Online Information Literacy Course Research Articles

Predicting Transfer of Generic Information Literacy Competencies by Non-Traditional Students to Their Study and Work Contexts: A Longitudinal Perspective

Rapid developments in contemporary societies not only ask for lifelong learning but increasingly also for training in generic competencies suitable for multiple contexts and life stages. An indicator of training success is the transfer or application of new learning, a longitudinal process influenced by various theory- and evidence-based factors. The present study combined a multi-contextual and longitudinal approach by investigating non-traditional distance education students’ intention to transfer newly acquired generic information literacy competencies to their study and work contexts before, directly after, and three months after training. Three surveys, using a combination of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior and Holton et al.’s Learning Transfer System Inventory model, measured the influence of performance outcomes expectations, organizational openness to change, and performance self-efficacy on intention to transfer and transfer behaviour. The participants were 82 adult educational professionals enrolled in an online information literacy course at the Open University. Partial least squares-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) confirmed the value of employing a multi-contextual and longitudinal approach within this specific setting. Furthermore, notably, self-efficacy appeared to predict pre-training intention in both study and work contexts and transfer behaviour in the work context. Educational implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Information Literacy Programmes: the Experience of Research Libraries in Hong Kong and Ukraine

The article is devoted to the analysis of information literacy programmes developed by libraries of higher education institutions in Hong Kong and Ukraine. The application of such theoretical and empirical methods as an analysis of sources, the method of external observation over the foreign and Ukrainian experience of the information literacy programmes developing, as well as a prognostic method for summarising, allowed to reveal similarities and differences in the content and forms of information literacy programmes implemented at Hong Kong and Ukrainian universities. Different stages of implementation of information literacy programmes by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Library during the last two decades are highlighted. The content of information literacy programmes provided by the libraries of 4 Ukrainian universities in general and the scientific library of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (KNUCaA), in particular, is reviewed. It has been found out such similar characteristics of information literacy programmes of libraries that were analysed as using of traditional forms (lectures, practical exercises, instructions, video lessons) to form the skills and abilities for the effective information search, analytical processing, organisation, evaluation, and use of this information. It has been found out that, unlike Hong Kong, the introduction of certified and online information literacy courses by Ukrainian universities libraries is isolated cases. There is also no experience in testing students’ knowledge before studies of information literacy. Testing is usually done after completing the information literacy programmes, but these tests are not mandatory and only recommended. The authors hope that the experience of the CUHK Library (Hong Kong) in the implementation of the “Immersion Programme”, the UGCIL project, and InfoLit for U will be useful for the Ukrainian scientific library community, considering that libraries of higher education institutions in Ukraine have also started to develop similar programmes and modules. In particular, the interactive online guide “Music Documents in the KNUCaA Scientific Library” is an example of a modern approach to the formation of first-year students’ information literacy, their acquaintance with the scientific library, its services, and resources, basic types of documents, an electronic search algorithm.

Creation of an Online Library Instruction Course for Faculty

Librarians at Saskatchewan Polytechnic developed an online information literacy course, created through interdepartmental collaboration, to be completed by new faculty as part of the Adult Teaching and Learning program. Changes to the academic model coupled with mandatory assessment of program development necessitated a major revision of the introductory course, transitioning to a blended learning methodology. As part of this revision, librarians were asked to create an online course to replace some of the content that was formerly offered in face-to-face sessions. Librarians began with the creation of an instructional plan using Bloom’s Taxonomy, learning outcomes, learning steps, and assessments to create an interactive introduction to research and writing. After implementation, the librarians assessed the blended learning approach. The online course content was adjusted and it continues to be reviewed and revised based on participant feedback. The overall process for the development of this online course can be used as an example to guide other librarians’ online delivery of information literacy creating authentic learning experiences.

Information Literacy Instruction Programs: Supporting the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Community at Virginia Tech

When developing instructional programs related to information literacy at a university, a logical audience to focus on is undergraduates. However, information literacy spans far beyond the traditional ability to find, access, evaluate, use, and properly cite information. It also encompasses the ability to evaluate the impact of scholarship, determine appropriate data-management practices, understand author rights, promote ethical use of scholarship, and maintain an awareness of changes in scholarly communication. Between 2010 and 2016 librarians at Virginia Tech have focused on developing programs to strengthen several of these information literacy skills across the continuum of students, faculty, and extension agents in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). Starting with undergraduates, traditional information literacy skills were incorporated into the two CALS First-Year Experience programs. A scientific writing workshop and online information literacy course were designed for CALS graduate students. Extension agents and faculty were introduced to both traditional and more advanced applications to explore how changes in the information landscape impacts their work. This paper will discuss how these librarians have partnered to create and promote these information literacy initiatives.

