Digital Commons Network^™

Student Information Use During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Heather A. Howard, Annette Bochenek, Zoeanna A. Mayhook, Trena Trowbridge, Steven Lux

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Since early 2020, life for students has changed tremendously. It has been a time of stress, turmoil, and trauma for students. Researchers from a large Midwestern university wanted to determine how student information use has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper examines the results of a mixed-methods study undertaken in 2021 using surveys and follow-up focus groups to determine if and how student information use has changed. To answer this, we explored student use of news sources, social media sources, political affiliations, and information responses, coupled with to what extent these factors demonstrate or impact potential changes in information …

Survey Protocols To Examine Business Students’ Workplace Information Use During Internships And Co-Ops, Margaret Phillips, Heather Howard, Garrett Brewster

Libraries Faculty and Staff Creative Materials

This document contains a survey protocol created in 2021 to study the information literacy experiences and needs of business student experiences during internships and co-ops.

Graduate Student Confidence Following A For-Credit Systematic Review Course Pilot: Qualitative And Quantitative Data, Bethany S. Mcgowan, Jason B. Reed, Jane Yatcilla

Libraries Faculty and Staff Supplemental Materials

3 Excel files and supplementary tables that describe the qualitative and quantitative results of data analysis related to the case study, 'Graduate student confidence following a for-credit systematic review course pilot: a case report' (Journal of the Medical Library Association, April 2021). The course syllabus is also included as a Word document.

Student Information Use And Decision-Making In Innovation Competitions And The Impact Of Librarian Interventions, Heather A. Howard, Dave Zwicky

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

At a large Midwestern university, librarians work closely with an annual undergraduate agricultural innovation competition to guide students through the process of conducting market research and assessing patentability. In 2018, the authors conducted an exploratory study using focus groups of students who had participated in that year’s competition in order to learn how students find and use information in a competition setting, to evaluate the impact of library support on the students’ success, and inform further assessment activities. Results showed that students used information from the library and from their own research, notably seeking out first-hand expertise, to practice evidence-based …

Thoughts On Patents And Information Literacy, Dave Zwicky

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Patents are an under-used information source, in part because of an often-narrow focus by patent librarians on the tools and techniques of patentability searching. This approach can ignore a range of potential applications of patent information, using patents in their contexts as technical, design, historical, legal, and commercial documents. This paper suggests the adoption of a flexible approach, viewing patents and patent information in the greater context of information literacy, including that of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, more commonly known as the ACRL Framework.

Spatial Information Literacy For Digital Humanities: The Case Study Of Leveraging Geospatial Information For African American History Education., Nicole Kong, Cornelius Bynum, Chrystal Johnson, Jennifer Sdunzik, Xiaoyue Qin

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The rise of “digital humanities” and the “spatial turn” in the humanities has generated many new insights in the study of culture, history, literature, and arts. Within this research trend, the library's geospatial service can play an active role by introducing spatial information literacy and technology. In this article, we use the information literacy framework to explore the library's role in supporting digital humanities by introducing a successful collaboration involving a librarian and history and education researchers in hosting a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)-funded summer institute for school teachers. Our results suggest that the framework has opened a …

Realizing Critical Business Information Literacy: Opportunities, Definitions, And Best Practices, Ilana Stonebraker, Caitlan Maxwell, Kenny Garcia, Jessica Jerrit

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

What does it mean to be an ethical businessperson, and how does an ethical businessperson create, locate, organize, and evaluate business information? Critical business information literacy (CBIL) is the application of social justice to business information literacy. This article seeks to define, discuss, and realize CBIL by tracing the literatures of critical librarianship, critical management, and corporate social responsibility. To establish best practices, the authors drew upon applications of CBIL at four institutions of different size, geography, and scale. The intent is to provide spaces and foundations for further CBIL application and discussion.

