A Narrative Account of Creating LIS 101 (and some quick takeaways)
–Librarian Nicholas Lim assisted in the creation of this narrative
In January 2012, ten librarians representing all seven colleges in our district came together to form the Information Literacy Task Force. Our goal was to create a credit-bearing information literacy course. After much discussion, the task force decided to create 1 hour credit course and begin the institutional course creation process. The process was a long, step-by-step process involving all seven library departments, a local curriculum committee, a local faculty council, a district curriculum committee, Vice Presidents from each school, and the Provost of the district.
The Takeaway: It takes a lot of people to make a course like this happen, but it is doable as long as you have a plan and get the right people interested and involved! At schools where there is only one campus, it will most likely involve fewer steps.
As we were going through the process, we realized that our original 1 credit hour course would need to be a three credit hour course. Many faculty felt that based on the information on the master syllabus of Library and Information Science 101 (LIS 101), the course would require at least three credit hours.
The Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to revise your original plan after you get started!
The PAC process began in March 2012 and the course was approved by Illinois Community College Board in September of 2012. With the approval by the ICCB, we were able to secure Form 13s from five institutions promising our students would receive credits when they transfer to their institutions. Also, the task force sought out IAI approval. However, because IAI did not have a logical home to house Library and Information Science courses, it was ultimately declined. The panel members have had much discussion how to handle this new course but without any resolutions. Our strategy now is trying to obtain as many form 13s as possible from 4 year institutions and perhaps revisit the IAI issue again later.
The Takeaway: After you course is created and goes through acceptance at your campus, you must send it to your regional board for their approval. Once you have that, you can approach schools that your students transfer to and secure Form 13s, which are agreements that they will accept your course for transfer credit.