Situated Cognition Principles Increase Students’ Likelihood of Knowledge Transfer in an Online Information Literacy Course

A Review of:
 Catalano, A. (2015). The effect of a situated learning environment in a distance education information literacy course. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(5), 653-659. http://dx.doi:org/10.1016/j.acalib.2015.06.008 
 
 Objective – To assess the efficacy of the application of situated cognition principles in education students’ transfer of knowledge to practice in an online information literacy course. “Situation cognition” refers to a theory in which expert behaviour-modeling, authentic activity and apprenticeship, and learning environment are integral in learning.
 
 Design – A randomized controlled trial.
 
 Setting – A small private university in New York State.
 
 Subjects – 85 education college students in 7 sections of a 1-credit online course titled Introduction to Library Research and Technology.
 
 Methods – Each course section was randomly assigned via cluster sampling to “situated cognition” treatment (n = 48) or control conditions (n = 37). The treatment sections provided students with expert modeling, scaffolding, authentic activity, and problem-based assessments according to the principles of situated learning and teaching for transfer; while the control sections provided students with traditional instruction of lectures and handouts.
 
 A pretest and posttest were given to students in order to assess improvement in knowledge of the five categories for evaluating resources: currency, relevance, authority, credibility, and audience. The pretest was a survey administered during the first week of the course, and the posttest questions were included in the final exam. The researcher also used a final assignment to evaluate students’ improvement on the far transfer task, (i.e., their ability to transfer a skill learned in one context for use and applicability in other contexts). The task was to create a resolution for one of three concerns raised to a School Board, to write a statement addressing the received concern, and to articulate a recommended solution. Two raters independently graded tasks on a scale using a rubric based on information literacy principles, including incorporating some corroborating sources, evaluating of source information, and determining a solution based on source credibility.
 
 Main Results – The researcher compared the impact of the situated cognition teaching on retention using the posttest and on far transfer task of the 85 students in both treatment and control groups using multivariate analysis of variance (MANCOVA). The MANCOVA analysis found no significant difference between scores based on belonging to treatment or control groups. However, because far transfer occurred in 59 cases based on scoring of the tests, the researchers performed a logistic regression analysis and found the group variable (i.e., belonging to the situated cognition treatment group or control group) provided a significant prediction of transfer (p < .05), when controlling for engagement, self-regulation, and motivation. Potential confounding due to variation in motivation, self-regulation, and engagement were ruled out by using the Motivated Strategy for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and by recording of participation in weekly assignments. Furthermore, presence in the treatment group increased the odds for the incidence of far transfer by a factor of 2.90.
 
 Conclusion – When testing the use of principles of situated learning (e.g., problem-based learning and cognitive apprenticeship in library instruction), the study results indicated an increase in the likelihood of students being able to practise knowledge in various situations and apply what they have learned in real-life examples. While the majority of students in both treatment and control groups demonstrated the skills of far transfer, the study provides evidence to support situated cognition, an understudied set of principles, and the study also utilizes quantitative methods to further strengthen this support.

Creating an online information literacy course for concurrent enrollment students: A collaboration with a state-sponsored online school

ABSTRACTThis article discusses a collaborative project to create an online one-credit library research course for high school students in a dual credit program. The project included a team of reference and instruction librarians at a midsize public university, the university's concurrent enrollment program, and an online state-sponsored school that provided courses to high school students. Current literature related to the information literacy knowledge gap, outreach to secondary schools, dual credit or concurrent enrollment programs, and for-credit online information literacy courses is reviewed. The process of creating the course will be discussed along with the benefits and challenges of the project.

Using Qualitative Data to Identify Student Learning Barriers and Alleviate Instructor Burnout in an Online Information Literacy Course

ABSTRACTFor-credit, online information literacy instruction is gaining momentum in academic libraries. It provides library outreach to a broader spectrum of students, and reinforces information literacy skills and concepts more than once. In this article, librarians from a small, private, rural, four-year university will provide an overview of their library's for-credit online research skills course for nontraditional students in the university's degree completion program. The article will identify student learning barriers, share factors that contribute to and prevent instructor burnout, and describe how data-informed decision making is used to make improvements to the curricular and course design.

Information Literacy and Instruction: Scaling Instruction to Needs: Updating an Online Information Literacy Course

Scalability is a buzzword in both libraries and higher education these days. As library budgets continue to tighten and technology continues to advance, libraries are flipping classrooms and deploying technology in order to better scale our instructional efforts. The University of Utah is no different. Several years ago, the library moved away from the standard one-shot workshops offered to the University’s undergraduate writing requirement course, Writing 2010, and replaced it with an online information literacy course. The transition has largely been successful, both at reducing the number of low-impact one-shot workshops our librarians teach, and also at involving instructors in information literacy. However, changes in personnel, technology, and curriculum prompted a recent revision and updating of the library’s information literacy course.

