Human Resources
Human Resources
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Information & Information Technology LiteracyA Guide for Supervisors & Selection Committee MembersThis Guide has been developed to support supervisors and selection committee members who are recruiting or working with new staff. It will assist you in preparing Position Descriptions, selection criteria and interview questions to enable you to prepare to recruit staff with information and IT literacy skills. It will also assist in inducting new staff to our information rich environment at the ANU. The Guide has been produced by the Human Resources Division with the support of the Information Literacy Program Steering Committee and a project team of academic and general staff from across the campus.
Additional Resources:
How to use this GuideThis Guide has been developed to support supervisors and selection committee members who are recruiting or working with new staff. As the Australian National University (ANU) is an information rich environment, new staff members need to have, or quickly gain, the skills to access, critically evaluate and manipulate or use information from a variety of sources. This Guide will give you information and support to:
There is no requirement that this Guide be used. It has been provided to assist relevant staff in making an accurate assessment of the information and IT literacy skills of new staff. Advice for Heads of Areas on promoting this GuideDeans, Directors and Heads of Areas are encouraged to promote this Guide to heads of department and staff members with recruitment responsibilities. Recruiting staff with the necessary skills to effectively operate in the University environment has positive implications for training budgets and for staff productivity. Where staff members with recruitment responsibilities choose not to verify Information and IT literacy skills of candidates, training, during the probationary period, may need to be scheduled for the successful candidate. A Review of Information and IT Literacy at ANUA comprehensive assessment of what Information and IT literacy skills are needed by staff of the University was undertaken during 2002. New staff and supervisors across the University assisted the process by responding to surveys and individual interviews that sought information on the skills staff members need to effectively operate in the University's information rich environment. A summary of the results of this review is available by clicking here. What is Information and IT Literacy?Information literacy refers to the skills and knowledge that enable people to 'recognise when information is needed and have the capacity to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information' (Council for Australian University Librarians, 2002). Information literacy includes library research skills and information technology skills. The ultimate aim of information literacy is to develop lifelong learning and critical thinking. Information technology literacy 'requires that persons understand information technology broadly enough to be able to apply it productively at work and in their everyday lives, to recognize when information technology would assist or impede the achievement of a goal, to see opportunities for the use of IT and to continually adapt to the changes and advancements in it.' (The First Step Forward, John Winship, IT Literacy Policy Project, Council for Australian University Librarians 2001.) In the University context, much of our work is undertaken using technology as the access or support mechanism. This means that staff need IT skills to access and present information they have gathered and evaluated. The table below may give you more of an idea of the concepts and how they differ. Information and IT skills
Information and IT literacy - the need in our UniversityInformation and IT literacy is increasingly important because of proliferating information access and more diverse and abundant choices of information available. In addition, information is required to flow electronically through an ever-widening number of organisations such as government, community groups, manufacturers and service providers, media, libraries, and the Internet. Our University operates as part of this information rich environment and recognises that our major communications, processes and interactions are through electronic media. Consequently, we need staff members who have or are developing good Information and IT literacy skills. The University has invested considerable resources towards this endeavour through a campus-wide Information Literacy Program (ILP) for students and staff. See http://ilp.anu.edu.au/. This Guide will further support our goals for a strong information literate community by assisting supervisors and selection committees in considering these skills when recruiting and selecting new staff. Part 1: Recruitment and selection of information literate staff
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| Statement | Specific Skill |
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Under general direction Prepare routine correspondence for the section utilising appropriate university systems. |
Use a desktop computer Communicate clearly and write in a style suitable for the audience Create and use word-processed documents |
| OR | |
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Under broad direction Undertake information searches from appropriate sources for use in newsletters and occasional papers. |
Use a desktop computer Explore general information sources to increase familiarity with the topic Define or modify the information need to achieve a manageable focus |
| OR | |
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Under general direction Be responsible for the oversight of section budgets, including reporting on expenditure and commitments. |
Ability to analyse and critically evaluate information Assess the quality, quantity and relevance of information Create and use tables and spreadsheets Use PeopleSoft Financials (specialist software) |
Further examples are also available from http://ilp.anu.edu.au/Infolit_standards_2001.html
http://www.caudit.edu.au/caudit/information/projects/itlit_2001.html
As you can see, the role statement reflects what the area needs the incumbent to do. As the role statement is being written, the responsible officer is considering what skills the occupant will need to have to be effective in the position.
