and implementing the ILA module
• ILA experience
• Library staff experience
• Moving forward

3. Information Literacy Advocates
Introduced …
In 2013/14 as a 10 credit extracurricular
module on the Nottingham Advantage Award
Their role …
“To provide support to fellow students to
develop their knowledge and essential skills for
information literacy”

4. Why peer support?
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Self-confidence
• Competence
• Employability
Stone, R, Cooper, S and Cant, R (2013)
The value of peer learning in
undergraduate nursing education: a
systematic review
Nursing
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/930901

5. Nottingham Advantage Award
What is it?
• Gateway to over 160
extracurricular modules
• Develops student skills
and employability
• Unique edge to present
to potential employers
• NAA recognised on
degree transcript
• 30 credits to achieve
NAA

6. Why introduce an ILA module?
• New Graduate Nurse Curriculum 2012/13
– 1 intake of increased student numbers across two campuses
– Focus on student centred/independent learning
– Challenge: Increased requests for one to one support?
• Embedded information skills training
– Additional sessions integrated within curriculum
– Challenge: Simultaneous delivery across 2 centres
– Challenge: Larger groups
• Overlap with NAA Peer Mentoring
for Nursing Students module
– Realised peer mentors were being
asked to help with library use

7. Focus of the ILA module
Why? To support 1st years on the Graduate Nurse
Curriculum
Who? Recruit 2nd year nurses and above across
both centres with experience of library and
information skills
When? Sept to Dec 2013 to coincide with embedded
training sessions and a 1st year assignment
What? Participate in training sessions,
respond to enquiries,
and
provide one to one help

8. Implementing the ILA module
• Module specification written
• Feedback from NAA Office
Approval
• NAA website, Peer Mentor Award
and School meetingsMarketing
• 7 students recruited across sites
• Enrolled via Moodle
Recruitment
• Handbook/supporting material
• Made available on Moodle
Documents
• Half day induction training
• Fortnightly progress meetings
Training
• 10 minute presentation
• Portfolio of evidence
Assessment

9. • Module specification written
• Feedback from NAA OfficeApproval
• 10 Credits awarded (30 credits required for NAA)
• 20 contact hours needed
• 40 independent study hours expected
• Training requirements
• Assessment requirements
• Learning outcomes to be achieved
Assured NAA Office we could measure skills developed
by mapping learning outcomes to evidence submitted

10. • NAA website, Peer Mentor Award
and School meetingsMarketing
• 7 students recruited across sites
• Enrolled via Moodle
Recruitment
• NAA website
• NAA Peer Mentoring for Nursing Students module
• School of Health Sciences Curriculum meetings
• Learning Community Forum
• Faculty Library User Group
• 7 UGs recruited: 4 Nurses, 2 Medical Physiology &
Therapeutics, 1 Psychology

11. • Handbook/supporting documents
• Made available on MoodleDocuments
• Module handbook
• Induction training material
• Hours tracking sheet
• Enquiry record
• Module evaluation form
All documents made available
on Moodle

12. • Half day induction training
• Fortnightly progress meetingsTraining
• Compulsory half day induction training
• Supporting documentation
• Activities
• Refresher training on search skills and using resources
• Hands on practice
• Discussed ideas for promoting ILA role to peers, generating
contact hours and developing an ILA community
• Compulsory progress meetings with librarians
• Fortnightly – dates provided to students
• Facebook page created to maintain communication

13. • 10 minute presentation
• Portfolio of evidence
Assessment
10 minute presentation outlining:
• Achievements and future plans to apply learning
Portfolio of evidence demonstrating:
• Development of IL, reflective and organisational skills
and including:
• 2 in-depth reflections of peer enquiries
• Hours tracking record to show contact hours

14. To recap, we expected ILAs to …
• Promote ILA service to peers through own ideas
• Develop their IL, reflective and organisation skills
• Accumulate 20 hours contact time
• Maintain regular contact with library staff
• Develop an ILA community

