The Critical Place of Information Literacy in the Trend Towards Flexible Delivery in Higher Education Contexts

Higher education institutions are rapidly moving from a bi-polar model of face-to-face/distance education to what is being termed flexible delivery. This blurring of the traditional boundaries can be seen as a response by the education sector to the emerging information age which is demanding a wider range of educational opportunities for more people. Within this social context, this paper argues that information literacy is pivotal in flexible teaching and learning because it enables individuals to engage in a variety of learning situations and opportunities in optimal ways. This focus on meta-skills within the educational context presents a major challenge to the institutional structures and work practices of staff within universities.