Using Open Pedagogy to Engage LIS Students: A Case Study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION This case study describes the experimental use of open pedagogy to teach graduate-level library and information science (LIS) students in a newly developed course on international and comparative librarianship. Open pedagogy is the theory and practice of engaging students as creators of course content rather than requiring them to be consumers of it. In this case, students created an open textbook; each student authored a chapter about libraries and the field of librarianship in an assigned non-North American country. The textbook was developed under a Creative Commons license as an open educational resource (OER), allowing free use, remixing, and repurposing in future sections of the course or in similar courses offered in LIS programs at other institutions. METHOD The author used student perception data collected from a voluntary survey instrument and from a compulsory reflection paper assignment to assess the efficacy of implementing an open pedagogy framework in the course. RESULTS Collected data suggests the experiment produced results perceived by the majority of students as efficacious in the given context. DISCUSSION Students were enthusiastic in their embrace of creating renewable versus disposable coursework, and they expressed great satisfaction with the course outcomes of contributing to the professional literature, building the discipline’s nascent OER record, and having a publication to feature in their curricular and professional dossiers. CONCLUSIONS Massive shifts in teaching and learning demand radical transitions. Open pedagogy is a response to that demand that requires additional research and experimentation.