Credit-bearing Information Literacy Course Research Articles

Expanding the Core Competences of Librarianship through Designing a Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Course for Social Work

In contemporary knowledge society, the impact of library and information professions has expanded to practical workforce preparation in many adjacent fields, including social work, that heavily rely on information competencies to promote community well-being and public good.This poster adds a practitioner perspective to the ongoing conversation about the need to reimagine LIS education to better align curricular priorities with the demands of the increasingly interconnected information landscape. Through a tale of a subject librarian and Social Work faculty partnership to develop a tailored credit-bearing information literacy course for Social Work pre-majors, the author illuminates the evolving role of librarians who are called upon to educate members of other information-intensive professions in the use of general and subject-specific resources essential for their field. The poster highlights the shared values that inform the practice of both librarianship and social work in response to the issues faced by communities in times of uncertainty and change. Built around the ALA’s Core Competences of Librarianship and the Social Work Competencies established by the Council on Social Work Education, the project reflects on the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating information literacy education into a domain where advanced information literacy skills are an indispensable component of the current professional practice. Finally, the project discusses several implications for LIS programs keen on creating a better connection between the LIS foundational values and other professional competency frameworks today’s librarians lean on, particularly in such vital areas as user services, lifelong learning and continuing education, and social justice.

Assessing the Impact of an Information Literacy Course on Students' Academic Achievement: A Mixed-Methods Study

Objective – The aim of this study is to demonstrate the impact of a stand-alone, credit-bearing information literacy course on retention and GPA for students at an open access urban college. Methods – Researchers conducted a mixed-methods study with a two-part focus. The first examined the impact of a credit-bearing course using propensity score matching (PSM) techniques to compare academic outcomes for students who participated in the course versus outcomes for similar students who did not enroll in the course. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to measure impact on GPA and performance in 100-level introductory English general education courses. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine persistence one year after enrolling in the course. The second part utilized a questionnaire to survey students of this targeted group to determine impact of the course on their information-seeking behaviour in subsequent academic courses and for non-academic purposes. Results – The quantitative analyses showed: (a) a higher GPA, though slight, for students who have taken the course over the matched comparison group; (b) an increase in persistence for students who have taken the course over the matched comparison group after one year of taking the course; but (c) lower performance in 100-level introductory English courses by students who have taken the course in contrast to the matched comparison group. Qualitative data provided through the questionnaire revealed positive and substantive reflective statements that support learning outcomes of the course. Conclusion – The findings in this study underscored the importance of a stand-alone, credit-bearing information literacy course for undergraduate students, particularly for first-generation students attending an open access urban institution. The findings also demonstrate the academic library’s contribution to institutional retention efforts in support of students’ academic success.

Mapping the framework to credit-bearing information literacy courses

The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education emphasizes conceptual, critical-thinking approaches to information literacy, a departure from the competency-based Standards. The Framework can be challenging for librarians to incorporate into their teaching practices. While redesigning [course name], the researchers of this study became curious about how peers were using the Framework in credit-bearing information literacy and library instruction courses. Were peers using the Framework? Were courses structured entirely around the Framework? Which frames were most common and least common? Were the frames explicitly or implicitly presented? Did courses reflect a more conceptual approach as represented by the Framework? Using deductive coding, the researchers mapped the Framework's six frames to the course objectives and course outlines found in the syllabi of peer institutions. Coding revealed Searching as Strategic Exploration was the most prevalent and Authority is Constructed and Contextual was the least coded frame. Additionally, syllabi were not explicitly designed around the Framework. Instead, frames were incorporated implicitly. A competencies-based approach to instruction was still predominant. This study demonstrates the process of mapping the Framework to existing syllabi can help librarians redesign their own courses while thinking more critically about what and how they teach.

Using Wikipedia for project-based learning in information literacy instruction

Wikipedia holds an ambiguous position in information literacy instruction. Long the go-to example of an untrustworthy online source to avoid, librarians are increasingly using it to illustrate the application of a variety of information literacy concepts. Beginning in Fall 2017, students enrolled in a credit-bearing information literacy course at Cal Poly Pomona were given as a final project, a Wikipedia stub (a basic, incomplete article) and assigned to apply the concepts they had been taught throughout the semester to add information, sources and images, in order to “improve” it. This paper discusses the incorporation of Wikipedia into a credit-bearing course as a form of project-based learning, the development of the course final over several quarters/semesters of class, the benefits and drawbacks of the use of online tutorials and observation of the results of student engagement with the assignment.

