Originally posted on April 20, 2015 on the Library Central Blog.
By Allison Sullivan (Instructional Services Librarian)
Keeping students interested during library instruction can be one of the more challenging things we face as teaching librarians. Students already know how to Google, so why pay attention when learning to do research? Innovations in library instruction often follow the theme of integrating new ideas and technologies into classrooms, tutorials, and websites so that we can compete for our student’s attention. The bottom line with many of these bells and whistles, though, is that content is key; if the classes aren’t good, no manner of presentation or reward will garner results.
Tying Television Comedies to Information Literacy: A Mixed-Methods Investigation
Eamon C. Tewell, The Journal of Academic Librarianship – 2014
We are forever trying to find ways to drive points about information literacy home without boring students with hypothetical problems and warnings. Tewell selected a few choice clips from popular television comedies The Colbert Report, Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock to illustrate elements of the Information Literacy Competency Standard for Higher Education around evaluating online sources you find and understanding how information can sometimes be selected or hidden from users. Students who attended the class that incorporated television clips performed better on post-tests, considered information ethics in a follow-up focus group, and reported that they enjoyed the library class. While clips should be carefully selected, evidence suggests that the increased attention from students may result in higher retention of information literacy concepts in one-shot instruction sessions.
Using Animated GIF Images for Library Instruction
Karl Suhr, In the Library with a Lead Pipe – 2014
In recent years, the humble animated GIF has gone through a renaissance thanks to internet memes and sites like tumblr. But do these have any utility in library instruction? In his examination, Suhr finds that animated GIFs can be extremely useful when compared to online video when demonstrating specific, short-term tasks (like finding a call number on a shelf). GIFs can also be arranged sequentially on a page, demonstrating tasks that may have three or four short steps. The looping nature of the animated GIF will allow students to see the action again in short succession without having to re-load a video. The animated GIF: not just for websites older than some of our students.
Emily Ford et al., Reference Services Review – 2015
The advent and increasing ubiquity of digital badges has become a very popular topic in all kinds of education literature. The idea of badges can be particularly interesting when it comes to post-secondary research skills and may allow students to carry certifications with them through their post-secondary career. Librarians and course instructors in this study learn that while badges seem like an easy, outcomes-based addition to course curricula, integrating badges takes more effort and time than originally anticipated both in terms of developing the course and the technological components. They also recognize that badges can be motivating, but must be reinforced with worthwhile content and well-developed learning objectives.
