Q 2007 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION

Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 374380, 2007

Biotechnology Education
Engaging the Learner: Embedding Information Literacy
Skills into a Biotechnology Degree
Received for publication, April 25, 2007
Helena Ward and Julie Hockey
From the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, South Australia, Australia
and Academic Library Services, Division of Business, University of South Australia, South Australia, Australia

One of the challenges of the Biotechnology industry is keeping up to date with the rapid pace of change
and that much of the information, which students learn in their undergraduate studies, will be out of
date in a few years. It is therefore crucial that Biotechnology students have the skills to access the relevant information for their studies and critically evaluate the vast volume of information and its sources.
By developing information literacy skills, which are part of lifelong learning, Biotechnology graduates are
better prepared for their careers. Students also need to understand the issues related to the use of information such as social, political, ethical, and legal implications. This paper will outline the embedding of
information literacy skills within the Biotechnology degree at the University of South Australia. Examples
of specic activities and their link to assessment will be discussed.
Keywords: Information literacy, biotechnology education, lifelong learning, learning outcomes, collaborative
learning.
This article describes a project undertaken to embed the
development of information literacy into the three year
Bachelor of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
degree at the University of South Australia (UniSA). It was a
collaborative project between the authors, an academic and
liaison librarian. Information literacy encompasses the ability
to locate, retrieve, evaluate, manage, and use information
effectively and efciently. These skills are required to succeed academically and are transferable to the workplace
and across the lifespan. The project followed a review of the
degree which revealed a lack of developmental information
skills across the curriculum. The project was planned, developed, and implemented using The Australian and New
Zealand Information Literacy Framework: principles, standards and practice, 2nd ed. The Framework has been adapted
from the (US) Association of College and Research Libraries
Information literacy competency standards for higher education. The Framework provides standards and learning outcomes that can be used to shape information literacy education [1]. Over 30 Australian universities are using the Framework in varying degrees to facilitate the development of
information literacy skills across academic degrees. Invariably, the key to success has been when curriculum developers, study advisers, and librarians work collaboratively.

THE BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

The modern biotechnology industry began in 1976

with the formation of Genentech by Robert Swanson and

Herbert Boyer in the US [2]. It has now developed into a

global industry, which is worth more than US$41 billion
and includes over 4,000 biotechnology and associated
companies [3]. One of the challenges in this rapidly growing industry is being able to keep up to date with the ever
increasing volume of information and knowing how to
access the appropriate information. The major information
sources include articles published in peer reviewed journals
and patents. As an example of the growth in biotechnology
information, the number of biotechnology patents published
increased from 2,160 in 1989 to 7,763 in 2002 [3].
It is crucial that biotechnology students are able to
access the relevant information for their studies and can
critically evaluate information and its sources. Information
literacy is part of lifelong learning and prepares biotechnology graduates for their careers. For example, the past decade has seen an explosion of information in the form of the
Human Genome Project as well as new techniques such as
micro-array analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Students therefore need to develop information literacy skills to access, evaluate, and manage the vast volume
of information and apply it to their studies and later on to
their professional life whether it be a career in research or in
the commercial sector of biotechnology. They need to be
able to use information effectively to create new knowledge, solve problems, make decisions and understand
social, political, ethical, and legal issues. Thus, they need
to be able to demonstrate that they are information literate.
INFORMATION LITERACY

} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:

helena.ward@unisa.edu.au.
DOI 10.1002/bambed.79

The curricula in many Australian universities are designed around a series of graduate qualities or attributes,

