Geoff Walton, Subject and Learning Support Librarian

1. Using digital video to capture first year students’ views of a blended Information Literacy programme. • Geoff Walton, Subject and Learning Support Librarian

2. Fellow researchers • Jamie Barker, Lecturer, Sport & Exercise, Staffordshire University • Dr Mark Hepworth, Lecturer, Information Science Loughborough University • Dr Derek Stephens, Lecturer, Information Science Loughborough University

3. Plan for my talk • Context • Assessment • Evaluation: methodology • Structure of Information Literacy programme • Face-to-Face workshop • Online Collaborative Learning Process for Activities in Blackboard • Evaluation: emerging themes • Some reflections • Conclusions • Any questions

4. Context • What is Information Literacy (IL)? • The ability to find, evaluate and use information appropriately • Embedded: • Effective Learning, Information & Communication Skills in Sport & Exercise SHP91000-1, Level 1 core • IL one of 5 skills in the study skills portfolio the others are, reading, note-taking, essay writing, time management • Learning outcome: Demonstrate knowledge of a range of skills […] and in the use of library learning resources to identify suitable information • Blended learning: • Face-to-face (F2F): one 1 hour workshop - find information • Online: collaborative learning via Blackboard (5 X 20-30mins) – evaluate information • Written assessment – use information • Why online collaborative learning (OCL)? • Highly structured, contributions made by all, available to all, highly interactive, discursive, iterative, reflective, high learning payoff rather than mechanical and/or passive

5. Assessment • Portfolio exercise (Section E) • Find 2 books, 2 journal articles and two web sites • Give short evaluation using criteria which emerged form OCL activities • Reflective statement • Reflective essay

6. Evaluation: methodology • Pre and post delivery diagnostic tests • Questionnaire • Content analysis of assessed work • Content analysis of online discourse • Analysis of Focus group interviews • Whole group • One-to-one

7. F2F IRPA 1 OCL Activity 1 IRPA 2 OCL Activity 2 IRPA3 OCL Activity 3 IRPA 4 Structure of IL programme F2F - One hour hands-on workshop (One hour, one workshop) OCL 1 & 2 - Online Collaborative Learning Activity (20-30mins, two workshops for each) • Creating evaluation criteria • Using criteria to evaluate web based information OCL 3 – (20-30mins, one workshop) • Using APA referencing style IRPA - Instant Reflective Practice Activity (5-10mins after each activity)

8. Face-to-Face Workshop • Subject specific problem-based scenario BA students example: • A local PE teacher asks you to do a talk about soccer violence (also known as football hooliganism, or stadium violence) to class of ‘A’ level sports students […] • Delivery included: • Finding information by identifying keywords and using them in simple combinations • Hands-on using specific resources (e.g., library catalogue and e-journals) to answer the question

9. Student themes • Indicating positive learning experience, wider social context • Showing technical knowledge, subject keywords, ebooks, ejournals, title and author search. Flexible nature of using e-resources • Demonstrating transfer of knowledge. Comments on pedagogical approach – active learning

10. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process for Activities in Blackboard Creating evaluation criteria

11. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process: Thread For your portfolio assignment you need to provide web pages or sites and give reasons why you think they are good.

12. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process: Web resources Berkeley University web page on how to evaluate internet resources

13. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process: Seed For this activity last year a student commented that she, ‘always ensures that a web page is reliable before using any information on it’. So, how would you decide what makes a reliable, good quality web page?

14. Seed instructions using Plain English • 1. Have a look at this example: (BBC website on football hooliganism)  • 2. Go to this webpage for help: (Berkeley University’s guide to evaluating web pages) • 3. Read it carefully and make some notes [...] • 5. Select the reply button […] • 7. Write down how you would evaluate this web page • 8. Write a brief statement about the website under each question as suggested by the Berkeley help site

15. Student themes • Confirming that activity was easy to understand and do. Process of OCL, new knowledge • Demonstrating that learning had taken place by realising the value of evaluating web sites

16. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process: Student postings ‘when looking at personal pages look at their reputation and what they study and research’ ‘look at the last time the web page was updated especially when stats are involved’’ ‘valid links are a good indication of reliability’ ‘look at the URL address and see whether it is for example a government source’

17. Student themes • Indicating productive outcome of active learning, transforming knowledge, usefulness of sharing knowledge • Showing the benefits of working together • Indicating how learning is enhanced and knowledge is extended through: discourse, debate, seeing others views, making comments and receiving feedback from peers

18. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process: Tutor summary You have identified some excellent evaluation criteria. Jamie and Geoff have summarised under 5 headings. Authority - Ken argued that ‘it is important to check the author or who it was created by’. Tracy pointed out that the author could be ‘a major company like Microsoft’.Jamie & Geoff would argue that the standing of a company or organisation does not necessarily guarantee information free from bias ask yourself –why is the information there? URLs - Roy mentioned that a good way of judging a web page can be done by‘looking at the URL address’.

19. Student themes • Recognition of students’ work • Opportunity to see everyone’s opinions not just those of lecturer • Helped in the learning of new knowledge • Helped motivate students

20. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process: IRPA • Which ONE of these THREE statements best describes what you learned from the activity on evaluating web sites? • Which ONE of these THREE statements best reflects what you will do with your new knowledge in the future?

21. IRPA detail • Each question has 3 statements to choose from (or students could email own reflection – we guaranteed feedback for these within 24 hours) • Each statement hyperlinked to prepared tutor feedback • Statements stitched together from reflective statements made by students in Pilot Study

22. Student themes • Positive: understanding of own learning and opportunity to reflect • Negative: couldn’t remember activity, felt that it didn’t provide a learning opportunity, not useful

23. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process: Extracts from student postings Kevin mentioned that you can get clues from a URL to see whether it is a ‘personal website and (therefore) the information may not be a reliable source’

24. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process: Iteration of initial thread Jamie and Geoff agree with Kevin regarding URLs BUT stress that we need to be more systematic in the way we analyse their structure

25. Evaluation: emerging themes • Interviews revealed that students liked being able to contribute in a concrete fashion: • ‘You feel that you’ve done something productive afterwards when you post your reply, something useful like you’ve learnt stuff and soaked it up and that and then managed to extract it in the reply for other people to see ’ • Also showed that they liked being able to see what fellow students had said: • ‘you got to see what other people thought of the web site’ • Interviews revealed that the reaction to the IRPA was mixed: • ‘It allows you to reflect on yourself and that and see what you learn best and you can take it forward in the future’ • ‘I didn’t really learn anything’ • It emerged from interview and questionnaire data that students genuinely realised the importance of evaluating web information: • ‘I didn’t really know about what type of things you should look out for when you are looking at a web site’ • Students obtained significantly higher scores in the post-delivery knowledge test than in the pre-delivery test

26. Thoughts from the module leader • Successful aspects of the programme • Not so successful aspects • The future

27. Some reflective observations from Mark Hepworth

28. Conclusions • What were the successes? • All students present participated in the online discussions • Students could see obvious application beyond current module • Iterative model replicates findings from Pilot Study • What issues have emerged for future consideration? • Instructions need to be clearer still • Need for other multi-media – still very text based • Better (perhaps broader) subject based example or examples required for the problem-based scenario • Rethink reflective practice element

29. Using digital video to capture first year students’ views of a blended Information Literacy programme. • Geoff Walton, Subject and Learning Support Librarian • Any Questions?