The Transferability of Electronic Information Systems knowledge and use between Secondary and Further and Higher Education in the UK: Scoping study

Introduction

In October 2001, a discussion document was submitted to the JISC outlining a potential investigation into the transferability of Electronic Information Systems (EIS) knowledge and use between the secondary education sector and Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) in the UK. This investigation would address the following research questions:

• To what extent is secondary education equipping children with an awareness of the EIS that they might encounter both within the upper school and within FE and HE?
• What is the nature of ISSS education in secondary schools, and to what extent do schools seek to facilitate transferability of EIS knowledge and skills to FE and HE?
• To what degree are FE and HE acknowledging the role of the school in developing knowledge of EIS and ISSS, and creating IS programmes which take into account the existing skills base?
• Have formal and informal links between the education sectors in skills development and transfer been established (I have anecdotal evidence of at least two HEIs that have established formal rapport with local secondary schools to develop IS), and what forms do they take?

In February 2002, the decision was taken by the JCALT Committee to fund a scoping study to outline exactly what is needed to take this work forward.

Aims

The scoping study will embrace the UK and take cognisance of the different education structures in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The aims are to:

1. define precisely the aims and objectives of the investigation, developing the research questions delineated in the discussion document;
2. identify those organisations and individuals centrally concerned with policy and practice for ISSS education in the secondary sector at local, regional and national levels.
3. develop a detailed methodology; and
4. establish costings for conducting the research.

Methodology

The following methodologies will be employed to collect data for the first two aims cited above:

1. To conduct a comprehensive literature search of both education and information and library science documentation.
2. To conduct interviews with relevant organisations and individuals within the education sectors (Secondary, FE and HE) using semi-structured interview schedules.
3. To conduct interviews with relevant ILS bodies (for example, the Youth Libraries Committee of CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, the School Library Association) using semi-structured interview schedules.
4. To undertake an e-mail survey of FE and HE institutions to identify evidence of formal and informal links with the secondary education sector in skills development and transfer.

Timescale

The scoping study was undertaken within a seven-month period (April – October 2002) with the report being made available to the JCALT Committee in November.

CrossEd 2

As a consequence of feedback from colleagues at these conferences, the decision was taken to formulate a new study which would supplement the original Scoping Study. The project, was designed to identify the existence, and to investigate the nature, of cross-sectoral activities associated with improving information literacy skills/competencies relating to the use of electronic resources.

Objectives

For each case of collaboration the research will determine:

• the aims, objectives and rationale of the information literacy activity;
• the information skills competencies being developed;
• the nature and extent of collaboration (e.g. facilitating access to e-resources within universities for pupils, offering training programmes to pupils and teaching staff);
• the timescale of the activity;
• how collaboration has influenced existing information skills training in both establishments;
• the resource, access and licensing implications of the collaboration for the university library; and
• the nature of any evaluation of the activity undertaken by the school or the university.

Data collection was by means of focus group meetings or telephone interviews with the representatives from the schools sector and the universities, using semi-structured interview schedules. These were recorded and transcribed for analysis.