374

This paper is available on line at http://www.bambed.org

375
such as lifelong learning. These generic attributes are
becoming a common prerequisite to graduation from
many universities and collaboration between professional
staff such as academics and librarians plays a crucial
role in allowing for their development. UniSAs teaching
and learning strategy is based around the concepts of
student centered learning, graduate qualities, and exible
delivery. At UniSA these graduate qualities are embedded in the curriculum development of all programs with
the objective of developing in students a unique set of
attributes that employers look for. These are the ability to
become effective problem solvers and excellent communicators, knowledgeable individuals who can work collaboratively and autonomously, and employees with an
international perspective and a commitment to ethical
action and lifelong learning. Information literacy is thus a
key component of lifelong learning [4].
Information literacy needs to be owned by all educators [5]. One of the reasons for this is the changes occurring in the higher education sector. Higher education in
Australia has undergone major changes in its educational
systems and structures partly due to the shift from elite to
mass participation in education, the merger, and amalgamation of institutions, changing funding relationships and
external involvement in the policies and practices of institutions [6]. Increasingly the role of the academic library is
being re-examined in this context. There are a number of
major factors, which will impact on how information literacy is advanced within the higher education sector in
Australia. These include the use of information and communications technology, accountability and performance
measurement, the scholarship of teaching and educational imperatives such as the diversity of the student
population and emphasis on generic capabilities [7].
The authors believe that the skills and concepts associated with information literacy should be an integral part of
the curriculum, not isolated from it. By embedding these
into an academic degree, students are developing skills
by engaging with the curriculum. This should be done at
the curriculum level, encompassing the objectives, learning outcomes, and assessment tasks. The Queensland
University of Technology (QUT) Library has developed a
series of tools (QUT Information Literacy Framework and
Syllabus ILF&S)) to assist in the development of information literacy initiatives, which are based around learning
outcomes, curriculum development, and assessment [8].
The authors used these tools to assist in this project.
THE BIOTECHNOLOGY DEGREE

The rationale for this project followed a review of the

degree, which highlighted a lack of information literacy
related activities and resources across the entire curriculum. Although a communication subject was run in the
rst year of the degree (and there were information literacy components included) this subject was common to
three other degrees. This meant that the support developed or intervention was generic. The authors interpretation of intervention in the context of this paper is the
development of resources (such as learning activities,
assessment tasks, online help, and case studies) to sup-

port delivery and evaluation of curriculum pertaining to

information literacy.
There was also no other support developed across the
degree and this was evident in the general quality of students assignments, which reected poor use and understanding of the scientic literature. The decision was
made to set up a separate rst year biotechnology communication course, which encompassed communication
skills and professional issues of direct relevance to that
profession.
The UniSA Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
degree is assessed via a mix of exams, laboratory tasks,
written assignments and reports, online discussion,
group and individual oral presentations, and participation.
For this project we focused on those subjects with a
high component of written assignments and reports that
required literature searching. We also identied some
subjects with less emphasis on written assignments that
would also benet from intervention but these were outside the scope of this project.
The aim of this project was to embed incremental skill
development within the identied subjects across the
degree. This was to be achieved via different modes of
delivery such as face to face and online workshops,
lectures and self paced generic modules to allow for varied learning styles. By linking the development of information literacy skills to assessment tasks, the learning process was seamless and was placed within the context of
what students were learning. Though these skills were
learnt from completing specic assignments they could
then be applied to other subjects, where there was no
direct intervention. However, sometimes skills needed to
be reinforced or revised, but at a different intensity and
within a framework of reection and evaluation. For example, it was preferable to offer support for those complex
assignments where students were expected to write
papers based on comprehensive literature searches. Other
minor assignments did not require such in depth support
provided students applied the skills they learnt from previous tasks. In cases such as these it required reinforcing
the level of skills required to complete the task.
THE PROJECT METHODOLOGY

The process involved a number of distinct stages and

used the tools developed by the QUT Library to assist in
mapping learning outcomes.
The three year degree was examined against the information literacy framework to determine the expected
generic level of prociency required to perform any given
task for each year of the degree (Table I). The prociency
levels as dened by QUT are elementary, procient, and
advanced (Table II). The natural progression is from elementary to advanced; however, there will be some skills
not required for particular tasks and occasions when the
student is not expected to develop beyond elementary
or procient. For example, academic staff expected that
for the Information Literacy outcome construction and
implementation of effective search strategies students
would need to develop skills from elementary in year one
through to procient in year two and advanced by year

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BAMBED, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 374380, 2007

TABLE I
Mapping of the biotechnology degree

Standard

Outcomes

Acquisition
Developmental

The information literate person:

No.
1

The information literate

person recognises
the need for
information and determines
the nature and
extent of the
information needed.
The information
literate person
nds needed
information effectively
and efciently.