Knowing when to cry uncle: Balancing instructional initiatives

About five years ago, the University of Northern Iowa Rod Library began building a credit-bearing information literacy course from scratch. Envisioned to be something more than simply “how to use the library,” the course was also designed to focus on Google resources and the trends and issues associated with the online world of information. We named the course Beyond Google. From the start, we aimed to teach students how to be more effective and thoughtful Google users, and more skeptical consumers of information.

Teaching Algorithmic Bias in a Credit-Bearing Course

Information literacy instruction has become increasingly nuanced with the widespread adoption of critical approaches to teaching and the ACRL Framework. Librarians are already teaching information evaluation strategies, however, more work can be done in the area of understanding algorithmic decision making and bias. This column describes how a public university integrated lessons on algorithmic bias into a credit-bearing information literacy course for a general undergraduate audience. The activities and readings can be adapted to a one-shot instruction environment and the collaborative process for designing the curriculum is also shared.

Reframing from the ground up: Redesigning a credit-bearing information literacy course using the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

LIB 1500 is a three-credit information literacy course offered by the University Library at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly-Pomona), which is taught by faculty librarians. The course was developed during the 2014–15 academic year and has been offered continuously since. While targeted primarily toward freshmen, in the course inevitably include a number of sophomores and upper-level students seeking to fulfill their lifelong learning General Education requirement, for which LIB 1500 is one of several options. While the development of LIB 1500 has been a labor of love, by the end of Spring Quarter 2017, those of us involved in teaching the class had noticed that the course was becoming dated and needed a complete overhaul. Therefore, during the 2017–18 academic year, librarians at Cal Poly-Pomona fundamentally redesigned LIB 1500 to reflect the threshold concepts described in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. In doing so, we learned valuable lessons about course structure, applied learning, and the iterative nature of course revision.

Review of critical approaches to credit-bearing information literacy courses

Abstract Review of Pashia, A., & Critten, J. (Eds.) (2019). Critical approaches to credit-bearing information literacy courses. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries.

Book review of Pashia, A. and Critten, J. (eds.) 2019. Critical approaches to credit-bearing information literacy courses.

Book review of Pashia, A. and Critten, J. (eds.) 2019. Critical approaches to credit-bearing information literacy courses.

Investigating the Effectiveness of a Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Course in Reducing Library Anxiety for Adult Learners

Investigating the Effectiveness of a Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Course in Reducing Library Anxiety for Adult Learners

Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Courses in Academic Libraries: Comparing Peers

This article identifies variations that are within the credit-bearing information literacy (IL) programs of a group of similar libraries: Idaho State University’s peer institutions that have been formally designated by the Idaho State Board of Education. This group of institutions shares two common characteristics, i.e., they are public and are doctoral granting schools, and vary in many others, according to Carnegie classification system data. Motivated by a desire to evaluate the current status of their own instruction program within the context of the university’s official peer institutions, the authors gathered reported data from their peers and coupled this data with information from personal interviews with the coordinators of instruction at peer institutions. This method of collecting the data provided context for the interview questions that would follow and revealed nuanced qualitative ideas and issues such as best practices within this cohort. The process of scoping the study, identifying comparisons with peers and analysis of results will be useful to other libraries making decisions about the impact and directions of their instruction programs.

Does the Information Literacy of University Students Depend on their Scientific Literacy?

Background:Information literate students with a good understanding of science are regarded as an important a pool of future successful professionals. The study explored correlations between information literacy (IL) and scientific literacy (SL) of university students, and analyzed their achievements according to Bloom’s cognitive categories of remembering, understanding and applying knowledge. A theoretical connection between IL standards and SL competencies was exposed.Material and methods:An information literacy test and a science literacy test, derived from the PISA 2006 science scale, were used for assessment.Results:The results showed a significant moderate positive correlation between students’ SL and IL. Students with better understanding of science were more successful in all three cognitive levels of IL, and students with higher SL scores were better in application of IL knowledge. A specialized credit-bearing IL course with active learning significantly improved the IL level of all students, most notably in applying IL knowledge, and thus reduced the initial IL disparities between students with low and high SL.Conclusions:The study brought the realization that IL of university students depend on their SL obtained in previous education, however, a well-designed university IL course contributes towards higher cognitive levels of IL for all students.

