Teaching and assessment methods in UK information science: A ten year review of professional and scholarly journal content and predictions for 2011

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Odhiambo, Francis | Stephens, Derek^{; *} | Goulding, Anne

Affiliations: Department of Information Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics, LE11 3TU, UK

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Tel.: +44 1509 223080; Fax: +44 1509 223053; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Presents the results of a research project investigating teaching and learning methods in information science in the United Kingdom. An overview of the forces leading to the higher profile of teaching in universities is presented. A literature review was undertaken to identify articles in professional and scholarly academic journals on teaching methods and techniques. The authors report that the number of articles found was far fewer than originally anticipated and suggest that one reason for this could be that papers on teaching are not considered appropriate for the Research Assessment Exercise. The articles were characterised as focusing on either teaching media or teaching techniques and descriptions of some of the teaching methods discussed are given. The authors conclude with a consideration of a paper published in 1994 giving predictions for information science teaching in 2000 and give their own predictions for the future by suggesting how teaching will have changed by 2011.

Keywords: teaching practice, teaching approaches, RAE publications, future predictions

DOI: 10.3233/EFI-2002-203-402

Journal: Education for Information, vol. 20, no. 3-4, pp. 183-198, 2002