This document summarizes a webinar on new models for credit-bearing information literacy courses. The webinar included presentations from librarians at Boise State University and University at Buffalo. At Boise State, the library course evolved from a self-paced online course to include collaborative projects between the library and writing program. A key collaboration was the PoWeR program, which paired the library course with a writing course. Assessment found student research skills improved through this collaboration. At Buffalo, the library course uses case studies and has expanded to include discipline-specific sections to target different academic programs. The webinar discussed factors driving changes in library instruction and different approaches to credit-bearing information literacy courses.
New Models for Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Courses
1. New Models for Credit-Bearing
Information Literacy Courses
ACRL e-Learning Webcast, March 15, 2011
2. Presenters
Kim Leeder: Librarian/Assistant
Professor, Boise State University
Sara Seely: Librarian/Assistant
Professor, Boise State University
Christopher Hollister: Associate
Librarian, University at Buffalo
3. Welcome!
Road map for today’s
webinar:
1. Introduction
2. Change & the new IL
course
3. Case Studies: Boise
State and U Buffalo
4. Discussion
Image: Scorpions and Centaurs on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sshb/4087836286/
4. We want to know about you.
Please answer the following question using Elluminate’s
polling choices below the participant list at left.
Are you currently teaching a for-
credit information literacy course?
• Yes: click the green checkmark
• No: click the red X
5. We want to know about you.
Please answer the following question using Elluminate’s
polling choices below the participant list at left.
How long has your library been
teaching a for-credit information
literacy course?
A: 1-5 years
B: 6-10 years
C: 11-15 years
D: We don’t teach one (yet)
6. We want to know about you.
Please answer the following question using Elluminate’s
polling choices below the participant list at left.
What has been the major change in
your library’s for-credit information
literacy course over time?
A: Content
B: Delivery method
C: Audience
D: All of the above
8. Change & the new IL course
Students
• Learning styles & engagement
• Expectations
• Information literacy/illiteracy
• Emerging literacy
9. Change & the new IL course (cont.)
Institutions
• Accreditation
• Budgets
• Curricula
• General education
• Academic programs
• Individual disciplines
10. Change & the new IL course (cont.)
Libraries/librarians
• Professional role
• Institutional role
• Staffing/budgets
11. Change & the new IL course (cont.)
Technology
• Distance, online, hybrid
• Courseware
• Multimedia
• Web communication tools
• Social software/networking
• Instructional technology
12. Change & the new IL course (cont.)
Challenges
• Staffing
• Budgets
• Technology
• Support
• Continuing education & improvement
13. We want to hear from you.
Please answer the following question using Elluminate’s
polling choices below the participant list at left.
Which of these factors do you feel
has had the most impact on your
teaching?
A: Students
B: Institutions
C: Libraries/librarians
D: Technology
14. The Boise State experience
A microcosm of changes in the
library instruction world.
16. University 106: History & Context
1 credit, since 1973,
“Library Skills”
Originally a paper, self-
paced course
Later migrated online
Image: Lewis & Clark College Visual Resources on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15388497@N02/3333084687/
17. University 106: History & Context
“Get it all right”
approach to
learning
Worksheets must be
completed correctly
to pass
Numerous attempts
possible
Image: rkeohane on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkeohane/104512355/
18. University 106: History & Context
Student
audience
=
varied
Image: maistora on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkeohane/104512355/
19. University 106: History & Context
Required by a few
random majors (Marketing, Radiology)
New students
Seniors needing 1
more credit
150 cap
20. Curriculum update (2008)
Course retitled, new
focus: “Library
Research”
Course goals
updated, aligned to
ACRL standards
Photobywarrenski,http://www.flickr.com/photos/warrenski/5026666309/
21. Curriculum update (2008)
New approaches
Blackboard
In-person sections
Discipline- and College-
oriented sections
What haven’t we tried?
