scholarly journals Developing information literacy skills in elementary students using the web-based Inquiry Strategies for the Information Society of the Twenty-First (ISIS-21) Century

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Anne C. Wade ◽  
Larysa Lysenko ◽  
Philip C. Abrami

This study was undertaken to learn about the impact of using the web-based Inquiry Strategies for the Information Society of the Twenty-First Century (ISIS-21), software developed by the authors, to improve the information literacy (IL) skills of late elementary students (10-12 years). Using a series of multi-media and learning strategies design principles, ISIS-21 was designed to be used in late elementary classrooms given the gap in children’s IL skills and the increasing importance for individuals to be critical consumers of information, particularly when using Internet-based environments. An exploratory, two-phase field trial was conducted in English schools in a central province of Canada. In both phases the research design was a one-group, pretest-posttest where data were collected from 150 students at the baseline and after the use of ISIS-21 for completion of an inquiry project. Teacher self-reports were also collected. The results were encouraging as we were able to establish the feasibility and importance of using ISIS-21 in classrooms to promote the development of IL skills in late elementary students.

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma Lei Hsieh ◽  
Patricia H. Dawson ◽  
Michael T. Carlin

Objective – Librarians at Rider University attempted to discern the basic information literacy (IL) skills of students over a two year period (2009-2011). This study aims to explore the impact of one-session information literacy instruction on student acquisition of the information literacy skills of identifying information and accessing information using a pretest/posttest design at a single institution. The research questions include: Do different student populations (in different class years, Honors students, etc.) possess different levels of IL? Does the frequency of prior IL Instruction (ILI) make a difference? Do students improve their IL skills after the ILI? Methods – The librarians at Rider University developed the test instruments over two years and administered them to students attending the ILI sessions each semester. The test was given to students as they entered the classroom before the official start-time of the class, and the test was stopped five minutes into the class. A pretest with five questions was developed from the 1st ACRL IL Standards. A few demographic questions were added. This pretest was used in fall 2009. In spring 2010, a second pretest was developed with five questions on the 2nd ACRL IL Standards. Students of all class years who attended ILI sessions took the pretests. In 2010-2011, the pretest combining the 10 questions used in the previous year was administered to classes taking the required CMP-125 Research Writing and the BHP-150 Honors Seminar courses. An identical posttest was given to those classes that returned for a follow-up session. Only the scores from students taking both pretests and posttests were used to compare learning outcomes. Results – Participants’ basic levels of IL skills were relatively low. Their skills in identifying needed resources (ACRL IL Standards 1) were higher than those related to information access (ACRL IL Standards 2). Freshmen in the Honors Seminar outperformed all other Rider students. No differences were found in different class years or with varying frequencies of prior IL training. In 2010-2011, students improved significantly in a few IL concepts after the ILI, but overall gains were limited. Limitations – Many limitations are present in this study, including the challenge of developing ideal test questions and that the pretest was administered to a wide variety of classes. Also not all the IL concepts in the test were adequately addressed in these sessions. These factors would have affected the results. Conclusions – The results defy a common assumption that students’ levels of IL proficiency correlate with their class years and the frequency of prior ILI in college. These findings fill a gap in the literature by supporting the anecdote that students do not retain or transfer their IL skills in the long term. The results raise an important question as to what can be done to help students more effectively learn and retain IL in college. The authors offer strategies to improve instruction and assessment, including experimenting with different pedagogies and creating different posttests for spring 2012.


2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (91) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Everest ◽  
Marie Scopes ◽  
John Taylor

Leeds Metropolitan University chose the theme of learner support and centred our objectives around information literacy skills. This is because of our recent work in developing an Information Literacy Framework which articulates what information literacy is and how we can integrate it into students' learning. It was developed by Learning Advisers in response to the growth in the amount and availability of information, the need for information literacy in engaging effectively in independent learning and the great diversity in the level of students' information skills.


2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Markey ◽  
Fritz Swanson ◽  
Andrea Jenkins ◽  
Brian J. Jennings ◽  
Beth St. Jean ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanette Lai ◽  
Deep Khosa ◽  
Andria Jones-Bitton ◽  
Cate E Dewey

BACKGROUND Although searching for health information on the internet has offered clear benefits of rapid access to information for seekers such as patients, medical practitioners, and students, detrimental effects on seekers’ experiences have also been documented. Health information overload is one such side effect, where an information seeker receives excessive volumes of potentially useful health-related messages that cannot be processed in a timely manner. This phenomenon has been documented among medical professionals, with consequences that include impacts on patient care. Presently, the use of the internet for health-related information, and particularly animal health information, in veterinary students has received far less research attention. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to explore veterinary students’ internet search experiences to understand how students perceived the nature of Web-based information and how these perceptions influence their information management. METHODS For this qualitative exploratory study, 5 separate focus groups and a single interview were conducted between June and October 2016 with a sample of 21 veterinary students in Ontario, Canada. RESULTS Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts demonstrated one overarching theme, <italic>The Overwhelming Nature of the Internet</italic>, depicted by two subthemes: <italic>Volume and Type of Web-based Health Information</italic> and <italic>Processing, Managing, and Evaluating Information</italic>. CONCLUSIONS Integrating electronic health information literacy training into human health sciences students’ training has shown to have positive effects on information management skills. Given a recent Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges report that considers health literacy as a professional competency, results of this study point to a direction for future research and for institutions to contemplate integrating information literacy skills in veterinary curricula. Specifically, we propose that the information literacy skills should include knowledge about access, retrieval, evaluation, and timely application of Web-based information.