1.1

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Consequential

Attitudinal

Denes and articulates the need for information

1.2

Developmental

Understands the purpose, scope and

appropriateness of a variety of information
1.3
Re-evaluates the nature and
extent of the information need
1.4 Uses diverse sources of information to inform decisions

Developmental

2.1

Developmental

Developmental
Consequential

2.2

Selects the most appropriate methods or

tools for nding information
Constructs and implements effective search strategies

Developmental

2.3

Retrieves information using a variety of methods

Developmental

The table shows an example of the IL mapping process for the three year UniSA Biotechnology Degree. Each IL Standard (column 1) has
a number of Outcomes (column 2). The prociency levels and acquisition types needed for the various IL outcomes were mapped by the
authors. The horizontal hatching represents an Elementary level, the black sections Procient, and the vertical hatching Advanced (as
shown in the key below). Column 4 shows the acquisition level, which describes the type of intervention used to achieve the prociency
level (the acquisition levels are described in more detail in Table II). The acquisition level for each outcome was determined and this
was used to design the type of intervention. Adapted from Queensland University of Technology, QUT Information literacy framework and
syllabus [9].

TABLE II
Prociency levels and acquisitions types [9, 10]
Prociency Levels
Elementary
Procient
Advanced

Acquisition types
Developmental
Consequential
Attitudinal

The student has a basic understanding of the concepts associated with

this task and can perform most of the relevant skills with little or no guidance.
The student understands all of the concepts associated with this task,
can demonstrate mastery of all the relevant skills, and apply them with no guidance.
The student exhibits a thorough understanding of all the concepts associated
with this task, understands the contexts within which they apply, and can perform
all relevant skills independently and at the highest level across a range of contexts
Task-specic skills requiring direct and planned intervention
Secondary-level skills learnt as a result, or consequence, of direct and planned intervention
Knowledge and concepts which underpin task-specic and secondary skills
development that develop over time and with experience

This table forms part of the QUT IL mapping tools as described in the text. These were used in the UniSA mapping project.

three. However, students would not be expected to develop beyond procient for the information literacy outcome of uses diverse sources of information to inform

decisions (Table I). These were decisions made by the

academics based on their expectations of students skill
development.

377
The next stage of the process involved examining the
degree at the subject level. Subjects were identied across
the degree where the assessment required students to
locate information such as written assignments, case studies, and industry proles. We then determined whether or
not intervention was required for these subjects.
Assignments from four subjects were checked against
the Information Literacy standards to determine whether
the outcomes associated with each standard were
required for it to be completed successfully. For example, one of the outcomes is the ability to understand the
purpose, scope and appropriateness of a variety of information sources [1]. If this outcome was expected as part
of the assessment, then the next stage was to determine
the level of prociency required to achieve that outcome.
The level of prociency required varied between assessment and year. The next stage required determining how
the students were going to acquire the required skills.
QUT uses three levels of skill acquisition: developmental,
consequential, and attitudinal (Table II).
If the skill acquisition type was identied as either developmental or consequential then intervention was
required in order for those assessment tasks to be completed. The type of intervention varied between specic
online or face to face workshops, lectures, and generic
online workshops. This enabled us to embed the appropriate learning resources into the curriculum.
One of the key elements of UniSAs approach to teaching and learning is a commitment to student centered
learning, which fosters learning rather than teaching. Student centered learning is based on the constructivist
theory where students have access to learning opportunities and control over learning processes [11]. It is also
widely recognized in the literature that there are a variety
of learning approaches. Biggs [11, 12] has dened three
approaches to learning: surface, deep and achieving. By
being aware of different learning styles, resources can be
designed to meet the different needs of learners.
The Australian National Training Authority [13] lists four
common learning styles that have been identied among
people who are studying. These styles can be categorized
into those learners who prefer to gather information and listen (why should I learn this?), learners who prefer to organize their information and think about it (what should I
learn?), learners who prefer to integrate theory with practice
(how should I learn it?), and learners who prefer to learn
through experience (what if?).
The process of learning requires a exible approach and
various strategies can be applied to different subjects or
within subjects and at varying times within subjects [14].
IMPLEMENTATION