22. Curriculum update (2008)
Increasing collaboration with
First-Year Writing Program
Image: Clearly Ambiguous on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/401400171/
25. PoWeR Institutes
3 Saturdays in Fall 2009
Developed a research curriculum
Based on Engl102 & Univ106 learning outcomes
Series of 16 modules (topic selection, keywords)
Paired librarians and English faculty
Offered 20 PoWeR sections in Spring 2010
26. PoWeR courses
PoWeR Univ106 taught fully online
Librarians developed video tutorial skills
Online teaching skills
Student experience
Weekly online research assignments
In-class workshops
Consultations with librarian
27. Best practices for pairing courses
Build bridges between course content
Instructor communication strategies
Accommodate in-person learners
Use shared assignments (annotated bib)
Individualize instruction
Challenges/Benefits
28. Portfolio assessment
Requested 3 portfolios of student work from
all English 102 courses
Collected and reviewed approximately 12%
of student portfolios (210 portfolios)
2 independent readings of each portfolio
31. Rubric criteria
Cover letter prompts:
•Please discuss your research processes. How does your research
process affect your writing as you move through a project? How has
your research process changed over the semester?
•What research strategies have you developed this semester?
Please describe them.
Cover letter prompts:
•Please discuss your research processes. How does your research
process affect your writing as you move through a project? How has
your research process changed over the semester?
•What research strategies have you developed this semester?
Please describe them.
37. Next steps at BSU
Continued PoWeR experimentation
Variations in pairings
PoWeR Institute focused on E-Textbook
integration
Discipline-specific
Health Sciences
STEM resources
Marketing resources
39. The University at Buffalo
experience
ULC 257: Library Research Methods
40. University at Buffalo
ULC 257: Library Research Methods
Two credits
Since 2003
General Education Program, elective
University Learning Center
Two sections per semester
41. University at Buffalo
Case study teaching (definition)
“…chunk of reality” used for instructional
purposes
“…derived from preexisting materials…”
42. University at Buffalo
Case study teaching (requirements)
Specific learning outcomes
Real world scenarios
Meaningful, relevant, and understandable
43. University at Buffalo
Case study teaching (components)
The case itself
Case questions
Small group work
Debriefing
44. University at Buffalo
Case study teaching (purpose)
Active learning
Critical thinking
Published evidence
Refreshed instructors
45. University at Buffalo
Case study teaching (results)
Improved test scores
Improved final grades
Improved course evaluations
46. University at Buffalo
ULC 257 Digital Archive
Showcase for students’ research projects
Ongoing exhibit
Wiki platform
47. University at Buffalo
ULC 257 Digital Archive (results)
Student expectations & effective instruction
Ongoing exhibit
Undergraduate student research initiative
Student portfolios
Demonstrated initiative; higher caliber projects
Instructor/student collaboration
Effective monitoring
48. University at Buffalo
ULC 257: Library Research Methods
Discipline specific sections
Credit IL course for the Department of
Chemistry
Moodle
50. General Q&A / The end
Thank you!
Find this presentation at:
http://slidesha.re/creditbearing
51. Selected Bibliography
ALL AREAS OF THE CREDIT IL COURSE
Hollister, Christopher, ed. Best Practices for Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Courses. (Chicago: Association of College &
Research Libraries, 2010).
TARGETED STUDENT GROUPS
Bagnole, J., & Miller, J. (2003). An Interactive Information Literacy Course for International Students: A Practical Blueprint for ESL
Learners. TESL-EJ, 6(4), Retrieved from ERIC database.
Nims, J. K., Andrew, A., Eastern Michigan University., & National LOEX Library Instruction Conference. (2002). First impressions,
lasting impact: Introducing the first year student to the academic library. Library orientation series, no. 32. Ann Arbor, MI:
Published for Learning Resources and Technologies, Eastern Michigan University by Pierian Press.