2021 ◽  
pp. 207-216
Author(s):  
Linda Selby ◽  
Maureen Trebilcock

The Centre for Information Studies at Auckland College of Education has delivered a range of courses to primary, intermediate and secondary teachers throughout New Zealand since 1991 using distance delivery methods. The courses have focused on designing strategies, frameworks and learning experiences that enhance information literacy in classrooms. These papers credit to one of three specialist diplomas: the Diploma of Teacher Librarianship; the Diploma of Information Studies; or, the Diploma of Information Technology. The course referred to in this paper is called Telelearning. It was converted to web-based delivery in 1999. The main considerations in the conversion of the course were to maintain the original course aim and objectives, to ensure adequate support for the students in their use of the technology, and to make sure that the use of the technology actually added value to the learning process.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Elizabeth Donahue

Abstract Objective – The aim was to measure the impact of a peer-to-peer model on information literacy skill-building among first-year students at a small commuter college in the United States. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is the state’s flagship public university and UNH Manchester is one of its seven colleges. This study contributed to a program evaluation of the Research Mentor Program at UNH Manchester whereby peer writing tutors are trained in basic library research skills to support first-year students throughout the research and writing process. Methods – The methodology employed a locally developed pre-test/post-test instrument with fixed-choice and open-ended questions to measure students’ knowledge of the library research process. Anonymized data was collected using an online survey with SurveyMonkey™ software. A rubric was developed to score the responses to open-ended questions. Results – The study indicated a positive progression toward increased learning for the three information literacy skills targeted: 1) using library resources correctly, 2) building effective search strategies, and 3) evaluating sources appropriately. Students scored higher in the fixed-choice questions than the open-ended ones, demonstrating their ability to more effectively identify the applicable information literacy skill than use the language of information literacy to describe their own research behavior. Conclusions – The assessment methodology used was an assortment of low-key, locally-developed instruments that provided timely data to measure students understanding of concepts taught and to apply those concepts correctly. Although the conclusions are not generalizable to other institutions, the findings were a valuable component of an ongoing program evaluation. Further assessment measuring student performance would strengthen the conclusions attained in this study.


10.2196/13795 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. e13795
Author(s):  
Nanette Lai ◽  
Deep Khosa ◽  
Andria Jones-Bitton ◽  
Cate E Dewey

Background Although searching for health information on the internet has offered clear benefits of rapid access to information for seekers such as patients, medical practitioners, and students, detrimental effects on seekers’ experiences have also been documented. Health information overload is one such side effect, where an information seeker receives excessive volumes of potentially useful health-related messages that cannot be processed in a timely manner. This phenomenon has been documented among medical professionals, with consequences that include impacts on patient care. Presently, the use of the internet for health-related information, and particularly animal health information, in veterinary students has received far less research attention. Objective The purpose of this study was to explore veterinary students’ internet search experiences to understand how students perceived the nature of Web-based information and how these perceptions influence their information management. Methods For this qualitative exploratory study, 5 separate focus groups and a single interview were conducted between June and October 2016 with a sample of 21 veterinary students in Ontario, Canada. Results Thematic analysis of focus group transcripts demonstrated one overarching theme, The Overwhelming Nature of the Internet, depicted by two subthemes: Volume and Type of Web-based Health Information and Processing, Managing, and Evaluating Information. Conclusions Integrating electronic health information literacy training into human health sciences students’ training has shown to have positive effects on information management skills. Given a recent Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges report that considers health literacy as a professional competency, results of this study point to a direction for future research and for institutions to contemplate integrating information literacy skills in veterinary curricula. Specifically, we propose that the information literacy skills should include knowledge about access, retrieval, evaluation, and timely application of Web-based information.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 16-27
Author(s):  
Mohd Nasir Ismail ◽  
Nurfaezah Mamat

The purpose of this study is to design and develop a multimedia web-based constructivist learning application known as WebOPAC Self Training Tool with Guided Exploration (WSTTG) which is expected to train and access individual’s information literacy skills. This tool has been designed and developed according to the constructivist instructional design theories and constructivist instructional development model. The process design consists of four level processes which were component design, single path prototype, alpha version and beta version. The development process ended with four activities which were summative evaluation, final packaging, diffusion and adoption. Throughout the design and development process, there were two instructional designers and two subject matter experts were participated to review and evaluate the design components of the WSTTG. Three potential learners were also participated to evaluate the beta version prototype whether it is appropriately apply to their learning context. The repetition of reviewing the alpha and beta version prototypes lasted when there were no comments found during the final evaluation. Overall, all experts and learners were satisfied with the interface, surface characteristics, scenario, and instructional strategies used in the prototype after consideration on comments and suggestions have been made accordingly. This tool was recommended to be commercialized as an instructional strategy for library orientation program and to be used by both the librarians and library users for WebOPAC teaching and learning purposes. The design and development of this tool could be a guideline to future instructional designers, web developers and e-learning content specialist in developing a multimedia web-based constructivist application in various fields.


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