Abstract:
Working with independent researchers, such as doctoral candidates, postdocs and early-career academics, represents an on-going challenge that academic libraries are facing. Understanding the researchers’ learning needs is critical for academic librarians to effectively provide information literacy instruction for this specific group of learners. This paper brings further insights into the information literacy pedagogy. Purpose: In order to ensure adequate peer-teaching support for library presenters and enable them to effectively address learning needs of doctoral candidates, the team-teaching pedagogy has been for the first time systematically applied in the Doctoral Skills Programme information literacy workshops at the University of Auckland at the beginning of 2014. This research study investigates how this shift in the pedagogical approach has affected both IL presenters and doctoral candidates in relation to the quality of their teaching and learning. Research design: The study involves a mixed-methods approach including two online surveys (one each for doctoral candidates and IL presenters) and two focus groups (one each for doctoral candidates (n=5) and IL presenters (n=5)). Findings: The findings reveal a slight imbalance between library presenters’ and doctoral candidates’ perspectives in relation to the applied pedagogy and suggest that team teaching can accommodate learning needs of doctoral candidates under the condition that it fosters both interactive (hands-on, experiential) and socially situated, collaborative peer-learning environment. Keywords: doctoral programme, team teaching, information literacy, pedagogy
