Beyond Information Literacy Librarians as Pedagogical Designers in Higher Education

Abstract

Academic libraries are increasingly moving from service-oriented support to active pedagogical partnership in higher education. This paper presents a library-based makerspace initiative as a learning partner and introduces two complementary artefacts: (1) the Makerspace Pedagogical Framework (MPF), a constructively aligned conceptual lens integrating Education 4.0, Digital Literacy (DL), and Information Literacy (IL); and (2) a Collaborative Design Protocol (CDP), a repeatable co-design workflow that operationalises library–faculty collaboration from initiation and planning to implementation, evaluation, and iteration. Empirical evidence reported in this paper derives from repeated nursing-programme workshop implementations (the primary evaluative case). Two implemented workshops are analysed: an immersive VR activity structured around inquiry and embodied experience, and a gamified escape-room workshop designed for time-bounded collaboration and evidence-based problem solving. Evidence is synthesised across nursing iterations using post-workshop surveys and qualitative reflections/field notes, while additional implementations in humanities/teacher education and engineering are referenced only to demonstrate transferability of the MPF/CDP approach. Across the nursing workshops, students reported strong engagement and perceived relevance in technology-enhanced formats but also expressed a need for clearer scaffolds that support consolidation and make learning progress visible during exploratory tasks. To illustrate further transferability within nursing, the paper also presents a planned (non-empirical) design exemplar in which students critically evaluate 18th-century remedy texts against contemporary research evidence and social-media health claims. The paper argues that libraries can act as co-educators by aligning makerspace technologies with course ILOs and assessment through an explicit, repeatable co-design protocol, enabling local adaptation while maintaining methodological transparency.