scholarly journals Developing and evaluating an asynchronous online library microcredential: a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 699-713
Author(s):  
Rebeca Peacock ◽  
Heather Grevatt ◽  
Ellie Dworak ◽  
Lindsay Marsh ◽  
Shelly Doty
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
First Year ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Information ◽  
Design Integration ◽  
Face To Face Instruction ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Online Library ◽  
First Year Seminar

Purpose This paper aims to describe the evolution of an academic library’s approach to first-year student information literacy instruction from face-to-face instruction to a fully integrated online microcredential. The design considerations, motivation theory and evaluation methods used to create and evaluate the course are also discussed, with implications for future library microcredential design, integration and research in campus first-year seminar courses. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, a multi-method approach is used to evaluate an undergraduate asynchronous online information literacy microcredential embedded in a first-year seminar. Two methods (Likert scale survey and coded reflection essays) were used to evaluate whether one method may be more beneficial than the other in future iterations of evaluating microcredentials. Findings In looking at a complex cognitive process such as motivation, multiple approaches to analyzing student thoughts may be beneficial. In addition, the role of the first-year seminar instructor, to help students make a connection to library material, is reinforced as is the need to provide students with accurate expectations for time required to complete online asynchronous microcredential courses. Originality/value This paper addresses the evaluation of microcredentials in academic libraries and also has implications for other campus departments investigating the creation of microcourses that are integrated into campus programs. These implications can be addressed in the design and development phases of the microcredential using Keller’s attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction model, and in turn, can be improved through iterative evaluation cycles using collected student data.

scholarly journals Learning information literacy through drawing

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
David James Brier ◽  
Vickery Kaye Lebbin
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Teaching Method ◽  
High Tech ◽  
First Year ◽  
Library Instruction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
First Year Composition ◽  
Face To Face Instruction ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore drawing as an instructional method to teach information literacy. Design/methodology/approach – The authors describe their work using Collaborative Speed Drawing with students in a collection of information literacy workshops for students enrolled in English 100 (first-year composition). Examples of student drawings from the workshops are examined to demonstrate the benefits and problems of this teaching method. Findings – Drawing is an excellent low-tech teaching method that helps students demonstrate their competence (or ignorance) of information literacy concepts. This method enables librarians to clarify, reinforce, challenge or change the pictures in student’s heads that underpin their understandings of library instruction and information literacy. Practical implications – This article provides ideas on how to use drawing in information literacy sessions or credit courses. Many of the ideas shared can be copied, enhanced or tailored to meet the needs of diverse lessons and students taking face-to-face instruction sessions. Originality/value – This is the first paper in library literature that focuses on and promotes drawing as a teaching method. In doing so, it challenges the high-tech instruction imperative and invites librarians to explicitly consider the images behind the words and concepts used in information literacy and library instruction sessions.

Assessing undergraduate information literacy change over time

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-138
Author(s):  
Arthur Brian Ault ◽  
Jessame Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Literacy Skill ◽  
Pell Grant ◽  
First Year ◽  
Exact Matching ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Student Information

Purpose The research project assessed information literacy skill changes in college students at two points in time, as entering first-year students in 2012 and as seniors in their senior seminar capstone courses in the 2015–2016 academic year. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) individual test was the selected instrument. Version 1 of the test was used for first-year students and Version 2 was used for seniors. All testing was done in person in computer labs with a librarian or library staff member present to proctor the test. This resulted in obtaining 330 student results as first years and 307 as seniors, with 161 exact matches for both administrations of the test. Exact matching of student scores to demographic details pulled from the college’s student information systems were used in the analysis. Findings The analysis shows that overall first-year students tested below the 70 percent proficiency benchmark in all eight skill sets, but by the time they were seniors they scored above 70 percent in three skill sets. Male students and students of color performed lower than their counterparts, but these groups did demonstrate significant improvement in four skill sets by the time they were seniors. Students in the Honors program, those who took longer to complete the test as seniors, those with higher GPAs, those in Humanities majors, and those who had upper level course exposures to librarian information literacy instruction had higher performance on the test. There were no statistically significant results for students who were first generation, Pell Grant eligible, or were in-state or out-of-state residents. Originality/value There are few published studies that utilized the SAILS test for longitudinal institution-wide assessment. The majority of institutions that utilized the individual version of SAILS did so to determine change within a selected course, or set of courses, in the same semester and very few are published.

