An information literacy approach within the "Guided weekly reflection papers"

Abstract

A group of lecturers from diverse areas of knowledge of the University of Alcalá have implemented an experience of teaching innovation based on “reflective diaries”. The students hand in to the lecturer every week their “Weekly Reflection Papers” (WRP), in which they schematically express the most important ideas related with the topic presented during the classes of the previous week. They must include their reflections about the aspects they found especially interesting. After having applied this tool for some academic years we introduced a modification called “Guided Weekly Reflection Papers” (GWRP), where the professors suggest a series of questions on which the students must apply the most significant concepts studied each week. This modification enhances student’s motivation, encourages them to achieve more significant and reflective knowledge and generates interest in emergent topics. However, we often detect that the information management needed to solve the proposed questions in the GWRP is not the most suitable one. Therefore our present work is aimed at helping students develop the necessary skills and acquire a searching criterion in the framework of the information literacy. The strategy was focussed on some important items for the acquisition of information competencies. In this communication we analyze the progress of the GWRP tool and we explore the response of students to the information literacy approach.