Toward an Effective Framework to teach a Scholarly Communication Course in LIS Programs: A Comparative Study

Abstract:  The emergence of the Scholarly Communication Librarians (SCLs) within the academic library and their changing role from fostering research to become an influential factor in raising the research impact of universities has reshaped the interconnected relationship between SC and LIS education. This made it clear for LIS educators to improve LIS graduates’ skills for that role to serve the research community in all academic settings. Therefore, this study aims to explore SC course syllabi in 5 selected LIS schools in the Arab and non-Arab countries to identify SC teaching trends. The multiple case study method is used as well as the content analysis approach to analyze the SC courses syllabi. The selection was based on the course syllabus availability on the LIS school’s official website or in the program plan. The study also proposes an effective teaching framework to design SC course syllabus based on published literature, the study’s findings, the authors’ extensive experience in providing SC services as well as the gained experience in teaching the SC course. The study findings revealed that three out of five syllabi have “Scholarly communication” designations while one associated the SC with information metrics while one syllabus has a changing title each year associated with SC. There are four subject clusters identified in SC course description among all LIS schools. The study recommended the use of real-life situations, passionate teaching, and empathy mapping as innovative ways to enhance students’ engagement in SC course. The authors invite LIS educators to consider the proposed framework in this study as an inspiring guide when designing SC course syllabus.