Are constructivist approaches in teaching health librarians effective? A reflective case study of teaching a course in health librarianship

Abstract

This paper examines the use of constructivist teaching in a course on health librarianship. Offered at the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), LIBR534 is an introduction to health information sources and services [2]. Since the early 1960s, the course has been offered in alternate years and taught by one or two professional health librarians [3]. Its purpose has always been to provide an introduction to health librarianship and the major information sources in medicine and allied areas. As the field has evolved, the course has responded and integrated topics such as evidence-based practice, health informatics, and digital reference services [4]. For practical reasons, the instructors have been able to foster relationships with students participating in the student interest group (SIG) of the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Association des bibliotheques de la sante du Canada (CHLA / ABSC) at SLAIS. The SIG provides opportunities for those students who want to meet professional health librarians (many of whom are alumni of our class). Further, those who want to explore advanced studies can do so with the instructors or arrange a practicum with the Health Libraries Association of British Columbia (HLABC) member libraries [5]. In 2008, after teaching LIBR534 several times, we discerned a need to make some changes to didactic structure and delivery. In previous course evaluations, students had clearly expressed their desire to work together and to examine information problems with their peers. We could see that SLAIS students were not unlike students in other professional programs in that they wanted more active, enquirybased learning experiences [6]. In planning for the 2008 offering, we restructured the course with this desire in mind. In modifying the course, we envisioned a learning environment where knowledge-based and problem-based learning (PBL) would be used (see Appendix A). On the one hand, time to gain the basic knowledge of the field was important, but skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation were also critical. A balance would need to be found between conveying concepts and promoting the interpersonal skills and behaviours associated with professional practice. But with two pedagogical methods already in play, why introduce constructivist principles? “[I]n constructivism, students take responsibility for their own learning rather than relying on the teacher” [7,8]. We feel that this method was important for building autonomy in students. Even though adopting constructivist teaching can present a number of challenges for us as teachers, we felt ready to experiment. We are now taking time, as reflective practitioners, to consider and review our teaching of LIBR534 in 2008 when we used constructivist methods [9]. Using a case format, we orient readers in this paper to setting, participants, and content, and share information from our students’ evaluations. Throughout, we share our own informal observations about whether interactive, problem-based techniques were successful. We conclude by discussing our plans for LIBR534, next offered in January 2010.