Information Fluency: Building a Tiered, Course-Integrated Program Across the College Curriculum: JCA's Program

At the request of Performing & Fine Arts Librarian, Sheri Stormes, JCA Dean Michael Sells appointed a JC(F)A Task Force on Information Literacy in March 2001.

It consisted of Owen Schaub,(Theatre); Rochelle Zide-Booth (Dance); Ann Savage (Telecommunication Arts); James Briscoe (Musicology); and Frank Felice (Music Composition).

The goals of the Task Force were to accomplish the following:

1) Determine what library/research/information literacy skills our students SHOULD be acquiring in the course of their undergraduate education;

2) Determine what skills should be learned/are needed at which levels/years of study;

3) Suggest various methods for teaching/reinforcing/testing these skills.

4) Identify appropriate courses in each of the JCFA disciplines in which it would be logical that these skill be taught; and

5) Encourage/convince/strong-arm our colleagues who teach these courses to make the teaching/learning of these skills a regular part of their curricula.

By graduation, the Butler University School of Music will prepare its students to demonstrate the following:

1. a broad knowledge of music, including its historical and cultural context.
2. a mastery of fundamental theoretical aspects of music.
3. technical and artistic skills appropriate to the area of applied study, including solo and collaborative music making.
4. the ability to gather, evaluate, and communicate musical information and ideas verbally and in writing.

First-Year/Sophomore (with emphasis on 1^st Year – effort to intro students to library at the beginning of their college years, even if only for a tour and some very basic info about resources and services)

• DA109: Professional Practices (Dance) – locations of dance resources, how to find videos and recordings and basic references (ballet plots)
• CL101: Computer Literacy and later, Music Theory (Music) - ceased
• ME101: Foundations in Music Education – music ed historyical timeline  - info about people, conferences, organizations, etc.
• Fundamentals of Chamber Music (ceased) – finding music for various instrument combos
• Voice Class (and a few instrumental classes) – finding scores, recordings, translations, IPA transcriptions
• TH113:  The Idea of the Theatre – finding biographical info, reviews, criticism
• PCA 225: Introduction to Theatrical Costuming – finding books, web sites on costuming
• PCA250: Masks
• Intro to Telecommunication Arts
• Intro to the Recording Industry

Junior/Senior – History courses which were writing-intensive were logical targets:

• Dance History
• Music History
• History of Theatre 3/Play Analysis/Dramatic Literature/Survey of Historical Costume
• Art History – made an appearance once; only 1 semester; not enough time for full-blown research
• (Didn’t work for T-Comm or Arts Administration) - Telecommunication Arts later became part of the College of Communication.