The methodology used to deliver information literacy instruction by a select group of academic librarians: a case study

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to highlight the need for academic librarians to incorporate effective methodologies in their delivery of information literacy instruction.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers conducted a qualitative research using a case study approach. A nonprobability or purposive sampling method was employed in this research to select five participants. Semistructured interviews and observation were used to garner data from the sample.FindingsThe findings of the study revealed that the support required by distance education and face-to-face students is typically the same. An examination of the findings pointed to the fact that some students may be demotivated in information literacy instruction sessions because of an overload of information, which leads to frustration and poor performance.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study highlight the need for Caribbean academic librarians to incorporate effective methodologies in their delivery of information literacy instruction and provide an analytical view of how these methodologies may impact performance, understanding and the overall work produced by both students and faculty.Originality/valueResearch on the topic specific to the Caribbean is limited; therefore, research of this nature provides useful strategies that academic librarians may use in developing stellar information literacy programs in the Caribbean to help both students and faculty members achieve excellence.

Giving voice to regional Australian academic librarians

“…The research focusing on the delivery of ILI is significant; it explores librarians' practice approaches (Anderson & May, 2010;Harrison & Deans, 2021) and the evaluation of student outcomes (Chow et al, 2020;Rahanua et al, 2016). The challenges librarians face during their ILI has also been a focus of research.…”

Information Literacy: Making Asynchronous Learning More Effective With Best Practices That Include Humor

“…Prevailing recommendations for the user interface included ease of navigation (Franklin et al, 2021;Lierman & Santiago, 2019;Robinson & Bawden, 2017), a high degree of learner control (Lierman & Santiago, 2019;Robinson & Bawden, 2017), multiple ways for the learner to contact the instructor (Acevedo, 2020;Lierman & Santiago, 2019), consistent design (Caskurlu et al, 2020;Robinson & Bawden, 2017), and an estimated completion time (Lierman & Santiago, 2019). A combination of different instructional techniques was suggested as a way to address different learning styles and diverse IL skills (Acevedo, 2020;Chickering & Gamson, 1987;Harrison & Deans, 2021;Lierman & Santiago, 2019;Robinson & Bawden, 2017). There were also some suggestions for the content of online programs, the most widespread of which was to chunk the material into more easily digestible learning units (Acevedo, 2020;Franklin et al, 2021;Lierman & Santiago, 2019;Robinson & Bawden, 2017;Saunders, 2018).…”

“…Not only does this allow tracking of learner progress, but learners should not be expected to spend their time searching for the library program. Faculty support was seen to be critical (Harrison & Deans, 2021), as was collaboration with other experts (Franklin et al, 2021;Itow, 2020;Robinson & Bawden, 2017;Saunders, 2018). These experts could include other librarians, instructional designers, or media specialists.…”

“…It was indicated that feedback to the learners be constructive and timely (Acevedo, 2020;Chickering & Gamson, 1987;Itow, 2020;Lierman & Santiago, 2019), and that technical constraints be kept in mind (Franklin et al, 2021;Harrison & Deans, 2021) as not all learners have the same access to technology or the same level of Internet connectivity, and not all instructors have the same technical skills. In addition, it was recommended that learning units be generic and easily modifiable (Robinson & Bawden, 2017) to increase their usability, and to allow for the necessary ongoing maintenance and revision (Acevedo, 2020;Franklin et al, 2021).…”

“…The concept of IL was first raised in the early 1970s, and various institutions have been developing definitions and frameworks ever since. The use of library frameworks and standards was identified as best practice in asynchronous online information literacy instruction (ILI) (Lierman & Santiago, 2019;Saunders, 2018), as best practice for online ILI (Franklin et al, 2021), as good practice in asynchronous online ILI (Harrison & Deans, 2021), and as good practice for online ILI (Robinson & Bawden, 2017).…”