Trudi E. Jacobson

The focus of this book is original research regarding the implementation of problem-based learning and pedagogies of play as active approaches to foster self-directed learning. With the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in mind, educational institutions need to rethink teaching and learning for the future. As such, active engagement can be encouraged, as evident in this book, where problem-based learning drives learning through real-world problems, while pedagogy of play focuses on innovative environments where the action of play and learning are integrated with the aim of developing SDL. The following are addressed in the chapters: an overview of problem-based learning and pedagogy of play, metaliteracy, playful problem-based learning tasks, computational thinking in game-based tasks and geometry, solving puzzles, applying LEGO®, using drama as the pedagogy of play and implementing educational robotics. The empirical research findings disseminated in this book aim to inspire academics in the research focus area of self-directed learning with active learning approaches in the school and tertiary classroom that hold affordances to enhance 21st-century skills. Active learning is an umbrella term for pedagogies that mainstream student engagement, such as problem-based learning, cooperative learning, gamification, role-play and drama. This scholarly book highlights various engaging pedagogies.

Intercultural Perspectives on Information Literacy and Metaliteracy (IPILM) is a discourse- oriented learning environment that engages students from diverse cultural backgrounds to participate in collaborative knowledge construction. The objective is to evolve a thematic approach to course design that includes elements of open pedagogy, information literacy, and metaliteracy. IPILM invites participation from educators and learners from around the world and has witnessed an increase in participating countries. This paper describes the concept of IPILM and demonstrates the implementation of this approach in practice. The initiative was well received by students and is both feasible and sustainable as an intercultural learning endeavor. IPILM is an ongoing project and a work in progress that is an adaptable model which may be transferred to disparate fields of teaching and learning or adopted by international communities of instructors.

In this Skill, you will be delving into information in its broadest sense, its importance in your life, and the different types of value it has, both to you

This book aims to contribute to the discourse of learning through assessment within a self-directed learning environment. It adds to the scholarship of assessment and self-directed learning within a face-to-face and online learning environment. As part of the NWU Self-Directed Learning Book Series, this book is devoted to scholarship in the field of self-directed learning, focusing on ongoing and envisaged assessment practices for self-directed learning through which learning within the 21st century can take place. This book acknowledges and emphasises the role of assessment as a pedagogical tool to foster self-directed learning during face-to-face and online learning situations. The way in which higher education conceptualises teaching, learning and assessment has been inevitably changed due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, and now more than ever we need learners to be self-directed in their learning. Assessment plays a key role in learning and, therefore, we have to identify innovative ways in which learning can be assessed, and which are likely to become the new norm even after the pandemic has been brought under control. The goal of this book, consisting of original research, is to assist with the paradigm shift regarding the purpose of assessment, as well as providing new ideas on assessment strategies, methods and tools appropriate to foster self-directed learning in all modes of delivery.

This book aims to contribute to the discourse of learning through assessment within a self-directed learning environment. It adds to the scholarship of assessment and self-directed learning within a face-to-face and online learning environment. As part of the NWU Self-Directed Learning Book Series, this book is devoted to scholarship in the field of self-directed learning, focusing on ongoing and envisaged assessment practices for self-directed learning through which learning within the 21st century can take place. This book acknowledges and emphasises the role of assessment as a pedagogical tool to foster self-directed learning during face-to-face and online learning situations. The way in which higher education conceptualises teaching, learning and assessment has been inevitably changed due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, and now more than ever we need learners to be self-directed in their learning. Assessment plays a key role in learning and, therefore, we have to identify innovative ways in which learning can be assessed, and which are likely to become the new norm even after the pandemic has been brought under control. The goal of this book, consisting of original research, is to assist with the paradigm shift regarding the purpose of assessment, as well as providing new ideas on assessment strategies, methods and tools appropriate to foster self-directed learning in all modes of delivery.

Might the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education be used to analyze information resources? Would a Framework-focused analysis of one commonly used resource, Wikipedia, yield valuable insights for the teaching and learning of key information literacy concepts? Each of the six frames is explored in the light of Wikipedia, and metaliteracy, a founding principle of the Framework, is introduced when it provides additional scaffolding in connection with the goals of a particular frame as a way to enhance student learning opportunities. There are a number of components in Wikipedia that align with the Framework, many of which are associated with its structure and community of editors. The idea of connecting information sources with the Framework is being offered as a conversation starter and as a potential mechanism for thinking of the Framework more broadly.

Higher education lives on the academic community established by and for its faculty. [The Campus Conversations in Standish speaker] series drives that community by sharing our expertise, building intellectual networks, and reminding us all of the very interesting work being done every day by individual faculty. This series reminds us of the integral role the Libraries’ play in the development and advancement of scholarship. In many ways, the Libraries serve as a cross-campus hub.—James Stellar

The current political and cultural polarization in the United States and other countries has significant implications for all educational institutions and for libraries and librarians. The interrelated issues of trust, credibility, and authority now present major challenges because of the uncertainty of the social media environment, competing information "bubbles," and enduring cognitive biases. The accelerating fragmentation of the media and information ecosystems undermines communal understanding of large and complex issues that citizens must face. To address this profound societal challenge, academic librarians should collaborate with faculty members to create communities of inquiry for students-sustained "high impact practices" that address the complexity of the current information environment. This article shows one model for using the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education to create learning goals for a range of in-depth learning experiences that cultivate habits of mind essential to discernment in the current political and cultural climate. No matter how large the tissue of falsehood that an experienced liar has to offer, it will never be large enough ... to cover the immensity of factuality.

If you’d walked by Professor Susan Detwiler’s Writing and Critical Inquiry (WCI) classrooms at the University at Albany-SUNY on September 7, you would have seen something rather unusual: two teams of students huddled around tables, preoccupied with locked boxes and an assortment of other materials. Engaged in animated, yet hushed, conversations to keep the other team from overhearing, the students puzzled over cryptic messages and secret codes, hoping to unlock the box and reveal what was inside. Some of the materials on the table provided clues, others turned out to be red herrings.

Purpose: This paper aims to describe a multifaceted campus-wide initiative to retain transfer students that was undertaken when it was recognized that their retention rates were lower than those of first-time, full-time students.Design/methodology/approach: The Enhancing Student Experience (ESE) Working Group at the University at Albany (UAlbany) brought together key parties from Student Affairs and academic units, including the University Libraries, and provided an energizing arena in which existing student engagement and retention endeavors were discussed and coordinated, and new initiatives were inspired.Findings: This paper reflects the work of a subcommittee of the ESE group that focused on developing strategies to increase the retention rate of students who transferred to UAlbany, and identifying characteristics of those first-time, full-time students who transferred from UAlbany. The efforts discussed in this paper, which were guided by professional experiences, institutional data and published reports, resulted in a 2 per cent increase in the student retention rate in the past two years.Research limitations/implications: The data collection and analysis, and the initiatives, are specific to one public research university.Practical implications: Initiatives undertaken to address the retention of transfer students have begun to have an impact.Originality/value: The “all-hands-on-deck” approach described in this paper demonstrates how strategic collaborations among the many institutional stakeholders at a public research university were marshalled to have a significant and positive impact on student retention.