Developing Online Information Literacy Instruction for the Undergraduate Art Student: A Collaborative Approach in the Context of the Framework for Information Literacy

AbstractPerceiving a lack of integrated information literacy curriculum at our colleges, the library directors of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) consortium resolved to create a series of online tutorials aimed at undergraduates in the fields of art and design. The collaborative project needed a partner to produce the tutorials and offer the finished project in an environment accessible to students. When approached about this partnership, Lynda.com, one of the Internet’s leading online learning companies, agreed to work with the AICAD libraries to create an online information literacy course. The course launched in July 2015, and the authors conducted an assessment of the course quality and use nearly one year later by surveying librarians and faculty. This article is a study of how that course was conceived and how it evolved from a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) into its current online tutorial version on Lynda.com.

Designing for Engagement: Using the ADDIE Model to Integrate High-Impact Practices into an Online Information Literacy Course

In this article, the authors share how a team of librarians used the ADDIE instructional design model to incorporate best practices in teaching and learning into an online, four-credit information literacy course. In this redesign process, the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ high-impact practices and e-learning best practices were integrated as scaffolds for course content. The authors' experience with this systematic process and the concepts of instructional design suggest that the ADDIE model can be used to achieve several different ends in information literacy instruction. First, it can provide a structure around which librarians can develop a variety of instructional interactions. Second, it can help librarians consider student engagement, learning, and assessment more intentionally. And third, it can help to marry information literacy-specific standards and other learning guidelines, such as high-impact practices and e-learning best practices. From the authors' experience, other academic librarians may find applications for instructional design constructs into their own teaching practices, both in online and face-to-face learning environments.

The Effect of a Situated Learning Environment in a Distance Education Information Literacy Course

Teaching based on situated learning theory employs techniques that enable learners to experience a concept within the circumstance in which it would most likely be useful, and is presumed to facilitate transfer of knowledge from the instructional situation to its application to environments outside the classroom. The purpose of this experimental study is to investigate the efficacy of a situated learning environment for facilitating transfer during tasks requiring the evaluation of information in an online information literacy course. Eighty-five university students enrolled in a distance education library research course were randomly assigned to a situated learning condition or a control/traditional instruction group. Students assigned to the experimental group demonstrated transfer more often. A logistic regression analysis revealed that the grouping variable was a significant predictor of transfer. These results reveal that teaching models based on the principles of situated learning have the potential to facilitate transfer to real world contexts. The implications of this study may inform curricular decisions by providing evidence-based instructional design for instructors wishing to employ situated learning in order to teach for transfer, thus improving distance education courses in general, and library instruction in particular.

Library Research Courses that Follow Universal Design Principles and Best Practices for Online Education of Special Needs Students Improve Student Learning Experiences

A Review of:
 Catalano, A. (2014). Improving distance education for students with special needs: A qualitative study of students’ experiences with an online library research course. Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning, 8(1-2): 17-31. doi: 10.1080/1533290X.2014.902416
 
 Abstract
 
 Objective – To evaluate student experience with an online library research course that follows best practices about distance education for special needs students.
 
 Design – Questionnaire and semi-structured interviews.
 
 Setting – A large private college in the United States of America.
 
 Subjects – Seven female students, both undergraduate and graduate, each with different physical and cognitive disabilities. 
 
 Methods – Students were recruited from respondents to a survey about accessible library services, with a $50 gift card incentive. They took an online information literacy course that had been adapted for students with special needs, using universal design for learning and best practices in distance education for special needs students and in library instruction. Upon completion, students answered a questionnaire about the course learning activities. Students were then asked to participate in in-depth, semi-structured interviews on their learning preferences and study skills.
 
 Main Results – Students expressed overall satisfaction with the course, especially the clear organization and the ability to choose from various types of assignments for their final project. They expressed a preference for click-through, step-by-step instructions for tutorials. Five of the seven students participated in in-depth interviews, which revealed some common themes in their overall online learning experience: the challenge of obtaining extended time on tests; overcoming reluctance to participate in online discussions; the need for regular communication with instructors; and the need for clearly stated expectations and timely feedback.
 
 Conclusion – Student feedback confirms best practices identified in the literature on distance learning and on special needs students. The need for clear instructor expectations, clear course organization, and frequent interaction with the professor are common to all distance learning situations, but students with special needs are particularly in need of such well-structured instruction. Librarians should always determine accessibility before selecting software and tools to be used in online instruction. Accessible online library instruction should include information about resources for students with special needs; it should provide the same content in varied formats; and it should offer students options for assignment formats. Much research remains to be done to compare students with special needs in online and face-to-face courses, and to determine factors that improve the success of students with special needs in online courses.

