Computer‐Based Instruction in Libraries and Library Education

Citation

Cuna Ekmekcioglu, F. (2003), "Computer‐Based Instruction in Libraries and Library Education", Library Review, Vol. 52 No. 6, pp. 278-279. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530310482060

This issue of Library Trends is a comprehensive volume which is organised into nine articles, including a short but extremely informative introductory section by T.G. McFadden to the key concept of this issue, use of computer‐assisted instruction in library and information science.

The articles explore both the theory and practice of using computers to teach and deliver information and examine issues such as skills‐to‐be‐taught and skills‐required‐to‐learn using electronic media‐based programs. The authors present the results of practical experiences in teaching these skills and general World Wide Web skills through the medium itself. The common themes that emerge from the articles are:

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  the changing nature of learners and learning, and the consequent importance of instructional design;

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  new approaches to teaching and learning and the rise of metacognition;

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  the growing importance of self‐paced and independent learning environments; and

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  the transition from traditional class‐room teaching to online learning environments.

Nancy O’Hanlon gives an overview of a four‐week online information literacy course utilizing net.TUTOR interactive tutorials as an electronic text and Web‐based tests graded automatically by course management software.

Suellen Cox and Elizabeth Housewright focus on the evolving nature of a course, “Introduction to information technology and presentation” developed at the California State University, and the ongoing experimentation with student‐centred, active learning methods.

Joan R. Kaplowitz and David O. Yamamoto describe how librarians at the UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, working with faculty, developed new approaches to meet the changing needs of both students and teachers.

Carol Hansen looks at the history and current developments of an Internet navigator online course (www‐navigator.utah.edu) developed by a team of librarians and Web development professionals.

Both D. Scott Brandt and T.G. McFadden explore in detail the role of mental models, metaphor, and analogy in constructing an anticipatory framework within which learning about complex information networks can occur most effectively. Brandt discusses the importance of information technology literacy as a precursor to information literacy, examining the differences between the two and making comparisons and contrasts. McFadden argues that a clear understanding of the form and content of complex electronic networks, which are often unfamiliar to users, is necessary for the effective use of online and Internet resources.

Ina Fourie describes a series of novel experiments in the use of computer‐assisted instruction for distributed learning in library and information science in the Department of Information Science at the University of South Africa

Ransford C. Pyle and Charles D. Dziuban consider just exactly what kinds of teaching and learning really are best suited for delivery and management by computers.

Alison Carr‐Chellman and Philip Duchastel survey both the obstacles and the opportunities in moving a course from the traditional class‐room to Internet, and in the process offer a formal model for an online course.

Overall, this is a timely volume on the subject. It is timely not only because there is currently so much interest in the Internet and the World Wide Web for teaching and learning purposes but also because there is so much misinformation about its strengths and limitations in this regard. Librarians and faculty members alike should find this issue to be a valuable resource in planning distance education projects over the Web.