Education Commons^™

Fighting Fake News And Biases With Cognitive Psychology, Marlee Givens, Seth Porter, Karen Viars, Liz Holdsworth

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Fake news, faulty data, and questionable research outputs: how do we find the truth when so much information is uncertain? Part of this problem is cognitive biases in our decision-making process. The mind will create a durable narrative around knowns and ignore unknowns. Scholar Daniel Kahneman (2012) refers to this phenomenon as, "What you see is all there is" or WYSIATI. Another common heuristic, the "availability cascade," causes the mind to prefer immediate examples that come to mind over more reliable information that is less easily recalled. These biases limit the accuracy of the information that people understand, as well …

Library Instruction, Learning Outcomes And Assessment: A Compliance Strategy For Sacs Assessments., Kory A. Paulus

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Ethel K. Smith Library’s Reference and Instruction Librarians, Kory Paulus and Isaac Meadows began a venture to improve the library instruction assessment tools in Fall of 2017 under the guidance of their Library Director and Director of Institutional Effectiveness and SACS Liaison.

Using the book entitled “Classroom Assessment Techniques for Librarians” published by ACRL as a proven example set of learning outcomes, the librarians customized these outcomes to meet the institutional needs.

An essential motive for this initiative was to obtain quantitative data to pair with learning outcomes to ensure bibliographics instruction’s alignment with both SACSCOC and Wingate University’s core …

Scalable Scaffolding For Information Literacy Instruction: A Tale Of Two Frameworks Collaboratively Applied, Jessy Polzer, Sylvia Tiala

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Novice researchers experience significant cognitive load to perform research tasks. Entrenched in linear research processes, beginning students struggle to move beyond shallow engagement with information. Teaching research and information literacy skills based on past paradigms are inadequate given the immersive nature and lightning-fast development of the information eco-system. The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy (2015) articulates what was previously implicit – the threshold concepts underpinning a flexible and nuanced information consumer ready for engaged professionalism and citizenship. In practice, we are still wrestling to design and scaffold dynamic yet digestible learning experiences while also satisfying bloated instructional mandates. Searching for …

Analogy As Pedagogy: Using What Students Already Know In Library Instruction, Maggie Helen Murphy

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Science teachers often employ analogies to help students understand new ideas and complicated processes. Orgill and Bodner (2004) write that “effective analogies can clarify thinking... and give students ways to visualize abstract concepts” (p. 15). Students are much more attentive in science class when instructors speak “a language that is more familiar and accessible” by using analogies and other similar rhetorical strategies (Lemke, 1990, p. 136).

Brandt (1996) wrote about developing a library instruction activity for “teaching the internet” to college students through analogy in the early days of the web: “It does not focus on the technical details of …

Deep Thoughts: Incorporating A Self-Reflection Prompt For Improved Instructional Practice, Malia Willey, Brian Sullivan, Liz Thompson, Alyssa Valcourt

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This interactive workshop introduces reflective practice through the use of self-reflection prompts by information literacy instructors. Activities will be interwoven throughout the workshop to allow participants to develop and document their own strategies. We will begin by providing an overview of the benefits of reflective teaching (5 minutes). The facilitators will briefly explain their institutional context and their participation in a departmental initiative to foster intentional teaching (5 minutes). To better understand the perspectives of the participants, the audience will engage in a poll indicating their type of institution and their role. Participants will take a moment to record the …

Disciplinary Literacy And Information Literacy: Parallels And Paradigms, Ginni Fair

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Current literature on the teaching of reading and writing in the context of a content area has transitioned from “content area literacy” to “disciplinary literacy.” Content-Area literacy focuses on students’ ability to use reading and writing in order to learn the subject matter in a content area classroom. It emphasizes reading strategies that are generalizable for reading informational texts across multiple content areas. Disciplinary literacy, on the other hand “emphasizes the unique tools that the experts in a discipline use to participate in the work of that discipline” (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008).

Often, educators differentiate between “learning to read/write” and …

You Deserve The Truth: Helping Students Understand The Causes And Consequences Of Fake News, Ngaire I. Smith, Heather Cyre

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Can dandelions cure cancer? Is Bill Murray running for President? Was a pizza place in New Jersey running a human trafficking ring? In this age of digital and social media it may be difficult for students to differentiate between authoritative information and fake news.

