The newest book by Tom Mackey and Trudi Jacobson Metaliteracy in a Connected World: Developing Learners as Producers was recognized as part of this year’s Divergent Lecture Series for the 2024 divergent honorees. A recording of the “Divergent Conversation” is now available via YouTube. According to Shelbie Witte, Ph.D., from The Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age: “Our desire for this new type of lecture event is to provide an opportunity for us all to come together and discuss the current state of digital literacies and where the field can go from here.” Tom Mackey participated in this open-ended dialogue with the awardees and explored a wide range of issues from the impact of generative artificial intelligence on literacy frameworks to teaching literacies in the K-12 and higher education environments.
The new book edited by Dr. Sheila Marie Aird and Dr. Thomas P. Mackey Teaching Digital Storytelling: Inspiring Voices Through Online Narratives has been published by Rowman & Littlefield. The editors worked with an exceptional team of authors from SUNY schools, Temple University, and universities in South Africa to share their narratives about teaching with digital storytelling through the lens of information literacy and metaliteracy. The new book features a Foreword written by futurist and digital storytelling pioneer Dr. Bryan Alexander. This is the newest book to be included in Trudi Jacobson’sInnovations in Information Literacy Series at Rowman & Littlefield.
This book project emerged from the collaborative teaching by the Drs. Aird and Mackey to design a fully online course in Digital Storytelling to unite Empire State University students studying in Prague, Czech Republic and the United States. This course fully integrates the metaliteracy framework and features learning objects available at the metaliteracy.org blog. The editors wrote the framing chapter about this case study Metaliteracy and Global Digital Storytelling: Building Shared Learning Communities.
As noted in the book overview and description:
This book presents the stories of educators who through digital storytelling inspire students from diverse communities to construct their empowering digital narratives. Educators from a wide range of disciplines present innovative case studies of teaching digital storytelling through the lens of personal narratives, metaliteracy, and information literacy. They describe how teaching students to tell their personal digital stories prepares them as learners who are reflective while playing active learner roles such as producer, publisher, and collaborator.
We welcome this guest essay by Dr. Melissa Atkinson, Director of Distance & Online Library Services at Abilene Christian University (ACU) Brown Library.
Metaliteracy, as introduced by Mackey and Jacobson in 2011, has been instrumental in developing metaliterate learners in a variety of contexts. The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, published in 2016, transformed the previous InformationLiteracy Competency Standards for Higher Education (ACRL, 2000) into frames that build upon each other and were not prescriptive in how to assess students’ learning. Many librarians turn to the Framework as a guideline for developing information literacy courses, tutorials, guided studies, and assessments. Libraries and librarians create assessments of the Framework that are varied and individualized.
Using the Framework in conjunction with metaliteracy goals and learning objectives can enhance the student experience as well as give librarians a standard to follow that ensures development of skills needed in a participatory, connected environment (Mackey & Jacobson, 2011). Notes that reference metaliteracy and metacognition can be found in the Framework (2016). The Framework does have its strengths, but incorporating metaliteracy goals and learning objectives into the frames can aid in assessment and add to the knowledge and skills students should develop throughout their lifetime, not just when they are participating in higher education.
Using the original set of metaliteracy goals and learning objectives found on metaliteracy.org (Forte, et al, 2014), a metaliteracy course was developed in the Learning Management System (LMS) Canvas, specifically for fully online Ed.D. students, preparing them for research-related content encountered in their courses (Atkinson, 2019). The original course by Atkinson (2019) compared pretest, posttest, and metacognitive skills, using the Metacognitive Strategies for Library Research Skills Scale (MS-LRSS) developed by Catalano (2017).
The course was designed using backward design methods (Wiggins & McTighe, 2006) to introduce online doctoral students to common library terminology, metaliteracy, and metacognitive concepts. The metaliteracy course was not intended to take the place of library tutorials, individualized instruction, or research consultations–all of which are critical to meet the needs of doctoral students in an online environment.
The metaliteracy course consists of five modules, four of which are directly related to the metaliteracy goals and learning objectives from 2014 (Forte, et. al., 2014). The fifth module relates to specific skills students need to be successful, particularly in the Ed.D. program such as requesting materials through InterLibrary Loan, identifying research methods, and recognizing specific library databases. Each module consists of a pretest, an overview and videos (most of which are three minutes or less), and a posttest. Each module name, the video titles, and learning objectives are listed below.
Objective: Metaliterate learners evaluate information critically by determining authority, relevancy, accuracy, and validity of each source regardless of the information’s delivery method.
