Mortal or Moodle? A Comparison of In-person vs. Online Information Literacy Instruction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of online and in-person instructional methods for teaching research skills, as well as to determine student preferences for each method. Undergraduate students received librarian-led research skills instruction either through an online course management system or in person at the library. Students were surveyed about their experience and format preference, and their grades on a subsequent literature review assignment were collected. The online group’s scores were significantly (p = 0.002) higher, and a majority of eligible participants stated a preference for the online format. Many of the students in both groups reported increased skills and confidence in conducting speech-language-hearing science research following the library instruction. The results of this study support the possibility that online instruction may be more effective than in-person for improving performance on a literature review assignment and is preferred by on-campus students for learning information literacy skills.