A Motivational Analysis of the ARCS Model for Information Literacy Courses in a Blended Learning Environment

AbstractThis study proposes an attention, Relevance, confidence, satisfaction (ARCS)-based research model that uses a set of ARCS-oriented certified digital general education information literacy (IL) materials for higher education initiated by the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Taiwan, to determine the motivation for learning in a blended learning environment. The research model is tested using an online questionnaire survey of 292 participants. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is used to evaluate the reliability and validity of the results. The partial least squares (PLS) method is used to validate the measurement and hypotheses. Brief comments and in-depth interviews with students who had scored very highly and very poorly in terms of their overall academic performance provided qualitative data on students’ learning motivation. The findings support the validity of the four motivational elements in the ARCS model. The quantitative and qualitative research results demonstrate that the motivation for taking IL courses, whether as a requirement or out of interest, is not a key factor in learning motivation. The results reveal that the ARCS-based digital materials, ARCS-based motivational course design for learning, and the student-centred, inquiring learning environment are critical components for achieving effective online IL courses and favourable learning outcomes.

Elevating Engagement and Community in Online Courses

Community, while inherent in assumptions about online education, rarely materializes as an integral component of the experience. Misconceptions and misguided motivations can derail participation and engagement in the online setting. Creating a successful online community is dependent on knowing what works in the face-to-face environment and implementing effective parallels online. We will discuss best practices for building community in online information literacy courses and leveraging motivators to keep students and instructors engaged. While this paper focuses on online information literacy courses, many of these strategies can be applied to online workshops, embedded librarianship, and other instructional initiatives.

Teaching an Online Information Literacy Course: Is It Equivalent to Face-to-Face Instruction?

College-level students arrive fairly confident in their research abilities. When the university began a new requirement for information literacy competency in the General Education Requirements, distance library faculty had the opportunity to teach an online section. A technologically savvy health science librarian and technologically challenged distance librarian co-taught the online section while three face-to-face sections were taught at the main campus. The goal was to teach the same competencies, present equivalent material and assess learning with equal rigor in all five sections. The sections agreed to similar final projects and final exam. A non-graded knowledge survey has been given to students in all sections at the beginning and end of the semester as a pre- and post-test to help assess if the online course is equivalent to the face-to-face sections. Other factors in teaching experience and technology also affect student competency levels.

Designing games in the classroom: Learning benefits

Designing games in the classroom: Learning benefits

Innovation in the Academy: Creating an Online Information Literacy Course

This article describes the instructional design and development of an online, for-credit information literacy course for distance students at a large research university. The course was accepted for the university's Innovation Academy which is a new educational model where students blend on- and off-campus learning. Course development and sample assignments called “Literacy Labs” are described in detail, demonstrating how the course supports the American Library Association standards of information literacy, while acknowledging the role of students as content creators.

Why One-shot Information Literacy Sessions Are Not the Future of Instruction: A Case for Online Credit Courses

This paper reports on a research project that examined the test scores of students who took part in an online information literacy course. Researchers analyzed the pre- and post-test scores of students who received different types of instruction including a traditional one-shot library session and an online course. Results show that students who participated in the online course demonstrated significant improvement in their test scores compared to the other students. This study shows freshman students’ needs for more comprehensive information literacy instruction. It also shows that information literacy instruction can be effective when delivered online.

Assessing the reliability and validity of locally developed information literacy test items

PurposeWith a call for increased accountability for student learning across higher education, it is becoming more important for academic libraries to show their value to the greater university community with the use of quantitative data. This paper seeks to describe the development of an information literacy test at the University of Arizona to measure student learning in an online credit course. In order to measure the impact of an online course, a test that was statistically valid, and reliable was created by local librarians.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology involved administering test items to undergraduate students enrolled in an online information literacy course and applying both classical test theory and item response theory models to evaluate the validity and reliability of test items. This study included the longitudinal and cross‐sectional development of test items for pre and post‐testing across different student groups. Over the course of two semesters, 125 items were developed and administered to over 1,400 students.FindingsThe creation of test of items and the process of making test items reliable and valid is discussed in detail. Items were checked for construct validity with the use of a national standardized test of information literacy (SAILS). Locally developed items were found to have a higher than average reliability rating.Practical implicationsThe process described here offers a method for librarians without a background in assessment to develop their own statistically valid and reliable instrument.Originality/valueOne of the unique features of this research design was the correlation of SAILS items with local items to test for validity. Although SAILS items have been used by many libraries in the past, they have not been used to create new test items. The use of the original SAILS test items is a valuable resource for instruction librarians developing items locally.

Unlearn What You Have Learned: Digital Disorganization and Information Literacy Instruction

Traditional organizational schemes utilized for class design and for the organization of research materials means little to students comfortable with the disorganized internet environment. This article examines how constructivist principles and the disorganization of the internet was utilized to design a unique online information literacy course.