Undergraduate Library Instruction

Elita KalmaNancy CunninghamFebruary 21, 2007

Instructing Undergraduates: challenges for teaching librarians Not homogeneous group Age Adjunct instructors, teaching assistants

Unclear course goals Difficult to collaborate/coordinate with instructor No shared investment in IL goals

Keeping up with learning styles Games, new online tools and communication forums

Keeping the library relevant Others?

Undergraduate instruction delivery:programs, courses, forums First Year Experience

University experience, freshmen orientation, freshmen seminar

First Year Composition Undergraduate honors program Upper division research methods courses Transfer student orientations Special undergraduate events Other??

Types of instruction to undergrads One-shot, face to face, little or no

assessment Collaborative, use of standards,

assessment, multi-visit or other Online, development of online tools,

librarian has online (embedded) presence Combination?

Effective Methods for Teaching Information Literacy Skills to Undergraduate Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

A studies of the studies Objective:

What is the state of research on this topic? Which teaching methods are more effective? 4,356 citations reviewed from 15 databases 122 unique studies, 55 selected for analysis

Majority published in College & Research Libraries, Research Strategies, and Journal of Academic Libarianship (1963-2005)

Hypotheses: Instruction that is taught by a librarian face-to-face is more

effective than instruction that is computer-based. Instruction that encourages active participation from

students is more effective than passive instructional modes, such as lectures, and demonstrations.

Study Results Traditional Instruction (face to face)

Lack of comparative research to determine effectiveness versus other methods

However, this instructional method is better than none at all

Computer-assisted instruction Just as effective as traditional teaching methods

Self-directed, independent learning As effective as traditional, more effective than no

instruction Active learning

Studies pertaining to this methods were not conclusive

Summary results “..current research in our field does not

highlight any particular teaching method as being more effective than any other teaching method. While individual studies have compared different teaching methods directly, not enough of them have compared those teaching methods in a meaningful way.”

Is online or in-class instruction more effective for undergrads Article

James Nichols, Barbara Shaffer, and Karen Shockey Changing the Face of Instruction: Is Online or In-class More

Effective? College & Research Libraries 64 no5 378-88 S 2003 64 students The results of this study confirmed the authors'

hypotheses that students learn as much from an online tutorial as from traditional in-class instruction and that they are satisfied with online instruction.

Subject specific undergrad IL Information Literacy Instructional Objectives for Undergraduate

Music Students: a Project of the Music Library Association, Bibliographic Instruction Subcommittee

Author:Cary, Paul; Sampsel, Laurie J. Journal: Notes

Planning, Delivery and Evaluation of Information Literacy Training for Engineering and Technology Students

Author:Palmer, Stuart; Tucker, Barry Journal:Y

A study of information literacy competency of undergraduate students in the field of communication. Author Ke, Yun-Er, National Chengchi University, Taiwan Source Bulletin of Library and Information Science, no. 56, pp. 96-116, Feb 2006

New environments for undergrads Information Commons The electronic academic library: undergraduate research behavior

in a library without books Author Van Scoyoc, Anna M; Cason, Caroline Source Portal: Libraries and the Academy; 6 (1) Jan 2006, pp.47-58 “..goal of this study was to examine undergraduate students’ research

habits in the electronic library and to discover what types of online resources students used.”

884 surveys of undergraduates “This study finds that undergraduate students in this electronic library

rely primarily on Internet sites and online instruction modules (for example Blackboard or WebCT) for their research needs rather than university-funded research sources. Additionally, academic class status has no significant impact on whether students use either the library's OPAC or the university-funded electronic databases for their research needs.”

Are tutorials better for undergrads? Title: Using interactive technology to teach information literacy

concepts to undergraduate students Author(s): Annie Armstrong, Helen Georgas Journal: Reference Services Review

Year: 2006 Volume: 34 Issue: 4 Page: 491 – 497 Abstract: The purpose of the paper is to measure the

effectiveness of a highly interactive animated tutorial that aims to teach basic information literacy concepts to undergraduates and to determine which factors enhance online learning.

Design/methodology/approach – The tutorial was evaluated using 30 undergraduate students. Each test consisted of a pre-tutorial questionnaire and a post-tutorial questionnaire.

Findings – Data from the evaluative testing of the tutorial shows that the tutorial is effective in imparting information literacy concepts to undergraduate students. Students responded positively to the interactivity and game-like nature of the tutorial.

Creative assignment resources ACRL’s Primo (Peer-Reviewed Instructional

Materials Online Database)

Effective Assignments UsingLibrary and Internet Resources http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/assignments.html

Educator’s Reference Desk Others?

Opportunities for collaboration Subject specialists as departmental

liaisons Learning Communities

What is your experience?

Innovative and creative ideas “Mystery” library tours Dorm hall librarians Gaming Video orientations Using pop culture to teach IL concepts

Behen, Linda D. (2006). Using pop culture to teach information literacy. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Using TV shows (i.e., Survivor, American Idol)

ResourcesTitle: Effective Methods for Teaching Information Literacy Skills to Undergraduate Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Author:Koufogiannakis, Denise; Wiebe, Natasha

Journal:Evidence Based Library and Information PracticeSource:Evidence Based Library and Information Practice v. 1 no. 3 (2006) p. 3-43

Conferences National Resources Center for the First

Year Experience and Students in Transition Publications: The Role of the Library in the First College Year Conference on the First Year Experience

LOEX ACRL ALA