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Presents the claim that information literacy skills are an essential characteristic of the independent learner and examines the development of the Information Literacy module devised at the University of North London for first year undergraduate law students. Information literacy is used here as an umbrella term which includes information retrieval skills required to interact with online environments, IT skills needed to manipulate the retrieval tools, and analytical and evaluative skills required to assess the relevance and reliability of the information found. Provides a detailed explanation of how the Information Literacy syllabus was developed through examination of the literature. Bases the statistical analysis of the module’s impact on the results of two separate questionnaires and categorises the results according to level of abilities, gender and mode of study. Identifies issues that arise from the data and that require further analysis for future study.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the adoption of a phenomenographic conceptual framework to investigate learning from the perspective of the learner, with the aim of reflecting on the features that this approach shares with information literacy education in general, and with the relational model in particular.

The study offers an analysis of phenomenographic research on learning undertaken by Marton, which is further elaborated by examples of collaborative work by Marton and Booth, as well as by Fazey and Marton. The relationship between understanding and learning, promoted by this perspective, is explored in this paper to illustrate its impact on retention and transfer of the learning process. This is compared with the iterative and independent learning approaches promoted by information literacy education, and specific examples are used to illustrate the pedagogical overlap between phenomenography and information literacy. In addition, the paper examines the relational approach of information literacy promoted by the individual and collective works of Bruce, Lupton, and Edwards to demonstrate how the person‐world relation, advocated by phenomenography, is used to examine the learner‐information relationship promoted by the work of these authors.

The paper reflects on the potential impact that phenomenography and the relational perspectives have on pedagogical practices in Higher Education. In particular, it aims to demonstrate how the relational approach, together with the learn‐how‐to‐learn ethos of information literacy, is fundamental in promoting a framework for lifelong learning that leads to the empowering of the learner through an iterative cycle of reflection and practice, i.e. what phenomenography defines as variation in practice to foster the ownership of learning.

In line with the person‐world relation, the paper explores the relationship between learners and information by outlining its internal/subjective and external/objective dynamics. Claims that the learner's ability to reflect on these dynamics enhances his or her independent learning attitude are explored in the light of current phenomenographic and information literacy research.

The paper focuses on e‐learning from an information literacy perspective and promotes the view that information literacy education needs to play a central role within any e‐learning initiative. The main aim of this paper is therefore to present the claim that e‐learning must be supported by an information literacy framework to enable an effective interaction between learners, information literacy educators and complex information environments.

Literature‐based analysis of the main issues covered. These include: the challenges generated by the proliferation of digital information and the consequent need for information literacy education to counteract the phenomenon of information overload; the comparison of the information literacy approach promoted by Australia and the USA with the ICT‐skills approach adopted by the UK.

Examples of information literacy frameworks promoted by the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Australian and New Zealand Institute are used to illustrate the strong association between the “learning‐how‐to‐learn” model, lifelong learning and the global knowledge economy. The UK perspective on e‐learning reveals a similar lifelong‐learning agenda, although in this case ICT skills, not information literacy, are identified as a priority, even though the effectiveness of lifelong‐learning competences depends on the learner's ability to interact with constantly changing information and knowledge structures.

The paper promotes the view that a fully‐fledged information literacy education, based on nationally recognised standards, must underpin any pedagogical initiative especially in the area of e‐learning which requires the learners’ active engagement with a wide range of information sources and formats. The paper is therefore relevant to those professionals involved in the development of policy and provision at higher education level.