Collaborative Information Literacy Practices to Connect Theory to Practice in Rehabilitation Counseling Students

The authors offer this case study of collaborating to scaffold information literacy learning into a semester-long research assignment within an undergraduate rehabilitation services course. The goal of the partnership was to teach students to research a rehabilitation theory/intervention in the professional literature and connect the evidence to rehabilitation services available locally for individuals with disabilities. Specific collaborative practices are identified as essential to the success of this pedagogical project, specifically the giving of time, the scaffolding of learning, and the continual return to reflection in the teaching and learning process, which are all enabled by the sharing of expertise between partners. The authors affirm that collaboration between librarians and course faculty in the counseling and human services fields improves outcomes for connecting theory to practice. This is an important component of evidence-based practice to develop in students the essential dispositions of more mindful and ethical future human services professionals. Keywords: collaboration, information literacy, rehabilitation counseling, counseling and human services, Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, pedagogy, time, scaffolding, assignment design, reflection, expertise, librarian faculty status
Educators who teach information literacy aim for students to experience the value of targeted engagement with evidence in order to accomplish a meaningful learning activity. Collaboration between information literacy educators [...]