Evaluation of teachers’ information literacy based on information of behavioral data in online learning and teaching platforms: an empirical study of China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yating Li ◽  
Chi Zhou ◽  
Di Wu ◽  
Min Chen
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Behavioral Data ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Behaviors ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Performance Group

PurposeAdvances in information technology now permit the recording of massive and diverse process data, thereby making data-driven evaluations possible. This study discusses whether teachers’ information literacy can be evaluated based on their online information behaviors on online learning and teaching platforms (OLTPs).Design/methodology/approachFirst, to evaluate teachers’ information literacy, the process data were combined from teachers on OLTP to describe nine third-level indicators from the richness, diversity, usefulness and timeliness analysis dimensions. Second, propensity score matching (PSM) and difference tests were used to analyze the differences between the performance groups with reduced selection bias. Third, to effectively predict the information literacy score of each teacher, four sets of input variables were used for prediction using supervised learning models.FindingsThe results show that the high-performance group performs better than the low-performance group in 6 indicators. In addition, information-based teaching and behavioral research data can best reflect the level of information literacy. In the future, greater in-depth explorations are needed with richer online information behavioral data and a more effective evaluation model to increase evaluation accuracy.Originality/valueThe evaluation based on online information behaviors has concrete application scenarios, positively correlated results and prediction interpretability. Therefore, information literacy evaluations based on behaviors have great potential and favorable prospects.

scholarly journals Impact of first-year seminar on student engagement, awareness, and general attitudes toward higher education

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bothaina A. Al-Sheeb ◽  
Mahmoud Samir Abdulwahed ◽  
Abdel Magid Hamouda
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
College Of Law ◽  
First Year Seminars ◽  
Campus Resources ◽  
The Impact ◽  
First Year Seminar

Purpose This study intends to add to the existing body of literature on the impact of a newly implemented first year seminar in the College of Law and Business. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects the course have on students in regard to three aspects: student awareness and utilization of resources, interaction patterns, as well as, general interests and attitudes toward higher education. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of the assessment included analysis of a survey that has been conducted by the end of Spring 2014 semester. A quasi-experimental design was implemented to measure the impact of the intervention on students’ awareness and utilization of resources, interactions, general interests, and attitudes toward higher education. Through the SPSS application, the Mann Whitney U Test, and χ2 tests were used to check for significant differences while comparing the means or frequencies for both groups. For the three questions, the authors have used the 90 percent confidence level and the standard significance level p-value of 0.05 or less for statistical analysis. Findings The results indicated that the course had a highly significant positive impact on student attitudes and awareness of campus resources but had less significant impact on student interactions and utilization of resources. The results in this study reveal a positive impact for the first-year seminar course on student satisfaction and attitudes toward higher education as well as their awareness of campus resources. However, in terms of the course impact on student interaction, results conveyed that students who have participated in the first-year seminar course show a slightly better interaction rate with instructors, academic advisors, and close friends than those in the control group. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this study was that the sample was small. Nonetheless, it has provided valuable insights into the understanding of the social and academic impact of first-year seminars on student engagement; through the use of comparison groups, this study increased the validity of prior research. Practical implications The first-year seminar course evaluated in this study demonstrated the potential to support and enhance student social and academic engagement during the first year of college. Based on the results in this study, the study team recommended some revisions to the current first-year seminar model (UNIV P100 Skills for University Success). The team proposed three models for subsequent first-year seminars at this university. Originality/value This study adds to the existing literature by examining the impact of a newly implemented first-year seminar course at the College of Law and Business at this university on both academic and non-academic aspects from the students’ perspective. These aspects were selected as retention and GPA effects have been widely explored; therefore, the focus is on the less studied emotional and social factors associated with student success and retention. The results from this study can act as a guide for universities intending to introduce a first-year seminar course as it gives clear guidelines on design, content, and course implementation, which can be useful in enhancing general student motivation and attitudes toward academic study and higher education in general.