Information Literacy Supporting Student Motivation And Performance: Course-Level Analyses, Michael Flierl, Emily Bonem, Clarence Maybee, Rachel Fundator

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This study examines the effects of information literacy (IL) on student learning and motivation in university courses. We investigated student course-level learning gains and student perceptions of their learning environments by examining data from over 3,000 students in 102 course sections across seven colleges. Results provide evidence of the following: 1) students who synthesize information and communicate the results tend to perceive higher levels of motivation than students who do so less often; 2) there is a significant positive relationship between synthesizing information and communicating the results and course level learning gains. Our results point to the efficacy of IL …

Shaping Deep Learning Through Rich Engagement With Information, Clarence Maybee, Michael Flierl

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

These slides were used in an interactive session at the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD) conference held in Louisville, KY, November 9-13, 2016. The session focused on instructors applying informed learning design to craft better learning experiences and prepare students for success by providing more guidance about student engagement with information. Drawing from informed learning pedagogic theory, informed learning design provides a framework for developing learning activities that foster learning through intentional engagement with information.

Designing Rich Information Experiences To Shape Learning Outcomes, Clarence Maybee, Christine Susan Bruce, Mandy Lupton, Kristen Rebmann

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Students in higher education typically learn to use information as part of their course of study, which is intended to support ongoing academic, personal and professional growth. Informing the development of effective information literacy education, this research uses a phenomenographic approach to investigate the experiences of a teacher and students engaged in lessons focused on exploring language and gender topics by tracing and analyzing their evolution through scholarly discourse. The findings suggest that the way learners use information influences content-focused learning outcomes, and reveal how teachers may enact lessons that enable students to learn to use information in ways that …

Keynote Address: The State Of Information Literacy Policy: A Global Priority, Sharon A. Weiner

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Access to information is important for economic development and community-based solutions to global challenges. However, access to information alone is not sufficient: people need to know how to find, evaluate, manage, analyze, and compile information and communicate the results effectively for the intended audience. This paper presents a global overview of information literacy policy. The paper discusses the meaning of information literacy and its relation to information policy. The paper proposes a role of information literacy in addressing global challenges. It gives national examples of information literacy policy. Finally, the paper identifies challenges in information literacy policy and discusses ways …

Experiences Of Informed Learning In The Undergraduate Classroom, Clarence Maybee

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

The same thing can be experienced in a variety of ways. For example, think of a time that you and a friend read the same book, but each got something quite different out of it. Essentially you experienced different aspects of the book. Applying this to higher education, we cannot assume that all students are experiencing their coursework in the same way. In fact, a number of studies reveal that this is not the case. Learning occurs when students begin to experience the thing being learned about in a new way. Learning designs that teach undergraduates to use information require …

Integrating Information Into The Engineering Design Process, Michael Fosmire, David Radcliffe

Purdue University Press Books

Engineering design is a fundamental problem-solving model used by the discipline. Effective problem-solving requires the ability to find and incorporate quality information sources. To teach courses in this area effectively, educators need to understand the information needs of engineers and engineering students and their information gathering habits. This book provides essential guidance for engineering faculty and librarians wishing to better integrate information competencies into their curricular offerings. The treatment of the subject matter is pragmatic, accessible, and engaging. Rather than focusing on specific resources or interfaces, the book adopts a process-driven approach that outlasts changing information technologies.

After several chapters …

Learning To Use Information: Informed Learning In The Undergraduate Classroom, Clarence Maybee, Christine S. Bruce, Mandy Lupton, Kristen Rebmann

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

“Informed learning” is a pedagogy that focuses on learning subject content through engaging with academic or professional information practices. Adopting the position that more powerful learning is achieved where students are taught how to use information and subject content simultaneously, the research reported here investigated an informed learning lesson. Using phenomenographic methods, student’s experiences of the lesson were compared to what the teacher enacted in the classroom. Based on an analysis of student interviews using variation theory, three ways of experiencing the informed learning lesson emerged. Some students understood the lesson to be about learning to use information, i.e., researching …