Tools and Principles for Effective Online Library Instruction: Andragogy and Undergraduates

The library literature evaluating the efficacy of online tutorial methods and delivery tools is a valuable resource for librarians looking for information to inform their choices for developing asynchronous online instruction. This literature, however, examines a wide variety of delivery tools, methods, and student populations. As a result, it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions about any one tutorial tool or method. This article compares selected research and concludes that the consensus in the literature suggests that applying adult learning principles to library tutorials has a larger impact on effective online instruction than the individual tool.     

Online Tutorials and Effective Information Literacy Instruction for Distance Learners

As Internet and computer technologies have evolved, libraries have incorporated these technologies into the delivery of information literacy instruction. Of particular benefit is the ability of online tutorials to deliver information literacy instruction to students not physically present on campus. A survey of library and information science literature determines that while a variety of methodologies have produced mixed results, the majority of studies find online tutorials can often be as or more effective than face-to-face instruction. However, more consistent research methods are needed to draw meaningful conclusions regarding student preferences, satisfaction and performance in response to online instruction.     

Innovative Methods for Providing Instruction to Distance Students Using Technology

Abstract

Bibliographic instruction is one of the major challenges facing libraries that support distance students. Most libraries have neither the budget nor staff to send librarians to all places students might be located. This paper will examine three innovative methods tried at Nova Southeastern University for providing quality bibliographic instruction to distance students: one synchronous, another asynchronous, and the third combining features from both synchronous and asynchronous methods of delivering instruction.     

Two Thousand Students,One Librarian: Balancing Depth and Breadth of Library Instruction for Online Graduate Students

Many librarians struggle with how to balance scalable instructional offerings with more personalized instruction for online students—scale tends to come at the cost of personalization and vice versa. This paper will discuss three methods for connecting with online students that range from one-to-one personalization to widely scalable instruction: individual consultations, scaffolded instructional webinars, and asynchronous video tutorials. The student engagement with each type of instruction will be discussed, with ideas for future directions provided.     

Combined Use of Online Tutorials and Hands-On Group Exercises in Bibliographic Instruction for Pharmacy Students

This study describes the new blended learning methodology implemented in a Drug Literature Evaluation course for pharmacy students that involves combined use of online tutorials and in-class group exercises. Assignment grades earned by 909 students enrolled in the course before and after the new methods were implemented (2008–2010) were studied to measure student performance. Course evaluations were analyzed in order to ascertain students’ perceptions. The hybrid approach used to deliver the course content allowed students to perform at the same level as traditional didactic teaching. Students’ evaluations reported a positive educational experience and favorable perceptions of the new course design.     

Greeting You Online: Selecting Web-Based Conferencing Tools for Instruction in E-Learning Mode

Academic distance learning programs have gained popularity and added to the demand for online library services. Librarians are now conducting instruction for distance learning students beyond their traditional work. Technology advancements have enhanced the delivery mode in distance learning across academic disciplines. Online conference tools originally designed for commercial use are now Web-based conferencing tools allowing librarians to be innovative in their service delivery, disregarding proximity barriers. This article talks about selection criteria and important features to consider when selecting e-learning instruction software. Suggestions of some free Web-based conferencing tools are provided.     

Assessing the Effectiveness of Online Library Instruction with Finance Students

ABSTRACT

Many academic librarians use online information literacy tutorials as an alternative or a supplement to in-class library instruction. Tutorials created with streaming media software such as Camtasia Studio have become increasingly popular. Librarians at a mid-sized Midwestern university have created several such tutorials demonstrating various library resources. The value of streaming-media tutorials is supported by key learning theories such as cognitive load theory, dual coding theory, and multimedia learning theory. However, studies measuring the impact of online tutorials on student learning of information-literacy skills have shown mixed results. The authors tested the effectiveness of an online information literacy tutorial on a group of undergraduate business students. About 140 students in three undergraduate finance classes rated a Value Line online tutorial. Students were also invited to complete a follow-up survey online with Blackboard. This survey measured student knowledge retention of Value Line and interest in online tutorials. The results showed that while students viewed the tutorial positively, they preferred face-to-face instruction from a librarian. Also, while most students could locate the proper links in Value Line, only 30 percent were able to successfully look up a company. Indicators point to a future for online instruction coexisting with, yet not replacing, traditional classroom library instruction.     