Implementation involved working with the relevant subject coordinators across the four subjects to integrate
learning resources. In some cases new resources were
created (Fig. 1) and where appropriate, existing ones
were used. The UniSA Library had developed a number
of generic online workshops that reect the principles,
standards and practice that are outlined in the Australian
and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework. These

range from the UniSA Librarys generic online information

literacy tutorial InfoGate [15] to subject and assignment
specic workshops developed with subject coordinators
and study advisers. Each module of InfoGate has a pre
and post exercise which tests students knowledge of
particular aspects of the information seeking process.
Other generic resources include those created by study
advisers such as writing, referencing and guides to
avoiding plagiarism.
Intervention was embedded seamlessly across the
entire degree. The rst year subject, Communication in
Biosciences required a surface level of resource and
support development as students were given a short
essay to research and write. They were also questioned
about the process of searching for and locating information from a university library. To help them understand
this practice, a lecture was given to introduce them to
the skills required for university studies.
One of the subjects identied for intervention in the
second year of the degree was Bioethics, which was
delivered entirely online. This subject covered topics
such as the philosophy of science and bioethics, the
moral and ethical issues in research and genetic privacy.
Students were asked to choose one of ve statements
provided to them and write a position paper of approximately 1,500 words. The support developed to assist
them in this task was an online workshop embedded in
the course. Students were shown how to identify concepts, develop search strategies, determine the amount
and type of information needed and locate, and use specic resources such as databases, journals, and internet.
They were taken through the entire process of locating
and evaluating the information they nd.
One example of the statements was Transgenic animals should be used for research into the treatment of
diseases. The following is a summary of the online support provided. The students were provided with the main
concepts for the statement, i.e., Transgenic animals, genetically modied animals, advantages, benets, ethics,
research, diseases. The students were then advised that
they could combine terms such as transgenic animals
and ethics to search databases to nd more information
on the topic. The use of quality and up-to-date information sources such as academic databases and peer
reviewed journals was emphasized.
While this illustrates how to search for information
using keywords for one topic, the process of searching is
applicable across all areas. The information literacy skills
developed in this assignment were based around the
need to construct and implement effective search strategies and use appropriate information sources.
Figure 1 shows the search statement described above
in the key database, Medline. It illustrates how the keywords developed earlier on in the process form the basis
of a search strategy. Emphasis is also given to the importance of establishing effective search statements using
the Boolean operators AND and OR. Where possible, students were also offered alternative learning pathways. For
example, with the concept of database searching, students could either work through the online workshop or
link to a series of videos, which demonstrate these skills.

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BAMBED, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 374380, 2007

FIG. 1. Online learning resource: searching a database. An example of the support provided to students in the Bioethics subject. As the subject is delivered entirely online, the support for assignments is provided as part of the online course environment.
The use of quality information sources such as Medline is encouraged by providing examples of keyword searches directly related
to the assessment tasks.

The videos were created using the CaptureCAM-PRO

software, which is a PC screen and sound recording
degree [16]. Alternative approaches to teaching and learning such as using information and communication technologies (ICT) is driven by UniSAs teaching and learning
strategy to provide student centered approaches and a
exible and quality learning environment. This fosters student access to and control of their learning processes.
Other drivers inuencing curriculum delivery are increasing
student numbers and the internationalization of degrees.
These are challenges facing many universities today.
By third year students were given complex, research
based assignments and were expected to demonstrate
advanced research skills. For example, in the third year
subject Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, students had to
write a 2,000 word overview of the development and clinical use of a biotechnology product, such as recombinant
insulin. They were required to search the literature widely
and to attach their search strategy to their assignment. As
they were assessed on the breadth of referenced material
this gave them the incentive to develop the skills to search
the literature widely and effectively. The support given for
this subject was an interactive lecture based around the
assignment task where the librarian was assigned a
product and demonstrated the process of searching for
information using academic sources (such as databases
to locate quality journals) and techniques to evaluate the
information found. The information literacy skills developed in this assignment were based around the need to
identify and evaluate information and its sources.
The nal subject identied for intervention was another
third year subject, Commercialization of biotechnology,
where students were introduced to concepts such as intellectual property (patents), company proles and stock
exchanges. As more advanced search skills and knowledge of a wider range of information sources were

required to complete the assignment it was decided that

face to face workshops would be the best form of intervention. Students attended the workshops in computer
pools in tutorial time and were given the opportunity to
test their newly learnt skills in the session with professional help at hand.
OFFSHORE TWINNING DEGREE

The Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

Degree at UniSA included a twinning Degree with the
Sepang Institute of Technology International College (SIT)
in Malaysia. Students studied the rst year of the degree
at SIT and then transferred to UniSA to complete their
studies. This raised the challenge of providing equivalent
resources and activities to the students located offshore.
The Information Literacy mapping project included specic initiatives developed for the SIT Biotechnology students such as visits to SIT by academic and Library staff
and the provision of face-to-face and online research
skills workshops linked to specic assignments. When
the students transferred to Adelaide they were provided
with refresher workshops to revise these skills and
introduce them to the facilities and resources at UniSA.
OUTCOMES