Snavely, L., & Wright, C. (2003). Research Portfolio Use in Undergraduate Honors Education: Assessment Tool and Model for Future
Work. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(5), 298-303. doi: 10.1016/S0099-1333(03)00069-7
Sugarman, Tammy S., and Laura G. Burtle. "From 50 Minutes to 15 Weeks: Teaching a Semester-Long Information Literacy Course
Within a Freshman Learning Community" Integrating information literacy into the college experience. Pierian Press, 2003. Library
Lit & Inf Full Text. Web. 6 July 2010.
TARGETED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Durando, P., & Oakley, P. (2005). Developing information literacy skills in nursing and rehabilitation therapy students. Journal of the
Canadian Health Libraries Association (JCHLA), 26(1), 7-11. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology
Abstracts database.
Mulherrin, E., Kelley, K., Fishman, D., & Orr, G. (2004). Information Literacy and the Distant Student: One University's Experience
Developing, Delivering, and Maintaining an Online, Required Information Literacy Course. Internet Reference Services Quarterly,
9(1/2), 21-36. doi:10.1300/J136v09n01•03.
Scales, J., Matthews, G., & Johnson, C. (2005). Compliance, Cooperation, Collaboration and Information Literacy. Journal of
Academic Librarianship, 31(3), 229-235. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
Stephenson, E., & Caravello, P. (2007). Incorporating data literacy into undergraduate information literacy programs in the social
sciences. Reference Services Review, 35(4), 525-540. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts
database.
Stylianopoulos, L. (2003). It’s All in the Company You Keep: Library Skills Credit Courses in the Art Library. Art Documentation, 22(1),
29-32. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.
52. Selected Bibliography
DEPARTMENTAL COLLABORATIONS
Goebel, N., & Neff, P. (2007). INFORMATION LITERACY AT AUGUSTANA. Communications in Information Literacy, 1(1), 6-15.
Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
IMPROVED / INNOVATIVE TEACHING
Allen, M. (2008). Promoting Critical Thinking Skills in Online Information Literacy Instruction Using a Constructivist Approach. College
& Undergraduate Libraries, 15(1/2), 21-38. doi:10.1080/10691310802176780.
Frantz, P. (2002). A scenario-based approach to credit course instruction. Reference Services Review, 30(1), 37-42. doi:
10.1108/00907320210416528.
Hegarty, N., Carbery, A., & Hurley, T. (2009). Learning by Doing: Re-designing the First Year Information Literacy Programme at
Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) Libraries. Journal of Information Literacy, 3(2), 73-87. Retrieved from Library,
Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
Hollister, C. Making the Case for Enhanced Learning: Using Case Studies in a Credit-Bearing Library Course. In E. Connor (Ed.), An
Introduction to Instructional Services in Academic Libraries (pp. 95-105). New York: Haworth.
Johnson, W. (2007). The Application of Learning Theory to Information Literacy. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 14(4), 103-120.
doi:10.1080/10691310802128435.
Sharma, S. (2007). From Chaos to Clarity: Using the Research Portfolio to Teach and Assess Information Literacy Skills. Journal of
Academic Librarianship, 33(1), 127-35. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.
Williams, J., & Chinn, S. (2009). Using Web 2.0 to Support the Active Learning Experience. Journal of Information Systems Education,
20(2), 165-174. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
ASSESSMENT
Burkhardt, J.M. (2007). Assessing Library Skills: A First Step to Information Literacy. Portal : Libraries and the Academy, 7(1), 25-
34,36,44-49. Retrieved July 6, 2010, from ProQuest Central. (Document ID: 1205768831).
Oakleaf, M. (2009). The information literacy instruction assessment cycle: A guide for increasing student learning and improving
librarian instructional skills. Journal of Documentation, 65(4), 539-560. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology
Abstracts database.
53. Selected Bibliography
PORTFOLIO STRUCTURE
Walsh, T. & Hollister, C. (2009). Creating a Digital Archive for Students' Research in a Credit Library Course. Reference & User
Services Quarterly 48 (4), 391-400.