From Distance Education to Online Learning: Practical Approaches to Information Literacy Instruction and Collaborative Learning in Online Environments

The increasingly ubiquitous nature of online learning has necessarily changed pedagogical approaches in the 21st century. This article will present an overview of the evolution of distance learning with a particular emphasis on current models and emerging methods of instruction for online learners. The authors detail how various learning management systems and tools as well as online learning objects can be used as mechanisms for creating a platform for student investment and ownership in the learning process. Additional discussion will focus on how these methods and approaches can enhance teaching, training, and peer collaboration within the library workplace.     

Library Instruction for the Next Millennium

Abstract

The library staff, in conjunction with the Graduate School of Management and Technology (GSMT) and Undergraduate Programs (UGP), developed two online courses. The first, for GSMT, was an online, fee-based, self-paced, required course for all incoming graduate students at the University of Maryland, University College (UMUC). The second, LIBS 100, was an elective, for-credit course. The process of designing, testing, and delivering the graduate course is described. In addition, a comparison of the two course design processes is briefly reviewed. Finally, the initial survey data assessing the students' perception of the value of the graduate course is also included.     

New Tools for Online Information Literacy Instruction

This article investigates the new landscape of online information literacy tools, such as embedding resources into course management software and specific academic organizations' web sites and using podcasts, screencasts, blogs, Web-based board games, and virtual three-dimensional environments. This article also explores the influence these methods have on information literacy skills of undergraduate students.     

Enhancing Library Instruction to Undergraduates: Incorporating Online Tutorials into the Curriculum

ABSTRACT

Librarians can replace or supplement traditional in-class instruction with course-specific online tutorials. The literature demonstrates how tutorials customized for specific courses are more beneficial than tutorials on basic research skills. Many authors discuss creating online tutorials but do not design one devoted to a specific course. With increasing demand for instruction services, online tutorials can ease staffing concerns prevalent at many libraries and otherwise enhance the quality of instruction and its application to varied learning styles. Using the Blackboard course management system, the authors created an online tutorial tailored to the required World Civilizations course at the University at Buffalo. The tutorial incorporated elements of successful online tutorials described in the literature: clear terminology, a quiz for self-assessment, opportunities for active learning, and individual e-mail feedback between students and librarians, and applied them to a specific course. The authors discuss student and librarian reaction to the tutorial and make recommendations for how the tutorial can be improved and implemented in everyday instruction services.     

Using a Library Learning Object Repository to Empower Teaching Excellence for Distance Students

In 2015, in response to the findings of an online learning needs assessment, two librarians and a Web developer began creating a library learning object repository. This repository would ensure that distance learners were receiving excellent library services, including library instruction. The team worked with the libraries’ digital media specialist to create an attractive interface and consulted with one of the library’s metadata specialists to create metadata that would help to make the repository easy to search and browse. Further plans include wide-scale sharing with the larger library community and continued growth in the number and types of objects in the repository.     

Promoting Critical Thinking Skills in Online Information Literacy Instruction Using a Constructivist Approach

ABSTRACT

A constructivist approach to teaching and learning holds that the learner, through interaction and experience with an object or process, creates knowledge. Instruction based upon constructivist theory places the student at the center of the learning environment, while the instructor serves as a guide or facilitator. In direct contrast, traditional learning places the learning in a more passive role, simply mirroring or reproducing knowledge that was provided by the instructor. Constructivist theory has enjoyed a certain level of popularity in higher education as emphasis has shifted from a pedagogical framework to a more andragogical (i.e., adult and learner-centered rather than instructor-lead) one. Emphasis upon teaching critical thinking skills seems a natural fit with a constructivist-based approach to learning. Critical thinking involves the conceptualization, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and ultimate application of information so that the learner may reach conclusions or form independent judgments based upon what the learner has experienced combined with previous knowledge. The teaching of critical thinking skills using a constructivist-based approach in the field of online library instruction would be an effective means of reaching the large percentage of learners who do not participate in traditional face-to-face bibliographic instruction sessions. This is further supported by the Association of College and Research Libraries' Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education. This article will provide theoretical and philosophical arguments for constructivist-based approaches to teaching critical thinking skills online using online technologies.     