Academic Staff Position Classification Standards have already been developed and as such you will not need to develop a role statement. The Standards however, contain a number of references to information literacy skills. When considering academic appointments these can be used to refine selection criteria, prompt selection questions or merely to assist in planning what the new academic staff member will be required to do in their role. These standards can be found at:
http://www.anu.edu.au/hr/eb/easched1classifstand-a.html
For an example of a position classification standard that has information literacy skills embedded click here.
Selection criteria specify the qualifications, knowledge and experience, personal qualities and any leadership skills that a successful candidate will require to perform the duties of the position as set down in the role statement. If the criteria are clear, precise and accurate, the potential for selecting the best person for the job should be enhanced.
Selection criteria have a number of purposes. They assist the recruitment and selection process by:
Staff members of the University need a range of skills and knowledge to perform their duties (e.g. work specific skills, communication skills, ability to work with others, ability to lead others). In the area of Information and IT literacy, as with other functions, the level and complexity of skills varies. Some may only need elementary skills in seeking and manipulating basic information, accessing e-mails and general word processing. Others will need more complex and higher levels of Information and IT literacy, particularly if they are required to search for, manipulate, evaluate and present complex information and/or data.
When writing selection criteria we are exploring the 'how' of the responsibilities we wrote in the role statement.
To develop selection criteria for Information and IT literacy take the following steps:
| Step 1 | Determine the Information and IT literacy skills that the incumbent of the position will need to be able to effectively fulfil the duties by looking through the skills (and performance criteria) here. |
| Step 2 | Match the information and IT literacy skills chosen from the list of skills listed here to the Information and IT literacy duties of the position as specified in the role statement. |
| Step 3 | Create selection criteria using the words of the relevant skills and add these to the full list of criteria. |
| Step 4 |
Cross check with the classification standards to ensure the appropriate qualification, experience and supervision level have been met. Academic classification standards: http://www.anu.edu.au/hr/eb/easched1classifstand-a.html General classification standards: http://www.anu.edu.au/hr/eb/easched2classifstand-g.html |
Note: Selection criteria for Information and IT literacy skills only have been included. If you require help writing selection criteria for other work functions, please contact the recruitment staff in your local business office in the first instance or the central recruitment staff in the Human Resources (HR) Division.
Some examples:
Example 1: Criteria that include information and IT literacy for an administrative assistant: click here
Example 2: Criteria that include information and IT literacy for a research assistant: click here
The Information and IT Literacy Skills for staff of the ANU document has been developed as a base for the University. As Information and IT literacy skills are complex those listed will not, in all cases, meet the needs of staff developing more complex criteria for selection.
For example, a candidate may need to utilise specific software packages or demonstrate high level skills in managing information technology. When writing additional skills where possible, they should closely reflect the skills in Appendix A so that the performance criteria will act as a useful guide to assist you in determining if the candidate has the necessary experience.
Some examples:
Sources for additional skills
Additional sources and/or inspirations for skills in this area can be gleaned from:
The interview process is used to test whether a candidate can effectively perform the functions of the position. This gives us two basic questions that we will want answered:
1. Can this person do the job?
This question is about qualifications, skills, experience, track record and achievements. It is about whether the applicant has the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job to the standard required and how quickly they will be able to make a contribution.
Questions that also apply to other skills areas can readily be shaped to elicit Information and IT literacy skills and experience. See examples.
The end part of any of these questions can be based on the skills listed here or other required Information and IT literacy skill sets. See examples.
2. Will this person do the job?
The second question is about things like motivation and commitment, the applicant's approach to work — the things that make the difference between excellent work performance and just doing the job. Although the best source of this information can be well asked referee questions, at interview you can ask things such as:
How would you describe your approach to using information technology to support your work?
