Given the networked nature of information environments and students’ demand for informal and personalized learning opportunities, institutions of higher education are starting to discuss and explore responsive models of teaching and learning. MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) have been cited as examples of addressing these demands. However, much of the hype around MOOCs ignores their connectivist origins and many applications are not founded in adaptive online pedagogies. Similarly, librarians have been occupied by questions of scalability, licensing and logistics, rather than conceptualizing new online learning opportunities through a lens of information literacy.The presenters propose a shift in how librarians approach these undefined intersections of online learning, decentralized knowledge and higher education. By engaging with e-learning theory and practice, they suggest that personal learning environments (PLEs), which create a space for learners to explore and participate in networked knowledge, provide a flexible way to meet these challenges. This approach also ensures conceptions of information literacy are at the heart of wider conversations around teaching and learning.In this presentation, attendees will explore how librarians can enact fundamental beliefs of information literacy through the design of PLE-based assignments. Attendees will be introduced to concepts and definitions of PLEs and their foundation in connectivist learning theory. Through a series of interactive exercises, attendees and presenters will explore examples of practical applications of PLEs designed to enhance information literacy education.