Using a Web-Based MOO for Library Instruction in Distance Education

Abstract

This institution is in the process of establishing a graphical interface, Web-based MOO [Multi-User Dungeon, Object-Oriented], both to create a forum for synchronous library instruction and to serve as an online meeting place for off-campus students, who are otherwise without a learning community. This paper describes the development of that service and outlines its strengths and weaknesses.     

Librarians Flip for Students: Teaching Searching Skills to Medical Students Using a Flipped Classroom Approach

This article describes the development of a flipped classroom instructional module designed by librarians to teach first- and second-year medical students how to search the literature and find evidence-based articles. The pre-class module consists of an online component that includes reading, videos, and exercises relating to a clinical case. The in-class sessions, designed to reinforce important concepts, include various interactive activities. The specifics of designing both components are included for other health sciences librarians interested in presenting similar instruction. Challenges encountered, particularly in the live sessions, are detailed, as are the results of evaluations submitted by the students, who largely enjoyed the online component. Future plans are contingent on solving technical problems encountered during the in-class sessions.     

Development of Targeted Online Modules for Recurring Reference Questions

When students are given assignments with specific information needs, they may turn to the library for help. The UNC Health Sciences Library developed three short online modules to teach first-year pharmacy students how to find early/animal studies, mechanism of action information, and specific study types in an effort to lessen demand on the reference desk. The modules filled two goals: to free up time that had been spent on three common low-level questions and to provide a pedagogically sound online tool to teach students how to find answers to these three questions. The modules were created using Adobe Captivate. Developing and promoting the modules took three hours of the pharmacy librarian's time compared with nearly 23 hours spent answering individual questions via e-mail, in consultations, and at the reference desk before the modules were introduced. After introducing the modules, only one student asked for help from the library compared to more than 60 who viewed the online modules at least once.     

Mapping Uncharted Territory: Launching an Online Embedded Librarian Program

ABSTRACT

Developing a strategy for embedding librarians in online courses can be challenging, but it is essential to demonstrate to accrediting agencies how libraries serve online students. A well-thought-out plan can be scalable and sustainable for rapidly growing online programs and can satisfy accreditation standards. This article examines how one small, liberal arts college developed a plan of action for an online embedded librarian program, including both the conceptual and practical aspects of launching the program: aligning library instruction with course and program learning outcomes, brainstorming strategies for embedded library instruction, and communicating the value of such a program to online teaching faculty.     

Wake up Information Literacy Instruction: Ideas for Student Engagement

In this article, three librarians from Santa Fe College, the community college winner of the 2015 ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award, share their successful work in information literacy instruction. While the ACRL award is given for overall achievement, this article focuses upon their creative and varied approaches to instruction, incorporating a wide blend of strategies to reach students across the college. Beginning with targeted approaches to virtual instruction, including broad use of the flipped classroom model, and building in active learning techniques, the librarians at Santa Fe College have built an instruction program that could serve as a model to community college libraries across the country.     

Live and Online: Using Co-Streaming to Reach Users

The increase in distance education students and the changing preferences for online instruction led the Health Sciences Library to seek creative approaches to traditional classroom instruction. Library instructors compared two different class formats: online-only classes and in-person classes with online sections. The second format, called “co-streaming,” provided instruction in traditional classroom and virtual environments at the same time. A postclass survey was used to gather users' evaluations of the instruction and the format via which it was offered. This paper examines the user response to, and satisfaction with, the co-streaming classes.     

Creating Interactive Online Instruction: The McGoogan Library Experience

Online instruction is a hot topic at academic medical centers. Seizing the opportunity to join the online movement at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), the McGoogan Library created an open access course made up of six learning modules. The modules addressed three issues: 1) supplementing one-shot library instruction, 2) offering opportunity for instruction when a librarian is not embedded in a course, and 3) showcasing the library as an online instruction supporter. This article discusses the planning process, technology used, how the modules were received, and how this initial project increased McGoogan Library's involvement in the UNMC online movement.