Editorial.

Collaboration is a broad and often-used term in the field of academia. Academic Exchange Quarterly, in fact, describes itself as a collaborative effort of educators from all over the world." Simply defined, collaboration occurs when multiple individuals "work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort" (www.dictionary.com). In discussing what topics of focus would be appropriate for an upcoming volume of AEQ, the issues involved related to collaboration appeared relevant for a wide range of readers. After publicizing this themed volume, we were delighted to see, from the numerous inquiries and submissions we received, that this is indeed an topic of interest to many, especially in the area of teacher education.

This issue on Collaboration and Consultation was authored by professors, librarians, graduate students, principals, teachers, and project coordinators who collectively represent 24 states, as well as Spain, Hungary, Israel, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The breadth of experience and depth of knowledge by these authors is evident in each of the following articles. Because of the expansive nature of the concept "collaboration," the topics involved range greatly. Numerous authors championed the need for collaboration in various aspects of redesigning teacher education programs at the university level, while a few cautioned readers not to jump too quickly or blindly onto the 'collaboration bandwagon.'

The issue of collaboration has impacted the core of teacher education, requiting many universities to rethink the design of their preparatory programs. Some authors focus on specific areas of teacher preparation. For example, Gina Barclay-McLaughlin and Susan Benner of the University of Tennessee concentrate on how collaboration during teacher preparation programs with schools can help to foster improved literacy outcomes, while Jane Williams (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) and colleagues relate a process which uses Professional Development Schools to better prepare special education teachers. Other authors focus on describing programs that have identified ways in which collaborative activities can be infused in the teacher preparation program in general. These include Judy Lombardi, David Kretschmer, and Nancy Burstein from California State University, Northridge who describe the Accelerated Collaborative Teaching (ACT) program, and Mary Kremer of Dominican University who discusses how university faculty can learn from their students and use that assessment data to guide course design. As with any initiative, trend, or program, it is incumbent on educated persons to review all aspects of the movement. Thus, some authors provide cautions for adopting wide-sweeping acceptance of collaborative practices. Andria Young, University of Houston-Victoria, clarifies that not all collaborative activities between K-12 schools and universities are easily accomplished, as Emiliano C. Ayala and Mary Dingle of Sonoma State University question those who use a "one-size-fits-all" approach to working with diverse families during teaming situations. Finally, we offer many other articles in this issue which are equally compelling but are not related to the topic of collaboration. These include, among others, Enticing faculty to library instruction, Emerging themes in community-based learning, An organizational framework for evaluating online courses and even Improving student attendance.

The opportunities for learning through this volume of Academic Exchange Quarterly are many. We believe there is much we can learn from one another and that this type of collaborative inquiry, dissemination, and sharing is truly beneficial. We hope you thoroughly enjoy this volume of Academic Exchange Quarterly.

Tamarah M. Ashton, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, California State University, Northridge

Melinda R. Pierson, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, California State University, Fullerton 

Wendy W. Murawski, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, California State University, Northridge

A classic definition of information competence (often called information literacy) describes it as "the ability to know when there is a need for information, [and the ability] to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand." [1] Information-competence instruction is more than just learning computer or library-research skills. It involves a deeper understanding of where information comes from, how to find it, how to judge its quality and usefulness, and, ultimately, how to use the retrieved information effectively. In an academic context, information competence focuses on information-seeking skills related to course assignments and research. Because it is so fundamental to critical thinking and problem solving, information competence has become a fundamental element in a complete education. [2] For academic librarians and classroom instructors, there is an imperative to help students to become information literate. But what does this mean in practice? The answer lies not only in how information competence is taught, but also to whom it is taught.

Though the general set of competencies is quite broad in their interpretation, information competence is not one size fits all. Indeed, academic librarians are increasingly instructing targeted groups, such as freshmen, international or graduate students, faculty, and even administrators. This targeted approach often makes it simpler to make contact with and schedule classes for established groups. More importantly, these targeted groups share a common academic or social focus, allowing for more relevant and specific instruction. At the same time, however, each targeted group is far from homogenous because of individual diversity in expectations about libraries and in information-seeking experiences.

Among the many groups that academic librarians target for information competence instruction, optimal groups are new students and faculty. On the one hand, new students, whether they are freshmen, transfer students, or graduate students, are entering a new higher-education environment and are more likely to need information-competence instruction as well as to be receptive to it. On the other hand, classroom faculty are in an ideal position to integrate information-competence learning into their courses and thus need to be given tools and knowledge with which to work. Furthermore, classroom faculty themselves are often unfamiliar with the nature of contemporary information resources or with their students' possible lack of knowledge about research in the library or on the Web. Information competence instruction that introduces resources and techniques for research, as well as strategies for understanding and evaluating information, will go a long way toward allowing students and faculty to share a balanced and critical view of information and its sources.

How can we develop instruction programs that will address the shared needs of particular groups and the diverse needs of individuals? What assessment tools are available to measure the success of such programs? How can we identify constituencies being underserved? In this issue Fall issue of Academic Exchange Quarterly are articles focusing on such diverse aspects of information competence as encouraging faculty to become more at ease with electronic resources, creating collaborative teaching projects, coping with problems presented by students who lack necessary skills, and meeting the challenges of students in a specific discipline. The approaches outlined in these articles should be helpful both to librarians and teaching faculty. For additional articles be sure to check Winter issue as well ...

References

[1] National Forum on Information Literacy. Accessed July 29, 2003. <http://infolit.org>.

[2] Sellen, Mary K. Information Literacy in the General Education: A New Requirement for the 21st Century. The Journal of General Education 51 (2), p. 116. (115-126)

Mariana Regalado

Brooklyn College, NY

Michael Adams 

City University of New York Graduate Center