TECHNOLOGY
Burkhardt, J., Kinnie, J., & Cournoyer, C. (2008). Information Literacy Successes Compared: Online vs. Face to Face. Journal of
Library Administration, 48(3/4), 379-389.
Chen, H., & Williams, J. (2009). Pedagogical Design for an Online Information Literacy Course: College Students' Learning Experience
with Multi-Modal Objects. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 33(1/2), 1-37. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf
Full Text database.
Chen, H., & Williams, J. (2009). Use of multi-modal media and tools in an online information literacy course: College students' attitudes
and perceptions. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 35(1), 14-24.
Jacobs, W. (2007). Online Discussion in a Hybrid Information Literacy Credit Course. Education Libraries, 30(2), 18-26.
54. Switch to Chat Discussion
We’ll now begin a presenter-moderated chat
discussion of for-credit instruction models.
Please switch your screen to Elluminate’s “Wide
Layout” to expand your chat box.
Notas del editor
[Kim]
[Kim]
[Kim]
[Kim]
[Kim]
[Kim]
[Chris]
-New/evolving learning styles (technology); new learning theory (connectivism); new methods of engagement (The Motivational Triangle, Indiana U. South Bend; constructivism for distance learners, Suffolk County Comm. Coll.; collaborative learning, Penn State)
-Expectations (technology)
-IL/illiteracy (ETS study, Chronicle of Higher Ed. article)
-Emerging literacy (visual, technological, semiotics)
[Chris]
-Accreditation: IL increasingly recognized
-Budgets: Significant impact (U. Buffalo, 30% in 3 years)
-Curricula: 1. Gen Ed reviews across the country; increasing integration of IL development and credit IL courses (online credit IL course merged with freshman writing program, U. Arizona; 2. Programs designed for student engagement and retention (learning community, U. Baltimore); 3. Disciplines recognizing IL and adopting IL standards (IL course for engineering school, U. Wisconsin –Madison; required IL courses for criminal justice and speech language therapy, U. Northern Colorado)
[Chris]
-Professional: Teaching (AARL article); liaison responsibilities; faculty partnerships
-Institutional: More active in the educational missions and campus communities
-Staffing/budgets: More with less (U. Buffalo down 40 people in 4 years)
[Chris]
-Distance, online, hybrid: Student expectations; financial necessities; creative instruction (many institutions moving online with credit IL course; required online credit IL course for grad students, Virginia Tech)
-Courseware: Blackboard, Angel, Moodle (open access)
-Multimedia: Student expectations & engagement (current media sources like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, Georgia State U.)
-Web comm. tools: Student expectations & engagement; blogs & wikis (Penn State)
-Social networking: Student expectations & engagement; FB, etc. (U. Houston)
-Inst. technology: Student expectations & engagement (clickers, U Houston; SONY readers, Penn State; video games & videoconference, U. Oregon)
[Chris]
-Need for recognition of challenges, vision, strategic planning, and creative solutions (administrative support, Wake Forest)
[Chris]
[Kim]
[Kim]
I. About University 106
Taught since 1973
1 credit course
From Julia: The first library credit course was offered in Fall 1973 and was for 1 credit. The name of the course was "Special Topics-Library Skills 297." The instructor of the course was Evelyn Everts. We have the workbook from that course here in Special Collections that you're welcome to come by and view.
II. Early incarnation (1973-2008)
Course title: Library Skills
Content delivered on the library website (but still focused on print resources)
Self-paced with worksheets that must all be completed correctly to pass (numerous attempts possible)
Stand-alone course required for a few majors (Marketing, Radiology) but often taken by seniors just to get an additional credit.
150 student cap, generally full (right?)
Pass rate? Course evals?