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
1) Recognize the criteria for evaluating authority, relevancy, accuracy, and validity of information sources
2) Determine context of an information source by considering purpose and format
3) Distinguish between scholarly and non-scholarly sources
4) Understand the process of peer review and its purpose in scholarly research
Module 2: Information Ethics
Two Videos: Academic Integrity, Copyright, and Plagiarism; APA Style
Objective: Metaliterate learners understand and differentiate between their own intellectual property and others’ intellectual property, and give credit to others’ work using proper citation style methods.
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
1) Understand the concepts of academic integrity, copyright, and plagiarism
2) Differentiate between various forms of attribution
3) Identify parts of a citation in APA style
4) Recognize elements of APA style in context
Module 3: Information Creation, Sharing, and Collaboration
Three videos: Social Media; Digital and Visual Literacy; Creating Original Content
Objective: Metaliterate learners are aware of their online environments, participate collaboratively, transfer information from one format to another, and produce and share original content.
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
1) Understand the various ways of sharing original content
2) Consciously participate in social media environments
3) Describe digital and visual literacy and their importance to metaliterate learning
4) Identify digital and media formats and the uses and purposes of each
Module 4: Lifelong Learning Research Strategies
Two videos: Information Needs; Metacognition
Objective: Metaliterate learners connect learning with personal, professional, and lifelong goals using their experiences. Metaliterate learners recognize metacognitive principles of learning by acknowledging that learning is a process and can reflect on research difficulties to improve strategies.
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
1) Know which search strategies are appropriate for the information needs
2) Determine tasks involved to develop research questions
3) Reflect on one’s own knowledge and determine ways to increase metacognition skills
4) Recognize the process of critical thinking that leads to metaliterate learning
Module 5: Research Skills Proficiency
Three videos: Types of Sources; Requesting Materials and ILL; Research Methods
Objective: Metaliterate learners are proficient in distinguishing between types of sources, describing research methods, and understanding how to request materials to find relevant, scholarly, and authoritative information sources.
By the end of this module, learners will be able to:
1) Describe research methods, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods
2) Distinguish between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources
3) Recognize ACU library’s databases, authentication process, and InterLibrary Loan procedures
4) Understand how to request physical materials
The original course has been modified to reach other fully online student audiences such as undergraduate students and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students. The undergraduate metaliteracy course is embedded in a critical thinking course that is taken by all online undergraduates. The program directors for the Ed.D. and DNP programs encourage students to self-enroll in the Canvas metaliteracy course specifically designed for those students in each program. Currently, a LibGuide is being developed to bring the metaliteracy course to a wider audience than is currently reached in Canvas. The full metaliteracy course will be available at this link (forthcoming), https://guides.acu.edu/metaliteracy, and currently includes all of the learning objectives and videos for each module.
A mapping of the ACRL Framework to the metaliteracy course objectives can help expand the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in their courses and beyond. The concept of metaliteracy is important for either an introduction for undergraduate students to library and research terminology or for graduate and doctoral students who already have these concepts developed as well as students who have not been to school for a long time and need a refresher on these concepts. Future plans include updating the metaliteracy course to incorporate the updated metaliteracy goals and learning objectives from 2018 (Jacobson, et al, 2018) as well as an update to the mapping of the Framework.
References
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2000). Information literacy competency standards for higher education. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://alair.ala.org/handle/11213/7668
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for information literacy for higher education. Retrieved September 29, 2023, from https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
Atkinson, M. D. (2019). The relationship between metaliteracy pretest, posttest, and Metacognitive Strategies for Library Research Skills Scale: Creating a metaliteracy course for online Ed.D. students [Doctoral dissertation, Regent University]. https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/library_pub/32
Catalano, A. A. (2017). Development and validation of the Metacognitive Strategies for Library Research Skills Scale (MS-LRSS). Journal of Academic Librarianship, 43(3), 178–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2017.02.017
Fulkerson, D. M., Ariew, S. A., & Jacobson, T. E. (2017). Revisiting metacognition and metaliteracy in the ACRL Framework. Communications in Information Literacy, 11(1), 21-41. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2017.11.1.45
Mackey, T. P., & Jacobson, T. E. (2011). Reframing information literacy as a metaliteracy. College & Research Libraries, 72(1), 62–78. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl-76r1
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2006). Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Pearson.
