Technology & Information
Literacy Instruction:
A Model for Active Learning
Environments
Jeremy W. Donald, MSLS
Faculty Technology Liaison
Trinity University
San Antonio, TX
From George M. Piskurich,
Rapid Instructional Design,
2nd ed. Pfeiffer, 2006:
“The quality and success
of your instruction
can be measured by the
activities
you develop for it.”
Summary:
Knowledge-type information (facts, wisdom, demonstrations) is
BEST DELIVERED OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM via
technology.
Use class time to substantially address ONLY the 1-2 most
challenging learning outcomes.
Class time is BEST USED for HANDS-ON
EXPERIMENTATION WITH TOOLS and GUIDED
REFLECTION on the results of that experimentation.
The “Old” Model
Coverage of
Key IL Concepts
(some remedial)
Challenging
Technologies
50
Minutes!
Engaging Activities
Completed
before ILI
2 minutes
10 minutes
30
minutes
15 minutes
2 minutes
Up until
due date
A “New” Model
for the Library
One-Shot
Learning Management
System/LibGuide:
•Library Pre-Assignment
•Tutorials
•Pretest/Survey
Visit to class when assignment
is introduced:
•Explain your role
•Sketch the research
workflow
•Describe your role again &
provide contact info, office hours
•Goals for the session (should
be the same as the students'!)
•Session outline and materials
•What do we need to know to be
able start experimenting?
• What IL criteria do we need to
learn and then apply to our active
learning?
•What are the relevant systems
(e.g., fielded search, peer review,
bills vs. laws)?
Laboratory: "...to allow
experimentation, testing, and
hands on experience. Level of
structure can vary"
Behavior Modeling: Ask
students to share the results
of their experimentation, and
you/they model the application
of the criteria introduced
earlier.
From your list of outcomes, ask
students to self-assess what they
learned. Encourage them to
address perceived gaps with...
…office hours, research
appts, peer tutors, LibGuides,
post/self-instruction, tutorials,
Help Desk...
IL outcomes for an Intro to
Neuroscience course
Students will be able to…
• Look up a famous neuroscientist in print and
online subject encyclopedias and
biographical databases
• Identify and locate three key
works/contributions by this author
• Determine the impact of these works on the
relevant scientific literature
• Create a bibliography of sources used
Subject Encyclopedias &
Library Databases
Library Catalog & ILL
Citation Manager
Citation Tracking
2
8 minutes in
class
3
Online
Tutorial
4
Online
Tutorial
1
15 minutes in
class
1-2
min. in
class
Drawbacks of This Model
• No thundering applause
• Teaching faculty made anxious by your refusal to
simply talk & demonstrate searching for 45
minutes
• Legs get sore from providing guide-on-the-side
assistance to practically every student during
long activity segment
• Cynical students feel cheated of opportunity to
complain about boring, repetitive “library day”
Questions?
Activity for Librarians:
• www.trinity.edu/jdonald/Instructional_Design_Activity.doc