This study examines the effects of information literacy (IL) on student learning and motivation in university courses. We investigated student course-level learning gains and student perceptions of their learning environments by examining data from over 3,000 students in 102 course sections across seven colleges. Results provide evidence of the following: 1) students who synthesize information and communicate the results tend to perceive higher levels of motivation than students who do so less often; 2) there is a significant positive relationship between synthesizing information and communicating the results and course level learning gains. Our results point to the efficacy of IL being integrated into learning disciplinary course content, as well as the benefit of prioritizing high-order IL activities, such as synthesizing information, over other the aspects of IL, such as searching or formatting citations.
Academic libraries are integral to the teaching and learning missions of colleges and universities. Yet, libraries continue to face substantial challenges in their work to advance student learning, especially regarding the sustainability and scalability of their instructional efforts. This paper describes a phenomenographic research project that investigated the varied experiences of Purdue University Libraries faculty members participating in the IMPACT faculty development program. The findings suggest that academic librarians are capable of acting as faculty developers who can engage faculty in conversations, which may or may not relate to information literacy, to advance student-centered teaching and learning environments.
Academic libraries have long recognised the benefits of integrating information literacy into disciplinary curricula. One model that addresses the common problems of sustainability and scalability of such efforts is the train the trainer model, where academic librarians serve as faculty developers. Improving faculty development efforts requires understanding the methods and strategies of librarians engaged in this work. Using an action research methodology, this paper investigated the experiences of librarians and disciplinary instructors participating in a course redesign program at a large, public university in the midwestern United States, in order to identify effective strategies for engaging with disciplinary instructors about information literacy. Findings include focusing on pragmatic, contextual ways in which students will need to use information in the future, providing professional development opportunities for librarians to further develop faculty development skills, and prioritising strong collaborations between librarians and other academic units.
At a large, public, Midwestern, American university, business librarians teach a required, one-credit information literacy course geared towards lower-division students in the school of management. In order to determine the lasting effects of the course, a longitudinal study of individual students' performance on three pre/post-test surveys was conducted across a set of management courses. The first course, a required information literacy class, was generally taken in the lower-division. The second course, a career strategies course, is generally taken after the first information literacy class. Students who took both required courses displayed greater information literacy knowledge and skills than students who took only the second course.Students retained the information uniformly over time, as time between the two courses did not yield a significant difference in scores. These findings show information literacy courses have a lasting impact on lower-division students as they progress through a college program.
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