Dr. Melissa Atkinson is the Director of Distance & Online Library Services at Abilene Christian University (ACU) Brown Library. In her 23-year career as a librarian at ACU, she has served as Online Learning Librarian, E-Collections & Web Services Librarian, Serials & Assessment Librarian, Electronic Services & Serials Librarian, and Reference Librarian. She is currently a dissertation chair for five dissertation students, one of whom recently successfully defended their prospectus. She earned a Ph.D. from Regent University in Education (Distance Education concentration) in May 2019. Her research interests include metaliteracy, information literacy, online pedagogy, andragogy, and instructional design methods for library instruction. Her dissertation titled, “The Relationship Between Metaliteracy Pretest, Posttest, and Metacognitive Strategies for Library Research Skills Scale: Creating a Metaliteracy Course for Online Ed.D. Students,” is available in Proquest and ACU’s institutional repository (Digital Commons). In 2020, an article based on her dissertation was published called, “To Frame or Not to Frame: Creating a Metaliteracy Course for Online Ed.D. Students” in Library Hi Tech News (https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/library_pub/41/).
Recently, Caitlin Manner, an author for the publication 55+ Life, interviewed Trudi Jacobson for her article, “Learning Curve,” on the value of MOOCs for those who fit the magazine’s age demographic. (The article is in the Fall 2023 issue, pages 38-39). During that interview, Trudi introduced Caitlin to the concept of metaliteracy. Caitlin included information on the Coursera MOOC Metaliteracy: Empowering Yourself in a Connected World in the “Learning Curve” article, but then delved more deeply into the meaning and value of metaliteracy. She went on to write an article on it for the 55+ Life website entitled The Importance of Metaliteracy for People 55+.
As she noted in the essay:
It is increasingly critical for everyone to assess their own metaliteracy and continuously work to improve it. This will not only prevent you from falling prey to “fake news,” but it can impact your hireability, your mindset, and your ability to navigate an increasingly online society.
Caitlin wrote in an email to Trudi, “[O]ur conversation has made me tell just about everyone I know about the importance of metaliteracy…I’m fascinated by it.” We are delighted that this is the case, and that she wrote such an accessible article about metaliteracy for the magazine’s online readers. She highlights the evaluative, reflective, and societal benefits of metaliteracy, and notes the important factor that we are, each of us, creators of information. The article posits three main reasons that metaliteracy is critical for those 55 years old and older:
Protecting yourself and others from inaccurate information
Enhancing your employability in the gig economy
Providing a means for social justice
The article ends, “If you’re at all interested in maintaining your elasticity of thought and staying open-minded, metaliteracy is one way to do so.”
We would love to hear your feedback about the article and this application of the metaliteracy model. Feel free to reach out to us with your feedback.
If you are interested developing workshop ideas about metaliteracy or would like to participate in a metaliteracy workshop asynchronously, check out this latest presentation! On Tuesday, September 5, Trudi Jacobson and Tom Mackey facilitated an interactive workshop entitled Adapting Metaliteracy OER to Multimodal Teaching and Learning Practices as part of their honorary appointments as Extraordinary Professors at North-West University (NWU). This virtual event was recorded and is now available to watch at your own pace. The ideas presented in the slideshow are easily adaptable to different learning scenarios and it is fine to follow along with the video as an asynchronous workshop participant! Feel free to apply the slides to your own setting (as long as you cite the source) and be sure to let us know if you have any questions! We would love to hear your feedback! -Trudi and Tom
As a follow-up to their recent Prestige Lecture at North-West University (NWU), Prof. Trudi Jacobson and Prof. Tom Mackey will facilitate an interactive workshop entitled Adapting Metaliteracy OER to Multimodal Teaching and Learning Practices. This virtual event will take place on Tuesday, September 5 at 9am EDT and registration is now open: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwudemqqD8vGtdb__JGCZUM5hP1GKECrIaN.
Look for Trudi and Tom’s follow-up workshop entitled Adapting Metaliteracy OER to Multimodal Teaching and Learning Practices on September 5 at 9am EDT.
Registration is now open for a new Prestige Lecture by Tom Mackey and Trudi Jacobson entitled Combining Metaliteracy and Multimodality to Develop Metaliterate Producers. This online event scheduled for August 17, 2023 at 9am EDT is part of their honorary appointments as Extraordinary Professors at Research Unit Self-Directed Learning, Faculty of Education, North-West University, South Africa. This Prestige Lecture is based on a chapter from their latest book Metaliteracy in a Connected World: Developing Learners as Producers published by ALA Neal-Schuman. In early September, Trudi and Tom will present a follow-up workshop entitled Adapting Metaliteracy OER to Multimodal Teaching and Learning Practices (additional details about the workshop to follow in a later post).
To learn more about the upcoming Prestige Lecture and to register, review the poster for the event:
While it may seem counterintuitive to prioritize care in the post-secondary environment–our students in higher education are technically adults and responsible for their lives and decisions, some might say–think back to the last time you had a family emergency, or an illness, or an argument with your partner. How productive were you then? Traditional-age college students tend to be on their own for the first time, navigating new responsibilities and new relationships, which can be and feel very overwhelming. As demographics shift and more of our students fit into the “non-traditional” category, we will see more veterans, more adults who are balancing caregiving and full-time jobs with advancing their education, more who are returning to school after many years and may be overwhelmed by all of the technological changes that have taken place. I know I have seen every one of these scenarios and more in my students.