[Kim]
I. About University 106
Taught since 1973
1 credit course
From Julia: The first library credit course was offered in Fall 1973 and was for 1 credit. The name of the course was "Special Topics-Library Skills 297." The instructor of the course was Evelyn Everts. We have the workbook from that course here in Special Collections that you're welcome to come by and view.
II. Early incarnation (1973-2008)
Course title: Library Skills
Content delivered on the library website (but still focused on print resources)
Self-paced with worksheets that must all be completed correctly to pass (numerous attempts possible)
Stand-alone course required for a few majors (Marketing, Radiology) but often taken by seniors just to get an additional credit.
150 student cap, generally full (right?)
Pass rate? Course evals?
[Kim]
I. About University 106
Taught since 1973
1 credit course
From Julia: The first library credit course was offered in Fall 1973 and was for 1 credit. The name of the course was "Special Topics-Library Skills 297." The instructor of the course was Evelyn Everts. We have the workbook from that course here in Special Collections that you're welcome to come by and view.
II. Early incarnation (1973-2008)
Course title: Library Skills
Content delivered on the library website (but still focused on print resources)
Self-paced with worksheets that must all be completed correctly to pass (numerous attempts possible)
Stand-alone course required for a few majors (Marketing, Radiology) but often taken by seniors just to get an additional credit.
150 student cap, generally full (right?)
Pass rate? Course evals?
[Kim]
I. About University 106
Taught since 1973
1 credit course
From Julia: The first library credit course was offered in Fall 1973 and was for 1 credit. The name of the course was "Special Topics-Library Skills 297." The instructor of the course was Evelyn Everts. We have the workbook from that course here in Special Collections that you're welcome to come by and view.
II. Early incarnation (1973-2008)
Course title: Library Skills
Content delivered on the library website (but still focused on print resources)
Self-paced with worksheets that must all be completed correctly to pass (numerous attempts possible)
Stand-alone course required for a few majors (Marketing, Radiology) but often taken by seniors just to get an additional credit.
150 student cap, generally full (right?)
Pass rate? Course evals?
[Kim]
I. About University 106
Taught since 1973
1 credit course
From Julia: The first library credit course was offered in Fall 1973 and was for 1 credit. The name of the course was "Special Topics-Library Skills 297." The instructor of the course was Evelyn Everts. We have the workbook from that course here in Special Collections that you're welcome to come by and view.
II. Early incarnation (1973-2008)
Course title: Library Skills
Content delivered on the library website (but still focused on print resources)
Self-paced with worksheets that must all be completed correctly to pass (numerous attempts possible)
Stand-alone course required for a few majors (Marketing, Radiology) but often taken by seniors just to get an additional credit.
150 student cap, generally full (right?)
Pass rate? Course evals?
[Kim]
III. Curriculum Update (Spring/Summer 2008)
Course retitled: Library Research
New course goals and outcomes tied to ACRL Info Lit standards
Content update in terms of technology and more conceptual, critical thinking topics
Content recreated in Blackboard
150 student cap initially maintained, then dropped to 100 in Fall 2008
First in-person sections added (Fall 2008, 2 sections)
Discipline and College oriented sections (Spr 2009) – Honors College, Marketing
Pass rates? Course evals? Registration rates?
[Kim]
III. Curriculum Update (Spring/Summer 2008)
Course retitled: Library Research
New course goals and outcomes tied to ACRL Info Lit standards
Content update in terms of technology and more conceptual, critical thinking topics
Content recreated in Blackboard
150 student cap initially maintained, then dropped to 100 in Fall 2008
First in-person sections added (Fall 2008, 2 sections)
Discipline and College oriented sections (Spr 2009) – Honors College, Marketing
Pass rates? Course evals? Registration rates?
[Kim]
III. Curriculum Update (Spring/Summer 2008)
Course retitled: Library Research
New course goals and outcomes tied to ACRL Info Lit standards
Content update in terms of technology and more conceptual, critical thinking topics
Content recreated in Blackboard
150 student cap initially maintained, then dropped to 100 in Fall 2008
First in-person sections added (Fall 2008, 2 sections)
Discipline and College oriented sections (Spr 2009) – Honors College, Marketing
Pass rates? Course evals? Registration rates?
