Integrating Information Literacy into an Online Graduate Course

1. Integrating Information Literacy into an Online Graduate Course Ted Jones, Associate Professor of Mass Communication DeAnne Luck, Electronic Resources Librarian Lori Buchanan, User Education Librarian Austin Peay State University

2. The “Virtual” University “Each university that links up with others to create a virtual university will be stripped to its essence. It will contribute only what it regards as its core competencies….It will mix and match what it does best with the best of other universities…”

3. Multimedia Literacy Students learn about the role of electronic media in acquiring, structuring, analyzing and synthesizing information via • Information Literacy Readings/Discussions • Group Website Design and Construction • Individual Web Portfolio Project

4. Selected Local Partnerships http://library.apsu.edu/library/3_5.htm

5. ACRL Information Literacy Standards All Five Standards Are Addressed • Need • Access • Evaluation • Use • Ethics/Legality

6. Using Information Legally & Ethically

7. Readings & Discussion Threads

8. Accessing Information

9. Evaluating Information

10. Web-based Information Discussion compared to print, students found web-based information • More Accessible • More Understandable • Quality comparable in some cases …but

11. Web-based Information Discussion they also stated that the Web held • Too much information • Accuracy was questionable • Web-based library databases were better

12. Instructor Feedback about fee-based and free web information sources “…Many free and fee web-based information sources are available through your university library’s website. Libraries are shifting to providing access, because they can no longer afford to own all the needed materials. The APSU Library is adding new databases and electronic books all the time in our efforts to provide access...”

13. Discussion about Evaluation when evaluating sources, students considered • Publisher or author • Information updates • Accuracy of information • Confirm information elsewhere • Consider purpose of the site • “Seal of approval” from watchgroup • Timely response to email query

14. Annotations Assignment

15. Selected Local Partnerships

16. Presenting Multimedia in the Web Environment • Students work in groups to create a web site • Assignments focus on planning, not HTML • Web usability principles (information seeking behaviors) • Defining site’s mission, audience, content • Organization and navigation • Creating content unique to the web

17. Information Literacy Standards • Covers standard four: Use • Performance indicator 1: “…applies new and prior information to the planning and creation of a particular product or performance.” • Performance indicator 3: “…communicates the product or performance effectively to others.” • Also touches on the other 4 standards

18. Principles of web design, organization of information, and accessibilityhttp://library.apsu.edu/library/luckdl/multimedia.htm

19. Student comments • I like the others would have to agree with Nielsen's mistakes of web design- I don't think I would have listed all of them if you asked me to before I read the article but as I read I realized I was shaking my head in agreement with most of his mistakes and good deeds.

20. Student comments • One thing that sticks out to me when discussing web design mistakes is the lack of biographies. I like to know where my information is coming from so I can determine if it is reliable.

21. Yale style manual – site structurehttp://info.med.yale.edu/caim/manual/

22. Example student web site blueprint

23. Developing content: text and multimedia presentations of information

24. Conclusions • Librarians and classroom faculty can each bring unique strengths to a class • We need more experience to exploit the strengths and avoid the weaknesses of the online learning environment • Formal reassignment of librarian duties is needed if we want to expand this level of involvement to other classes