Responses and influences: a model of online information use for learning

Introduction.Explores the complexity of online information use for learning in the culturally-diverse, information and communication technologies-intensive, higher education context. It presents a Model of responses and influences in online information use for learning, which aims to increase awareness of the complexity of online information use and support information literacy development. Background.Despite increasing integration of information literacy into university curricula there are evident limitations in students' use of information associated with an information literacy imbalance between well-developed information technology skills and uncritical approaches, compounded by differences in cultural and linguistic experience. Influences. This model draw insight from models of information behaviour and information seeking, information literacy, cross-cultural adaptation, and reflective online use. The model.Incorporates behavioural, cognitive and affective responses with cultural and linguistic influences in an action research framework that represents online information use as holistic, dynamic and continuous, envisaged as the experience of engaging with online information for learning. Conclusion. The model represents the synergy between information use and learning. It supports the development of inclusive reflective approaches to information literacy that address identified learning challenges related to information literacy imbalance and cultural and linguistic diversity. file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Tom%20Wilson/My%20Documents/InformationResearch/ir/12-1/paper279.html (1 of 15)19/10/2006 20:55:53 Responses and influences: a model of online information use for learning Introduction The connection between information literacy and learning is widely acknowledged. In higher education it supports a trend towards self-directed, research-based and online learning approaches which require a balance of digital capabilities, effective information seeking and the critical, ethical and creative use of information. However despite the increasing integration of information literacy education into university curricula around the world, research indicates significant limitations in study-related information use. An apparent information literacy imbalance is evident between many students' well developed information technology skills and less developed critical approaches to information use. Significantly also, in light of the internationalisation of higher education, learning and information use challenges can be further intensified by differences in students' the social, cultural, and linguistic experience. In response to these challenges this paper offers a Model of responses and influences in online information use for learning (hereafter called 'the Model') which has a two-fold purpose: to represent the complexity of online information use for learning in a culturally diverse, ICT-intensive environment; and to provide a framework for developing inclusive reflective information literacy strategies that addresses this complexity. Consequently this model reflects both a broad concern with the nature of information use and a specific concern with learners' information literacy needs. It embodies a developing conception of (online) information use as the experience of engaging with (online) information for learning; understood here to be a multi-faceted experience that incorporates users' context, needs, engagement and outcomes. The model draws together key elements of significant models in the fields of information behaviour/seeking (Wilson 1997; Foster 2005; Kuhlthau 2004), information literacy (Bruce 1997) and cross-cultural adaptation (Anderson 1994). In particular it emphasises the role of information literacy in learning, and blends cultural and linguistic influences into the interplay of thoughts, feelings and actions in information use. It is intended to complement previous models of reflective internet searching (Edwards & Bruce 2002) and reflective online information use (Hughes et al. 2006). The paper comprises three main parts. The first, Background, explains the purpose and context of the Model; the second, Conceptual influences, describes the influence of other models on the development of the Model; and the third, Overview, discusses the structure and intended application of the Model. Background to the Model