[Sara]
We launched the Project Writing and Research (PoWeR) in spring 2009, which was a pilot program that paired individual University 106 and English 102 courses as corequisites. University 106 was taught fully online and acted as a lab, and Kim and I worked with the English instructors to develop a tailored Univ106 curriculum that supported the research-based writing assignments in the specific English 102 courses we were working with.
Kim and I had been teaching stand-alone sections of Univ106 for several semesters and had felt constrained by the scope of a one-credit class. The assignments and activities we assigned were not substantial enough to provide students an opportunity to fully incorporate the information literacy learning outcomes we had established for first-year students. At the same time, English 102 instructors and librarians were looking for new ways to provide enhanced research instruction for English 102 courses – we all wanted to move beyond the one-shot workshops. So pairing with English 102 was a good fit because we had an established relationship with the course and the learning outcomes for both courses were already in alignment.
[Sara]
Developing effective PoWeR courses required deep collaboration with the First Year Writing Program. In order to expand our offerings we looked for funding and with the support of a grant we were able to host a series of institutes that paired librarians with English faculty to develop increasingly synchronized syllabi. The grant also supported librarians to develop video tutorials to enhance and streamline our information literacy curriculum. Throughout this process we kept our students in view – each piece of our curriculum (from video tutorials to activities to assignments) was developed with student learning in mind.
[Sara]
Modules determined based on the learning outcomes for Englis102 and University106. We asked ourselves, what will students need to know and be able to do.
Librarians and English faculty combined their course schedules and selected modules to use from the 16 that we developed.
[Sara]
Created video tutorials to support the new curriculum.
Training workshops for librarians over the fall on video creation and online teaching.
We wanted the online learning experience to be welcoming and engaging for students.
We also wanted to have contact with students.
[Sara] We debriefed at the end of the semester and brainstormed a list of best practices. [Share link to strategies for each]
[Sara]
We wanted to see what student research practices looked like as evidenced in their writing. And we wondered whether the additional instruction impacted student learning.
Focused assessment on research practices.
We have developed an assessment rubric over the past 3 semesters based on the revised English 102 outcomes.
This rubric also dovetails with with the LEAP learning outcomes for (Liberal Education & America’s Promise – Association of American Colleges & Universities) Information Literacy [VALUE]
Student writing portfolios include a cover letter with standardized prompts. The cover letter prompts ask students to reflect on their research and writing process.
Spring 2010
77% of PoWeR portfolios scored overall as proficient or highly proficient
[Sara]
English 102 PoWeR portfolios were between 8% and 19% more likely than their mainstream counterparts to be ranked as proficient in these specific areas of research
PoWeR portfolios were particularly strong in the writers’ abilities to describe their research strategies.
[Sara]
When we asked University 106 students in stand-alone and PoWeR whether THIS COURSE HELPED ME TO DEVELOP THE SKILLS TO SUCCESSFULLY... perform specific tasks, such as evaluating web resources or getting research help, PoWeR students were more likely to agree.
So, students are telling us that the PoWeR courses are better helping them to meet the course learning objectives.
[Kim]
[Kim]
Increased emphasis on video & online resources for teaching
Scalability
We’ve published our collaboratively developed curriculum as an E-Textbook that includes our video tutorials. The instructor edition also hosts suggested activities and assessments. At this point in the project we’re using Springshare’s Libguides to publish it.
[Kim]
VI. Upcoming University 106 offerings
Continued PoWeR experimentation
Variations in pairings (open sections)
PoWeR Institute focused on E-Textbook integration
Discipline-specific for required majors
[Kim, Sara]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Chris]
[Kim]
Transition from presentation to chat discussion