Analysis of web-based tutorials created by academic libraries

To search or to browse: How users navigate a new interface for online library tutorials

“…Dewald's (1999) analysis of online library learning objects was the first to identify the characteristics essential to facilitating learning. Subsequent research has confirmed her assertions that the most effective online learning resources relate to a specific learning need, have clear objectives, provide active/collaborative learning opportunities, present content in varying but appropriate media formats, focus on higher-level concepts rather than procedural skills, integrate feedback, and include help options (Bianco 2005;Blummer and Kritskaya 2009;Bowles-Terry, Hensley, and Hinchliffe 2010;Clark and Mayer 2011;Dewald et al 2000;Gold 2005;Macklin 2003;Oud 2009;Reece 2005;Somoza-Fernández and Abadal 2009). According to Blummer (2007), there are three levels for evaluating online library tutorial effectiveness: general assessment, which gauges if a resource functions as it should and shares desired information and can be measured through user surveys; individual user assessment, which can be assessed after the tutorial through a quiz, test, or other traditional learning assessment tool and determines if the resource has impacted learning; and programlevel assessment, which considers whether online learning objects accomplish stated goals at the institutional or macro levels.…”

A flexible e‐learning resource promoting the critical reading of scientific papers for science undergraduates

“…ESRL promotes integration of a wide range of skills to encourage deep learning and comprises several elements considered to be good practice in online tutorials . For example, it is interactive, discipline‐oriented, includes ILOs, provides automated feedback for many types of questions, and is differentiated and self‐paced to allow for learning at different levels of prior knowledge and experience .The overall aim of the resource, is to familiarize students with the structure and content of research articles, and to introduce them to the process of critical evaluation. This aim is expressed through ILOs for each module (Table ).…”

Life after TILT: Building an Interactive Information Literacy Tutorial

“…Effective online tutorials also are delivered in a multimedia format (Dewald 1999;Mestre 2006). Most authors agree that online tutorials should be interactive, problem-based, and incorporate activities such as quizzes or other active learning techniques (Dewald 1999;Mestre 2006;Donaldson 2000;Somoza-Fernandez and Abadal 2009). Other elements of effective tutorials include clear learning objectives (Dewald 1999;Reece 2007) and the ability to ask a librarian if the student gets stuck or has a problem (Dewald 1999;Mestre 2006).…”