Learning objectives were measured by assignments

and activities which tested students knowledge of what
they learnt. This included requiring students to document
their research process, including the search strategies
and databases used. This provided valuable information
for subject coordinators when assessing assignments. In
particular, it allowed them to identify difculties and provide feedback and early intervention. For example, a
poorly written essay may reect a fundamental problem

379
with the research strategy and range of sources used.
Initial feedback from students indicated that they found
the lectures and associated resources given on search
strategies to be extremely useful when researching for
their assignments.
Focus groups were conducted with students to analyze the outcomes of the Information Literacy Interventions described in the Communication of Biosciences
subject. These were conducted by an independent facilitator and included one group of students who had
recently completed the subject and a second group who
studied Communication in Biosciences before the interventions were introduced. The questions included:
Did Communication in Biosciences help you:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Develop referencing skills?

Understand search strategies?
Efciently use library resources?
Learn about plagiarism?
Provide you with resources to help with assignments?
6. Understand the importance of using quality sources of information?
The results from the focus groups showed that students who had experienced the various IL activities and
tasks in their subject had an appreciation of these various issues.
Examples of student comments are shown below:
Very good to have awareness of quality issues raised.
So that students do not think information is of equal
validity everywhere e.g. newspapers vs. refereed
publications.
Has been very useful subject re-future subjects especially learning how to reference properly.
Good to be oriented to biotech journals.
People were very glad to have been taught how to
summarize articles and pull out key words.
The students who had not experienced the IL interventions had less understanding of the quality of information and the efcient use of library resources. A typical comment from one of these students is shown
below.
In rst year it is hard to understand what is quality
and also because of time pressures many students
just go to the internet and nd on-line articles that
quote journal articles and then cite these journal
articles.
Another evaluation consisted of surveying rst year
students after a workshop on nding quality information
sources for an essay by library and academic staff. They
were asked open ended questions in a written survey
about what they learnt from the workshop. The results,
from a total of 35 students, showed that 45% of students
stated that they learnt how to use library resources such
as the catalogue and databases. The development of
research skills was mentioned by 34% of students and
the use of quality information by 8%. One fth of the students wrote that they had learnt skills that would specically help them complete their assignment.

Another outcome of this project was the development of

a resources portfolio by students. This is an on-going initiative aimed at encouraging students to take responsibility
for their own graduate outcomes by keeping a portfolio to
illustrate their skills and achievements. The students were
encouraged to present examples of their subject work
such as essays, group assignments, industry case studies, company proles, and stock exchange analyses in a
portfolio. They were also encouraged to keep a reective
journal, where they documented the graduate qualities
they developed. The journal encouraged students to
reect on their learning experiences, both positive and
negative and the development of their skills.
Finally, the authors believe this project has resulted in
incremental development of information literacy skills
from basic to advanced across the three year degree. By
completion of their degree all students have had the opportunity to develop skills in identifying information
needs, locating, retrieving and evaluating information and
using it to synthesize ideas. These are skills that have
ideally prepared them for lifelong learning which can be
transferred to the workplace. The next logical phase of
this project would be to asses the information literacy
skills of biotechnology graduates in the workplace.
CONCLUSION

As the higher education environment is a dynamic one,

it requires various teaching approaches to allow for different learning styles and to encourage student control
over the learning process. The authors discovered that
for information literacy skills to be embedded into the
curriculum the collaboration of all stakeholders (academics, librarians, and study advisers) is required. This is
supported in the literature where it has been argued that
collaboration is the key to curriculum alignment [17] and
to the successful integration of information literacy into
the educational process [18]. These stakeholders can
work together to design assignments and activities,
which develop research skills. The type of assessment
will determine information literacy requirements and interventions; however, the strategies and resources described in
this paper can be applied to other university degrees.
This project has enhanced the learning experience for
students by actively engaging them in the educational
process and leads into future studies to ascertain the
application of graduate qualities in the workplace.
Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Irene
Doskatsch (Deputy Director, Library Services at UniSA) for her
valuable input to this project.
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[12] J. Biggs (2003) Teaching for Quality Learning at University, 2nd ed.,
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