scholarly journals Outsourcing trust to the information infrastructure in schools

2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 990-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olof Sundin ◽  
Hanna Carlsson
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Information Infrastructure ◽  
Critical Assessment ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Critical Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Group Interviews

Purpose This paper investigates the experiences of school teachers of supporting pupils and their apprehensions of how pupils search and assess information when search engines have become a technology of literacy in schools. By situating technologies of literacy as sociomaterial the purpose of this paper is to analyse and discuss these experiences and understandings in order to challenge dominant views of search in information literacy research. Design/methodology/approach Six focus group interviews with in total 39 teachers working at four different elementary and secondary schools were conducted in the autumn of 2014. Analysis was done using a sociomaterial perspective, which provides tools for understanding how pupils and teachers interact with and are demanded to translate their interest to technologies of literacy, in this case search engines, such as Google. Findings The teachers expressed difficulties of conceptualizing search as something they could teach. When they did, search was most often identified as a practical skill. A critical perspective on search, recognizing the role of Google as a dominant part of the information infrastructure and a co-constructor of what there is to know was largely lacking. As a consequence of this neglected responsibility of teaching search, critical assessment of online information was conflated with Google’s relevance ranking. Originality/value The study develops a critical understanding of the role of searching and search engines as technologies of literacy in relation to critical assessment in schools. This is of value for information literacy training.

Developing a Topic-Centered First-Year Seminar with an Emphasis on Information Literacy at a Large Regional University

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-71
Author(s):  
Wendy L. Chambers ◽  
Lisa P. Smith ◽  
Jessica N. Orvis ◽  
Christopher Caplinger
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
First Year ◽  
Regional University ◽  
First Year Seminar

Library orientation in blackboard: supporting online and distance learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 11-13
Author(s):  
Diane L. Schrecker
Keyword(s):  
Academic Library ◽  
Distance Learners ◽  
First Year ◽  
Module Structure ◽  
Student Orientation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Video Viewing ◽  
Data Survey ◽  
Online Library

Purpose This paper presents a comprehensive review of the poster session “Library orientation in blackboard: supporting online and distance learners” presented at the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 2017 conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Design/methodology/approach Development of AU Library Student Orientation in Blackboard is discussed from the initial course proposal up to its completion of first year use. Orientation modules are reviewed and include purpose, organization and technology resources utilized to deliver content. Findings Complete library orientation information including project timeline, marketing, learning management systems (LMS) usage data, survey and assessment outcomes, video viewing statistics and plans for moving forward are provided. Practical implications This paper details steps taken and resources used to develop an online library orientation suitable for any LMS. Project design, orientation module structure and select orientation resources are provided. Originality/value This paper addresses the need for academic library orientation to support online and distant learners by delivering a practical library introduction in Blackboard.

Online privacy behavior among youth in the Global South

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-30
Author(s):  
Jan Michael Alexandre Cortez Bernadas ◽  
Cheryll Ruth Soriano
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Global South ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Online Privacy ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Metro Manila ◽  
Indirect Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, it explores the extent to which diversity of connectivity or the connection through multiple internet access points may facilitate online privacy behavior. Second, it explains the diversity of connectivity-online privacy behavior link in terms of information literacy. Design/methodology/approach Situated in the context of urban poor youth in the Philippines (n = 300), this paper used a quantitative approach, specifically an interview-administered survey technique. Respondents were from three cities in Metro Manila. To test for indirect relationship, survey data were analyzed using bootstrapping technique via SPSS macro PROCESS (Hayes, 2013). Findings Urban poor youth with diversified connection to the internet engaged in online privacy behavior. The more the youth are connected to the internet through diverse modalities, the more this fosters cautious online privacy behavior. In addition, information literacy explained how diversity of connectivity facilitated online privacy behavior. It suggests that differences in online privacy behavior may result from the extent of basic know-how of navigating online information. In the context of the urban poor in the Global South, the youth are constantly negotiating ways to not only connect to the internet but also acquire digital skills necessary for protective online behaviors. Originality/value To date, this is one of the few papers to contribute to conversations about online privacy among youth in the Global South. It broadens the literature on social determinants of online privacy behavior that is crucial for designing policy interventions for those in the margins.

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