Abstract
During 2018-19 we participated in a national research project sponsored by Ithaka S & R. It is an exploratory study designed to understand the pedagogical practices of business instructors, learn about the degree to which business information fluency concepts are addressed in the curriculum, and determine how the libraries and other support providers on campus might improve services and resource availability to support teaching and learning. We interviewed 13 University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business (OCB) faculty members, using a semi-structured interview methodology and questionnaire provided by Ithaka. The interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and hand-coded by our research team to identify themes. Anonymized transcripts were also provided to Ithaka for analysis for the national study.
We identified 6 major themes in the areas of Business Course Content (what faculty teach), Information Literacy Instruction (what librarians teach), Student Learning and Assessment, Faculty Support Needs, Materials & Content, and Technology Needs. Our report explores and amplifies these themes. We conclude that OCB faculty are generally positive about support provided by the Libraries and STELAR Center; that more work is needed to raise awareness of library resources, content, and services; and that the Libraries should work with OCB faculty to support business information literacy goals, including the requirements of the new curriculum.