Metaliteracy is a natural fit within an ethic or a pedagogy of care; the model’s incorporation of the affective domain of learning both acknowledges and prioritizes affect’s important role in teaching and learning.
Four Domains of Learning (Jacobson & Mackey, 2022)
Our information environment is saturated with the affective. Social media’s algorithmic deep learning front loads content for users that triggers our moral outrage–over, and over, and over (Fisher, 2022). Users are constantly subjected to extremes and overreactions. The result, as we are all painfully aware, is a society that grows ever more divided and radicalized.
It is in this chaotic information landscape that learners must be able to rationally find, evaluate, create, share, and ethically use information. To be effective at these tasks requires an acknowledgement of the affective information environment–which may be extremely difficult for learners who have never before critically queried their own internal biases, cognitive authorities, or epistemic bubbles. In my article, I argue that metaliteracy can provide the key to effectively function in our socially networked spaces, while a pedagogy of care provides the support needed for learners to be comfortable taking those deep critical dives into the affective and other metaliteracy learning objectives.
Affect and care get trickier in the asynchronous online environment. As I mention in my article, I don’t see my students, aside from one required meeting at the beginning of the semester (and even then we may just be on the phone). Online activity logs in the learning management system do not allow me to gauge if my students are struggling, or suffering, in the same way that I would be able to visually assess or pull them aside to check on them in a physical classroom. I can reach out virtually, but oftentimes due to the nature of this instruction the burden lies with the student to communicate if they are in distress and need extra help. That can be a heavy ask for those who are already struggling. As the article details, by prioritizing care in my course design and my interactions with students I create a space for learners that anticipates their needs, prioritizes learning and a growth mindset, and builds relationships instead of focusing on ranked assessments. My students’ metaliteracy learning is better for it, and their mental health is better for it.
I chuckled this year when a student commented in a course evaluation that “the professor is a sweetheart and does care about her students and their well being!” Professional blushing aside–that student was not the only one who mentioned caring in the evaluations, which confirms for me that I’m on the right path. I hope you will join me.
Fisher, M. (2022). The chaos machine. Back Bay Books.
Noddings, N. (1984). A feminine approach to ethics and moral education. University of California Press.
Katie Greer is an Associate Professor and the Fine and Performing Arts Librarian at Oakland University in Rochester, MI. She is pursuing a PhD in Higher Education Leadership and is grateful to have had Dr. Thomas Mackey as a mentor for all things metaliteracy and higher education over the past two years.
Editor’s note: We thank Katie Greer for this wonderful guest post about her latest article for JAL! Tom has very much appreciated the chance to serve as Katie’s metaliteracy mentor as part of her doctoral program.- Tom and Trudi
Since the launch of our two Coursera MOOCs, Metaliteracy: Empowering Yourself in a Connected World in 2016, and Empowering Yourself in a Post-Truth World in 2019, we have reached learners from around the world. So far, the first MOOC has enrolled 4,870 learners and the second has had 3,549 total learners worldwide. At times, we have been lucky enough to hear directly from the participants who successfully completed one or both of the MOOCs. Recently, Dr. Haleema Anwar from CMH Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry in Lahore, Pakistan contacted us about her experience with the Coursera MOOC Empowering Yourself in a Post-Truth World. According to Haleema:
I am a final-year medical student, a researcher, and an author. I discovered the MOOC while going through the recommendation of courses for me on my app. This was a topic I wanted insight into.
I learned that there is a diverse variety of roles that a person can take to create a community of trust in a Post truth world- leading to prosperity.
Thank you!
Haleema Anwar
As part of the MOOC experience, participants apply the “learner as producer” role of metaliteracy to create a final digital media project. We share with permission, Haleema’s final project for the MOOC entitled “Metaliteracy in Action”:
Haleema describes this project in the following way:
This mind map is to walk us through the idea of meta-literacy and its practical implication.
The credit for the content is directed to a course by SUNY “Empowering yourself in a post-truth world”, a course I found on Coursera.
A central theme I learned is- “meta literacy is an integrated model for us to be a lifelong learner and to create a truthful community”
-Haleema Anwar
Thanks to Haleema for sharing such valuable insights about metaliteracy after completing our Coursera MOOC.
We always welcome this kind of feedback about our open metaliteracy projects! If you complete one of our MOOCs or any of our Metaliteracy Learning Resources, feel free to drop us a line and let us know if you would like to share your work via our blog.
Metaliteracy.org 