Online Information Competence Tutorials: Influencing Change in Traditional Library Classrooms

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Online Information Competence Tutorials
Influencing Change in Traditional Library
Classrooms

• Pamela Jackson and Charity Hope
• San José State University Library
• California Library Associations Annual
  ConventionNovember 14, 2004San Jose, CA

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Abstract

• Online library tutorials allow students to learn
  important information competence skills at their
  own pace outside of traditional class time.
  Online tutorials provide a common foundation
  among students, and allow librarians to make
  classroom library instruction sessions more
  student-centered and advanced.

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Concepts Taught via Information Competence
Tutorials

• General orientation to the librarys physical and
  online environments
• Defining a research topic selecting search terms
• Selecting, searching for and evaluating
  information
• Identifying popular and scholarly literature
• Understanding and recognizing primary research
• Plagiarism

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Two Case StudiesBefore and After Integration of
Online Tutorials

• Science 2
• Computer Science 100w

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Measuring Student Learning

• Pre-tests measure student knowledge before taking
  the tutorial.
• Quizzes at the end of each module or tutorial
  test students knowledge after completing the
  tutorial.
• Quiz data shows scores by class, student,
  semester (includes class averages and scores by
  question).

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Science 2 SUCCESS IN SCIENCE

• Academic Boot Camp designed to introduce
  entering science majors at SJSU to University
  life
• Strongly Recommended -- 1/3 to ½ of the
  entering science freshmen enroll
• Apx. 200 students each Fall semester

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Information Literacy Before Tutorial Era

• Lecture handouts
• Modest goals to connect students to the library
  and librarian
• Librarian delivered basic library info

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After Integrating Tutorials

• 2 online tutorials lecture QAs lab
  activities
• InfoPower - week
• Plagiarism The crime of Intellectual Kidnapping
  - week
• Lecture - week
• Class-customized handout (based on quiz results
  and class questions)
• Lab Group Activity - week

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Expanded Goals

• Basic library info PLUS
• Foundation of Infolit skills and avoiding
  plagiarism
• Advanced Infolit topics - Structure of Scientific
  Information and the Deep Web
• Student groups practice searching and evaluation
  in structured, totally hands-on activity labs

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Benefits

• More instruction opportunities more content
  more reinforcement
• Multimode
• listening, reading, hands-on
• online and offline
• group and individual
• More emphasis on advanced, transferable skills
• What kind of info do I need?
• Evaluating information

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Computer Science 100w

• Required Technical Writing Course for the CS
  major
• Apx. 150 juniors and seniors each semester

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InfoLit Requirement of the Course

• Library instruction session is a required
  component of the course
• Librarian teaches a 75-minute instruction session
  during the third week of classes each semester
• Instruction sessions are taught during regular
  class time
• Student attendance and participation is mandatory

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Pre-Tutorial Instruction Sessions

• Primarily lecture-based format
• Brief introduction to the library and services
• What you need determines where you look
• The invisible web
• Database demonstration for Engineering Village 2
• 10-15 minutes at the end for hands-on searching

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Introduction of Online Tutorials

• Students required to take two online tutorials
  and submit their scores before the instruction
  session begins
• InfoPower
• Plagiarism The Crime of Intellectual Kidnapping

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Instruction Sessions with Online Tutorials

• Almost entirely hands-on
• Brief introduction to the library (5 minutes)
• Identifying primary research (20 mins)
• Finding the full-text (10 minutes)
• Developing a search strategy and hands-on
  searching for articles (40 minutes)

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Change in Reference-by-appointment Questions

• Before
• High number of technical questions, such as how
  to find the full-text
• After
• Higher-level critical thinking questions on
  evaluating resources and refining search
  strategies

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Impact Summary

• Basics covered before instruction sessions
• Student quiz results impact in-person instruction
• Progressive reinforcement of Infolit skills
• Librarian time student-centered and advanced
• No time savings, but bigger rewards