1. Competency-Based Approach for Curriculum Development in Digital Curation
ALISE 2014 Conference
Jeonghyun Kim & William E. Moen
University of North Texas
ALISE 2014

2. Two Initiatives Mozilla Open Badges edX ALISE 2014
Knight, E. (2013). Web literacy badge. Retrieved from
edX. (n.d.) A sample certificate. Retrieved from
ALISE 2014

3. Competency-Based Education (CBE)
Based on the broader concept of Outcomes- Based Education (OBE)
To best prepare students to be competitive for employment
A common approach used by professional disciplines, such as business, psychology, engineering, health-related, and tourism programs
ALISE 2014

4. CBE Approach
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2002). Defining and assessing learning: Exploring competency-based initiatives. Retrieved from
ALISE 2014

5. Competencies in LIS Competencies necessary for library professionals
Professional organizations have put effort into developing competency statements – e.g., ALA’s Core Competences of Librarianship
Discussed competency-based approach in LIS education (e.g., Stoffle & Pryor, 1980; Thomas & Patel, 2008)
ALISE 2014

6. iCAMP Project
Funded by IMLS’s Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
Three-year project (September 2011–August 2014)
“To build capacity in UNT’s Library and Information Sciences (LIS) curriculum to increase the number of appropriately trained information professionals and disciplinary researchers and scholars for digital curation and data management responsibilities”
Objectives
Develop a Graduate Academic Certificate with four courses in digital curation and data management
Deploy a robust technical infrastructure to support student learning, practical engagement, and training
ALISE 2014

7. iCAMP Courses Course 1: Digital Curation Fundamentals
Introduces concepts, principles, standards, and practices for digital curation
Course 2: Digital Curation Tools and Applications
Focuses on techniques, tools, and applications for curating digital data
Course 3: Preservation Planning and Implementation for Digital Curation
Develops and implements a plan for curating digital data
Course 4: Advanced Topics in Digital Curation
Unifies and provides a broader context for digital curation competencies throughout the previous courses
ALISE 2014

8. iCAMP Competencies Competencies Competency Groups
“The knowledge, skills, and abilities to carry out a wide range of professional functions in support of digital curation responsibilities”
Derived from existing statements of competencies, job announcements, training materials, reports, etc.
Competency Groups
Communication & Interpersonal Competency
Environmental Scanning Competency
Management, Planning, and Evaluation Competency
Systems, Models, and Modeling Competency
Curating and Preserving Content Competency
Curation Technologies Competency
Services Competency
ALISE 2014

9. iCAMP Competencies Curation Technology Competency
Definition: This competency addresses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to identify, use, and develop tools and applications to support digital curation activities
Specific competencies:
Knowledge of IT infrastructure including operating system services, network services, and security services
Work in a variety of computing environments: Unix, Linux, Windows
Identify and utilize software, tools, applications, and systems that support digital curation activities
Implement, configure, and maintain digital content management systems and repositories
ALISE 2014

10. iCAMP Competencies Curation Technologies Competency
Course 1: Discussing technical frameworks and practices
Course 2: Using and practicing tools and various Linux command lines
Curating and Preserving Content Competency
Course 2: Evaluating the functionality of a digital content management system
Course 3: Implementing a digital curation plan
Systems, Models, and Modeling Competency
Course 1: Discussing the conceptual models and their applications
Course 3: Developing a digital curation plan
ALISE 2014

11. iCAMP Competencies Management, Planning, and Evaluation Competency
Course 1: Evaluating a data management plan
Services Competency
Course 1: Assessing various service models and examples
Course 3: Exploring different aspects of designed researcher communities
Environmental Scanning Competency
Course 4: Exploring a particular topic of current interest
Communication & Interpersonal Competency
ALISE 2014

12. Portfolio as CBE Assessment
Asked students to reflect on each competency group in the context of all modules/lectures/assignments /activities in the courses and their work placement
Students addressed all four courses in their portfolio documents
Students were able to ‘join up’ all aspects of the course and reflect on how the competencies come together in order to carry out the work of a digital curation practitioner
Portfolio reinforced their learning across courses and identified further training needs
ALISE 2014

13. Student Comments
“I would definitely recommend this course to other students! It is applicable to a wide range of interests and areas. It covers a topic that is really missing from DLIS curriculum.”
“The course covers a lot of technical topics related to digital data that is not explained or covered in other courses. This has been the best digitally focused class I've taken at UNT, by far.”
“The chance to work with these tools, systems, and resources is absolutely invaluable. I think that this class carries great promise within the four-course plan.”
“The range of theory and practical exercise work was also a great aspect of this course.”
“I gained a lot of technical skills and experiences with the logistical operation of a digital repository through the courses.”
ALISE 2014

14. Introduction to UNIX/Linux
A non-credit course designed to introduce basic UNIX/Linux commands
Covers a variety of introductory topics that teach students the basics of how to work in a console-based environment and on a server that supports multiple simultaneous users
Upon successful completion of the course (a score of 80% or higher), students receive a Mozilla Digital Badge
ALISE 2014

15. Challenges and Future Directions
Target audience
Four courses that comprises a Graduate Academic Certificate
An ordered sequence of courses
A need for continuous course improvement
ALISE 2014

16. Dr. Jeonghyun (Annie) Kim
Acknowledgements
The iCAMP project ( is supported by a generous grant from the U.S. Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, Librarians for the 21st Century Program, RE , with additional support from the University of North Texas, College of Information and UNT Libraries.
Dr. William Moen
Dr. Jeonghyun (Annie) Kim
Dr. Martin Harbert
ALISE 2014