15. Promoting the ILAs:
Facebook and email
Separate
Facebook pages
were set up by the
Derby and
Nottingham ILAs to
support peers on
both campuses
and group emails
were sent

16. Promoting the ILAs:
Posters
Posters were
displayed in Derby
and Nottingham
libraries promoting the
ILA service

17. Promoting the ILAs:
Library drop in sessions
Little use was made of library drop in sessions by
peers

18. Promoting the ILAs:
Information skills sessions
Actively participated in information skills training
sessions in Derby and Nottingham

19. Promoting the ILAs:
1st year lecture – Derby
In Derby we introduced our ILA role to 1st years on our
course at the start of one of their academic lectures

20. Promoting the ILAs:
Halls of residence – Derby
Living in halls in Derby, I
was frequently asked for
help by other students
on my course!

21. Supporting peers
We helped our peers with a range of enquiries:
• Searching for books on the library catalogue
• How to print and scan documents
• How to reference material in assignments
• Structuring a keyword search
• Searching for journal articles on a database
• Accessing online resources
• How to structure a lab report!

22. Difficulties experienced by ILAs
Accumulating 20 contact hours
• Why? Fewer peer requests for help than expected as not all
courses had assignments due Sept to Dec 2013
• Why? Coincided with clinical placements and coursework
deadlines
Maintaining regular contact with librarians
• Why? Coincided with clinical placements and coursework
deadlines
Developing one ILA community
• Why? ILAs based across two campuses
• Why? Some ILAs missed group induction
training and never met other ILAs

23. Development of skills
“I have improved on
certain transferable
skills …
communication,
researching and
supporting others”
“My information literacy
skills have dramatically
improved and I feel so
much more confident to
use these skills in my own
learning.”
“I have developed my
literacy and peer support
skills which are essential
as a nursing student and
for future practice”
“I learned how to really explain
myself effectively and how to
transfer my knowledge in the best
way.”

24. Did the ILAs make a difference?
The ILAs …
• Actively participated in information skills sessions
• Volunteered to help out on the subject enquiry desk
• Provided 121 support for student nurses, referred by
library staff during busy periods
Their peers …
• Responded positively to
ILA support in training
sessions

25. Was it hard work?
• Recruiting students
– Spreading the word
• Preparing the documentation
– Module specification, training material,
supporting documents
• Communicating with ILAs and maintaining
momentum
– Regular emails and Facebook messages needed to prompt
and encourage progress meetings with library staff
• Assessing final presentations and portfolios
– IL skills developed and learning outcomes met?
– Individual feedback provided

26. Assessment: Learning outcomes
1. Knowledge and understanding
Literature searching – Types of resources – Quality
information – Basic library services
2. Intellectual skills
Develop search strategies – Identify keywords and subject
headings – Retrieve relevant material – Record references
3. Professional practical skills
Employability – Continuous professional development
4. Transferable skills
Critical evaluation of information – Communication –
Organisation – Independent learning
Critically reflect on 2 peer enquires and their ILA role

27. Knowledge and understanding
All students
showed good
knowledge and
understanding

28. Intellectual skills

29. Professional and transferable skills

30. Organisation skills

31. Contact hours

32. Reflection
First enquiry By the end of the ILA module

33. Worth the effort?
Various stakeholders benefited:
• ILAs, who proved effective development of
– IL skills and confidence
– Transferable, lifelong skills
– Additionally, Paul was nominated for the 2013-14 NAA
Personal Development prize!
– All ILAs were awarded 10 NAA credits!
• Students, who developed
– IL skills and knowledge through peer support
• Library staff, who gained additional help
– During information skills training sessions
– On the subject enquiry desk
– In dealing with requests for 121 help

34. Taking the ILA module forward
• Widen recruitment to include additional courses
• Extend module running time to accommodate
clinical placements
• Repeat induction training session to ensure all
ILAs are given the opportunity to meet each other
• Arrange group follow-up sessions to review
progress and training needs and to facilitate
development of an ILA community
• Enlist experienced ILAs
to help train new recruits

35. Any questions?