Examples of the types of responses should include details such as:
In a general sense, it is a good idea for the selection committee to have decided what type of information they are seeking from each question. This provides a starting point for ranking candidates and ensures that members have a common understanding of the skills and experience that is being sought.
Other ways of eliciting verification of Information and IT literacy skills may include use of open-ended questions. These may also be used as follow-up questions to the type described previously. They have been written in a way to elicit as much information about knowledge and skills as possible. See examples.
Skills-based testing is not new, but it has grown considerably from the days when organisations needed to know how many words per minute an applicant could type. Computers, software applications and the Internet changed the face of offices, workshops and laboratories and, at the same time, raised the bar for employee skills. However, that same technology has increased the effectiveness and reliability of skills-based assessment tools.
Testing can be as simple as asking the candidates to demonstrate a pre-prepared exercise that would be typical in your area. There are also a number of testing packages available as well as commercial recruitment agencies who will pre-test candidates. Such tests may include:
Further information on testing is documented here.
Reference checks are an important component of the selection process and are most helpful in eliciting information about a candidate's Information and IT literacy skills.
Written or oral referee checking is designed to seek employment related information about a candidate from present or past supervisors or other people with a direct personal knowledge of the candidate's work performance. Where possible, it is preferable that the most recent, direct supervisor is nominated as one of the referees.
When checking for Information and IT literacy skills and experience, you may want to ask referees similar questions to those you asked the candidate. See examples.
At the ANU, we use the merit principle to determine a fair and transparent assessment process based on natural justice, good human resource management practices and the correct conduct of all involved in the process.
The recruitment, selection and appointment process is chosen to suit the circumstances of the vacancy and the environment in which it operates and is carried out by a Selection Committee. The Selection Committee is responsible for conducting the processes, and ensuring the most meritorious outcome that will withstand scrutiny.
Merit in the recruitment, selection and appointment process includes the following steps:
When the Selection Committee has gathered sufficient information, they evaluate the evidence to determine who, in their judgement, has established the greatest capacity to do the job. The merit principle is used to ensure that discrimination is avoided.
The induction process for Information and IT literacy will be strongly influenced by the duties of the position and the skills of the new person. In general though, you will need to explain a few things in detail and then you will be able to let your new staff member take charge of their own learning. A checklist will help you.
Human Resources Online Remote User Services (HORUS) is an interactive web application that allows data stored on the ANU's Human Resource systems to be directly accessed via the World Wide Web using a standard browser. In this way, information presented is always up-to-date and any changes made are immediately reflected on our administrative databases.
Staff members need to be able to access and use HORUS to:
Your link to HORUS is at https://horus.anu.edu.au/login.asp. You will need to use a password.
Local IT Support Staff (LITSS) are the point of contact for staff members who need IT support. LITSS roles and responsibilities include:
It can be a good idea to buddy a LITSS contact for the new starter — they will be able to explain directories, data storage areas, web publishing protocols and processes, and local processes for disseminating information. They should inform the new staff member of the use of email lists as well. This information can be found at http://its.anu.edu.au/policies/listpol.html
To find out who your LITSS contact is email: litss.coord@anu.edu.au
Accessing the training available will help staff become quickly familiar with the University online environment.
Self Help Training — click here
Instruction Based Training — click here
As the position supervisor, you may want to address some of the training and development needs of new staff through the induction process. Additionally you will develop an annual career development plan with your staff member. To do this, you will use the Supporting Our Staff process to write and agree on a plan. See Supporting Our Staff
The content of the plan may cover many of the aspects noted in the induction section of this Guide.
In addition, the University offers training activities through other internal and external providers. Comprehensive information on what is available can be found at http://info.anu.edu.au/hr/Training_and_Development/ANU_Staff/index.asp.
This is a Guide for supervisors of new staff to the types of information that will assist new staff members to settle into their area as quickly and as confidently as possible.
PRIOR TO ARRIVAL
FIRST DAY
FIRST WEEK
FIRST MONTH
FIRST THREE MONTHS
For further information contact:
Organisational Development Unit, phone: 6125 2208, e-mail: staffdev@anu.edu.au