Examining structural oppression as a component of information literacy:

This article calls for librarians to expand our understanding of information literacy to include the connections between structural racism and information production, dissemination, and organisation. It begins with an examination of some of the ways libraries have recorded and replicated inequities endemic in Western society. These issues are connected to both the field of critical information literacy and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The author then provides an overview of how these issues are taught in a credit bearing information literacy course.

Assessment of Postgraduate Veterinary Students’ Information Literacy Competencies and Attitude Towards E-learning

The study was conducted to assess the information literacy competencies of postgraduate veterinary students and their attitude towards e-learning120 postgraduate veterinary students of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana were selected randomly and information was collected with the help of a structural questionnaire consisted of 25 items with respect to concept identification, search strategy, document types, search tools, use of results and e-learning. The study revealed that majority of students (67.5 per cent) belonged to high knowledge level category whereas only 6.7 per cent of them possessed low knowledge towards information literacy competencies. The knowledge level of students ’towardsconcept identification, efficient search strategy, use document types, search tools and use of results were 59.3, 27.3, 70.0, 48.7 and 61.8 per cent, respectively. Only 10.8 per cent students have ability to use computer as experts. About 90 per cent students possessed favourable attitude towards use of e-learning tools. Gender and OCPA have no significant association with knowledge level as well as e-learning attitude. The finding reveals that there is a need to address the gaps among postgraduate veterinary students towards information literacy competencies through introduction of e-learning trainings and teaching of credit bearing Information Literacy courses to equip them with strong information literacy skills to achieve success in their academic and professional endeavors.

In The News

Welcome to the July/August 2017 issue of C&RL News. Librarians are continuing to make great strides in using the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education in their instruction. In this month’s Perspectives on the Framework column, Zoe Fisher of the University of Colorado-Denver writes about using the Framework in a credit-bearing information literacy course in her article “Facing the frames.”

Facing the frames: Using the Framework as a guide for a credit-bearing information literacy course

Many librarians have written about their experiences using the “Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education” in one-shot information literacy instruction and in conversations with faculty. In March 2014, Andy Burkhardt wrote on his blog about using the “Research as Inquiry” frame to guide information literacy instruction with sophomore ethnography students.

Taking the plunge! A case study in teaching a credit-bearing information literacy course to business undergraduate students

ABSTRACTThis case study describes the experience and examines the efficacy of teaching a three-credit, semester-length information literacy class to undergraduate business students. The discussion includes an overview of the steps involved in garnering administrative support, in developing and teaching the course in the fall of 2014 and 2015, and in evaluating student progress. The advantages and disadvantages of this approach as opposed to other modes of library instruction are also explored. Finally, future directions for the course and plans for the closer study of its effectiveness are examined.

Citation Generators, OWL, and the Persistence of Error-Ridden References: An Assessment for Learning Approach to Citation Errors

Despite the pervasive use of citation generators and other online citation resources like Purdue's Online Writing Lab (OWL), undergraduate students' bibliographies are still often riddled with errors. This article explores the possibility that these errors are the product of more than just carelessness. After reviewing the literature on students' citation practices and instructional approaches to citation errors, the paper examines the underlying assumptions governing the instructor's unsuccessful error correction practices in a credit-bearing information literacy course. Next, an assessment for learning in-class activity is described that helped uncover some of the obstacles students face that prevent them from using resources like OWL effectively when constructing or correcting their citations. The article ends with an assessment of the activity and students' citations in their final research project.

Two Approaches to Collaborative Information Literacy Instruction at a Small Engineering School

Two librarians at a small STEM academic library have partnered with professors to develop and teach chemistry and writing courses. These librarians have successfully worked with professors to serve as an active presence within the classroom. This article describes the challenges of navigating the typical obstacles librarians face when attempting to integrate information literacy into the curriculum, reflects on the benefits of these collaborations, and touches on strategies for implementing similar programs at other institutions. It outlines two distinct approaches to collaborating with professors on credit-bearing information literacy courses, along with the key steps involved in planning and implementing these courses, including generating institutional buy-in, identifying potential collaborators, negotiating workload and responsibilities with collaborators, and planning to sustain courses beyond a single academic year. Suggestions for overcoming obstacles, supplemented by experience-based recommendations, are discussed.

Teaching Matters: An Integrative Lesson on Searching, Tracking Citations, and Evaluating a Scholarly Article

This column describes a lesson in a credit-bearing information literacy course, focusing on evaluation of a scholarly article and finding citing references.