The learning goals of the new Information Literacy Framework include a combination of two important elements: knowledge practices (the demonstrated ways in which learners can increase their understanding of the core concepts) and dispositions (the affects, attitudes, and values we bring to knowledge seeking and use). In our research, we focused on two frames: Authority Is Constructed and Contextual and Scholarship as Conversation.
Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
Authority Is Constructed and Contextual is the recognition that information may be presented formally or informally and through various media types, as well as that authority is based on the information needed and the context in which it is created (ACRL, 2015). Expert searchers approach authority with an attitude of informed skepticism and the recognition that biases exist that privilege some sources over others, especially in the areas of gender, sexual orientation, and cultural orientation.
Engaging in the knowledge practices defined under each section of the Framework paves the way for embodying the dispositions that prime our learners to successfully work in a global society. For example, practice in the Authority Is Constructed and Contextual frame allows for learners to become more comfortable having an openness to new ideas, perspectives and worldviews, the motivation to seek authority from nontraditional sources, and the recognition that frequent self-evaluation is necessary to carry out these dispositions. is frame is ideal to teach in the context of Wikipedia for two reasons: the neutrality pillar and the dynamic structure of Wikipedia’s platform.
Wikipedia has five pillars, or guidelines, that Wikipedia editors must adhere to. Here, we focus on the pillar “Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view” (“Wikipedia,” 2020a, para. 2). is pillar requires authors to maintain an objective stance and to include multiple points of view. Maintaining an objective stance was a novel and challenging experience for most of our learners, who were accustomed to writing thesis-driven essays. Neutrality (as Wikipedia labels it)
