The didactic diamond - An information literacy model to explain the academic process in higher education.

The foundation for the Didactic Diamond was developed with students of the College of Health and Social Care at the University of Derby – in particular the Chesterfield Campus. A significant number of students are so-called atypical learners (ie. returners to education or non-traditional learners) which led to an identified need to provide more robust study skill guidance. Roberts and Ousey (2011) described "finding and using evidence" as the "bane of student life" in relation to student nurses. The Didactic Diamond seeks to ease this problem by introducing students to the process involved with producing good quality academic work. It is used to explain the process from understanding the question and choosing an appropriate topic; utilising information literacy to find appropriate sources; taking notes on the found evidence to gain critical understanding of the topic; using drafting techniques to improve the academic writing and ensuring that the original question is answered fully and critically by utilising the developed resources diligently. Feedback from students on the Didactic Diamond has been positive, the simple figure acts as a mnemonic and provides students with an introduction to the method with a means to remember which steps to take in their academic process. After utilising the Diamond in one-to-one sessions it has been developed into an Academic Writing session for the University Library’s Enhance Your Learning program and has been successfully delivered to a range of students from different cohorts. The Masterclass provides an opportunity to share the Didactic Diamond with a broader audience interested in Information Literacy and embedding Information Literacy in a broader procedural context.

The foundation for the Didactic Diamond was
developed with students of the College of
Health and Social Care at the University of
Derby – in particular the Chesterfield Campus.
A significant number of students are so-called
atypical learners (ie. returners to education or
non-traditional learners) which led to an
identified need to provide more robust study
skill guidance. Roberts and Ousey (2011)
described "finding and using evidence" as the
"bane of student life" in relation to student
nurses. The Didactic Diamond seeks to ease
this problem by introducing students to the
process involved with producing good quality
academic work. It is used to explain the
process from understanding the question and
choosing an appropriate topic; utilising
information literacy to find appropriate
sources; taking notes on the found evidence
to gain critical understanding of the topic;
using drafting techniques to improve the
academic writing and ensuring that the
original question is answered fully and
critically by utilising the developed resources
diligently. Feedback from students on the
Didactic Diamond has been positive, the
simple figure acts as a mnemonic and
provides students with an introduction to the
method with a means to remember which
steps to take in their academic process. After
utilising the Diamond in one-to-one sessions it
has been developed into an Academic Writing
session for the University Library’s Enhance
Your Learning program and has been
successfully delivered to a range of students
from different cohorts. The Masterclass
provides an opportunity to share the Didactic
Diamond with a broader audience interested
in Information Literacy and embedding
Information Literacy in a broader procedural
context.