Teaching Information Literacy Online

Citation

Secker, J. (2012), "Teaching Information Literacy Online", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 46 No. 2, pp. 281-283. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330331211221909

This book is an edited volume, with eight chapters exploring different aspects of teaching information literacy online in the higher education sector. It was simultaneously published by both Facet and Neil‐Schuman Publishers and I recently reviewed a number of these titles. I have previously complained that such books are obviously written for a US audience and make little if no reference to libraries in other countries. However, in this case, despite both the editors being from the United States, I was pleasantly surprised to find two chapters from the UK, being written by colleagues at University of Manchester and the Open University. And I was also pleased to find many of the authors of the chapters refer to literature from a range of other countries (although notably the UK and Australia).

The book starts with a forward by Terry Anderson who is Professor of Distance Education at the University of Athabasca in Canada. If you read nothing else then I heartily recommend you read the foreword, which is relatively short but packs a punch. Anderson writes with real authority and he eloquently describes the way the web has changed teaching and learning, libraries and the role of librarians.

The book proper then starts with an introduction, explaining clearly the structure and providing a useful overview to signpost the reader looking for something specific. It is divided into two sections, the first part, which explores blended or hybrid learning and the second that covers open and online learning. Each section has an introduction and then there are four chapters per section, however the editors admit that there is some overlap between the sections. What is different about this book, however, is that each chapter is the result of a partnership between a librarian and a faculty member. The book also covers an impressive range of subjects, including history, literature, education, social work education, to name just a few. It also covers programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level. In a short review it is difficult to describe each chapter in detail, however I found it difficult to know which chapters to highlight as each describes a fascinating initiative or project.

Chapter One describes an initiative at the University of Central Florida to use wikis in undergraduate English literature courses. The collaboration between the librarian and faculty used wikis to help students develop their knowledge of the historical context of Shakespeare, but also to engage students with primary sources and interdisciplinary research methods. The course was taught in a hybrid model with some face to face teaching and online support. Developing students information literacy skills was a central part of this project and the librarian provided support to students (and the tutor) over the set‐up and use of the wiki. The use of Web 2.0 technologies to help students with knowledge creation is a fascinating first chapter.

Meanwhile Chapter Two explores the development of reusable learning objects for information literacy instruction at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. It describes a collaborative project between faculty, librarians and instructional designers to develop online tutorials for students on an interdisciplinary liberal arts course. The course had originally been face to face but was modified for of online delivery. The design process, pilot launch, impact and assessment are described and this chapter includes a screenshot and several tables. The chapter includes a survey to evaluate the online tutorials in the appendix.

Chapter Three was particularly interesting, describing work at the University of Manchester to develop an information and media literacy course for postgraduates in the School of Education and further work to adapt this at John Rylands University Library by the Information Skills Coordinator. The initiative draws on the work of Christine Bruce and the first part of the work was previously published in the Journal of Information Literacy (Whitworth, 2009). Aside from an excellent summary of the Bruce's work, the chapter broadens the definition of information literacy and consider multi‐literacies. The final chapter in the first section is based on a collaborative project at a small university in Kentucky between a historian and a librarian to “engage” undergraduate history students in the “game of research.” The project involved students being given historical personae and asked to conduct research using primary sources and online databases with structured help from both the tutor and librarian. Again it was a blended learning course and the chapter reflects on the success of the project and the impact on student learning.

The second section of the book focuses on information literacy initiatives that support distance learning courses where there is little or no face to face teaching and teaching takes place online. Chapter Four is written by a team based at the Open University in the UK, one of the world's largest providers of open and distance learning. It describes an initiative to embed ICT and IL skills into the distance learning social work degree programme. This was done in response to a requirement from the professional body to embed these skills into the degree and to equip students with the skills they needed when they entered professional practice. The design of the course and the way IL and ICT skills are embedded throughout a three‐year degree programme are described. Learning activities and assessments are also outlined. Finally the chapter explores the impact of these initiatives on student learning and on their ongoing professional practice as social workers. Meanwhile Chapter Six describes the use of the virtual world Second Life, in a distance education course at New Mexico State University to help develop students' information literacy skills. I was aware of the work at the University of Sheffield to use Second Life in library and information studies courses. However, this course is a computer technology course to introduce students to Second Life, but also to equip them with information literacy skills.

The final two chapters focus on information literacy and instructional or course design in two different US universities delivering postgraduate level education. I found both of these chapters slightly more challenging than others in the book. Although interestingly we had recently decided to incorporate information literacy into the course design module of the postgraduate teaching qualification at LSE. Therefore I expect to return to these chapters for a closer study. Chapter 8 is particularly interesting as it involves collaborative working between librarians, instructional designers and academic staff to develop an entirely online course entitled “Accessing Information with Technology”. The course includes weekly lessons, discussion boards, a range of course materials and assessment.

While there is not a huge amount of work by the editors to draw together key themes or issues emerging from the eight chapters in the relatively short Afterward, I do feel they should be congratulated for the range of excellent practice that this book describes. The genuine collaborations between faculty and librarians described in each chapter are inspirational, as are the range of online courses that are described. As someone who believed they knew a reasonable amount about this topic, I found much new in this book. The further reading at the end of each chapter was impressive and has led to me exploring numerous avenues. I see myself using this book in my role, developing information literacy programmes and in my teaching on LSE's Postgraduate Teaching Certificate.