The necessity of information literacy education in a marketing department

Abstract

Purpose -To provide reliable data for the development of efficient information literacy education in a department of a higher educational institute in Thessaloniki, Greece. It requires in-depth understanding of the current situation as well as future expectations. Design/methodology/approach -Two research objectives were set. One was to record the use of resources by students and their perceptions, as well as the expectations of faculty regarding information literacy skills. The other was to examine the preferences of students and faculty regarding information literacy education. Two surveys were conducted among both students (cluster sampling) and faculty (census) by the utilization of relative structured questionnaire. Findings -The project reveals that the percentage of students who use the e-resources of the library is relatively low, and that the few students who attended the bibliographic instruction seminar use the e-resources more for the completion of their assignments. Also faculty were found to do very little in class to motivate students to use library sources for completing long research papers. With reference to students' and faculty's preferences concerning future information literacy education, it was indicated that the greatest percentage prefer instruction at user's request, and a course integrated into the curriculum. Focusing on a course integrated in the curriculum, it is suggested that it is provided at the first or second semester of their studies, to be developed on the basis of librarian/faculty cooperation and supported by demonstration of resources and/or hands-on workshops.Research limitations/implications -Further research is needed to fill the gaps left in understanding faculty attitudes toward information literacy. Also duplicating this survey in other departments of Technological Educational Institution could provide a picture of the kind of information literacy education a Greek institution should apply. Practical implications -This research implies the need for developing a course integrated into the curriculum tailored to the interests of the students, designed to develop critical thinking skills. It is suggested that this course should be provided at an appropriate time that would allow students to acknowledge its relevance to course content. A multimedia product is suggested as a handbook to this course. Originality/value -This research tries to fill a gap in the published literature which does not offer any surveys in Greek academic institutions about perceptions and practices of faculty and students regarding information literacy programs.

Three Times a Study: Business Students and the Library

“…A study done by Lee and Read (1972) revealed that among graduate business students who had taken a business research course, two-thirds rated their research ability good to excellent while one-third rated it poor to very poor; in those that had not taken the course these proportions were reversed. Korobili and Tilikidou (2005) found that the use of library resources by Greek marketing students is correlated with prior attendance at a library-research class. Prince and Helms (1993) concluded that an integrated library instruction session reduces library anxiety, increases students' ability to use library resources, and strengthens the relationship between library staff and students.…”

Assessing information literacy skills in the Technological Education Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece

“…In addition three surveys have been undertaken to map the situation in Greece. The first survey addressed students and faculty of the Marketing Department of TEI (Korobili and Tilikidou, 2005). The project revealed that a small percentage uses electronic library resources, especially those in their first semesters.…”

On sociomaterial imbrications: What plagiarism detection systems reveal and why it matters

“…Our research and the literature highlighted the limited referencing requirements in Greek undergraduate education (Korobili & Tilikidou, 2005;Katsikas, 2009), as Katsikas (2009) notes "Greek students are unaware of the concepts of reference sources and related literature. "Additionally, whilst recent changes to Greek libraries (especially since 2002) have provided access to electronic journals (Xenidou-Dervou, 2003), as the language of instruction is Greek, referring to other sources (outside of the textbook) is difficult as there are limited numbers of academic publications written in Greek.…”

“…Korobili, Malliari, and Christodoulou (2009) also found that a good percentage of staff at this Greek higher educational institution "was not acquainted with electronic sources (p.341)" and that faculty tended not to motivate students to use library sources (Korobili & Tilikidou, 2005;Birk and Karageorgiou (1993). This lack of experience with regard to information literacy could be explained as being due to the reliance on textbooks and also the fact that most Greek faculty do not require students to undertake individual coursework (Korobili & Tilikidou, 2005). Finally, Korobili et al (2009) note that there has been a paucity of the literature pertaining to the information literacy in Greek universities.…”

“…For example, Korobili and Tilikidou's (2005) study of information literacy in a TEI's Marketing Department found that a low percentage of students used the library's e-resources. Korobili, Malliari, and Christodoulou (2009) also found that a good percentage of staff at this Greek higher educational institution "was not acquainted with electronic sources (p.341)" and that faculty tended not to motivate students to use library sources (Korobili & Tilikidou, 2005;Birk and Karageorgiou (1993). This lack of experience with regard to information literacy could be explained as being due to the reliance on textbooks and also the fact that most Greek faculty do not require students to undertake individual coursework (Korobili & Tilikidou, 2005).…”