After a brief presentation on the history of fake news and its prevalence in social media, workshop participants (acting as an early college seminar class) will watch a video about the PizzaGate incident and discuss the phenomenon of fake news, why people create it, and why people share it. Next the class will develop a fake …

The Reasons For A (Sometimes) Change Of Mind, Imani Beverly

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Often we experience a “change of mind” on some issue for which, at the time it was made, we are certain of its correctness. The central question we investigate in this presentation is: What valid reasons can be made for a “change of mind”? For example, scientific progress is made because older theories are replaced by better theories with the major reason being new evaluations and analyses of data and methodologies. We examine and discuss a broad range of issues for which a “change of mind” provides useful insights on the relevant topics. Examples include the interpretation and appreciation of …

How Do We Teach Authority In A Culture Where Everyone’S An Expert?, Renee L. Berry, Lauren Mcmillan

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

As one of the cornerstones of the CRAAP test to evaluate the validity and usefulness of sources, we rely on the idea of “authority” to inform our evaluation of the source, to decide if it is trustworthy. In the long history of authority, we’ve variously relied on royalty/aristocracy, the Church, professors/the University, the printed word, and the “cultural elite.” In today’s world, all knowledge is available to all people (who are literate and have access to technology) at the click of a mouse or the tap of a finger. The concept of authority has been destabilized and democratized. Credentials don’t …

Sharpening Your Aim: Building An Instructional Assessment Toolkit, Karen Doster-Greenleaf

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Faced with the challenge of unifying consolidated library instruction programs with varying missions Georgia State University Library formed the Library Instruction Outcomes and Assessment Working Group (LIOAWG). Tasked with developing standard learning outcomes and leading the implementation of a common instruction program targeting first year students, the working group developed a sandbox of assessment activities, each mapped to a specific learning outcome.

In this workshop, participants will work to develop performative learning outcome aligned assessments that can be modified to meet varying levels of information literacy competency. Working in small groups, participants will be assigned a specific learning outcome, then …

Learning From Failure: Making The Feedback Loop Work, Natalie Bishop, Pam Dennis, Janet Land, Hannah Allford

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

“I spend hours providing feedback, but I have no idea if my students read it” is a common phrase echoed across college campuses. While best practices in teaching pedagogy laud the feedback cycle, many instructors question the impact their feedback has on their students’ writing. As the feedback loop continues to be a trending cog in the machine of formative assessment and authentic education, an essential component of the loop is often overlooked: the conversation.

Presenters will focus on providing easy-to-implement “conversation” opportunities for students to respond to instructor feedback. This reflective practice provides insight into a student’s learning processes, …

Information Literacy Of Online Health Consumers In Minnesota, Shanda Hunt, Nicole Theis-Mahon, Katherine Chew

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In the United States 72% of Internet users look online to find health information, with some being high quality and other information dangerous. The University of Minnesota is a land grant institution, and the Health Sciences Libraries have a strong outreach role, educating health information consumers across Minnesota about high quality resources. In 2016, we conducted a study at the Minnesota State Fair to identify where Minnesotans find online health information, how they use it, their confidence in assessing it, and what they think is missing. Convenience sampling yielded a total of 255 participants who valued the ability to access …

Research Resurgence: Supporting Our University Qep With Our Information Literacy Expertise, Amanda Hahn, Hannah Lowder

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Championing information literacy has long been the mission of university librarians. When our University chose “Cultivating a Community of Research and Scholarship” as the focus of our Quality Enhancement Plan the Library was invited to join two interdisciplinary course development teams. Librarians collaborated with faculty from various academic departments to design two introductory research courses. These sequential courses lay the foundation of information literacy that springboards students to higher level research.

Inquiry 101 centers on the themes of the value and relevance of research, introduction to the application of research, and an introduction to information literacy skills. As a major …

Improving Student Success: Arkansas State’S Partnership With Credo Reference And Regional High School, April Sheppard, Jeff Bailey

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Are new students coming to your university ready to succeed or are they being overwhelmed by the college experience? Does faculty complain that they spend more time, with increasing frustration, providing basic research instruction to new students? Is your institution being challenged to increase 1st and 2nd year retention rates? Two librarians from Arkansas State University (A-State) will discuss their innovative collaboration in which A-State and Credo are working together to bring information literacy resources and instruction to local high schools in support of college readiness.

This session will cover a number of issues, including how the library engaged and …

“Partnering To Understand Undergraduate Research And Writing Longitudinally”, Donna Scheidt, Cara Kozma, Holly Middleton, Kathy Shields

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In her longitudinal case study of a single undergraduate, College Writing and Beyond (2007), Anne Beaufort investigates several knowledge domains contributing to students’ development as writers. As a team of librarians and writing faculty in research and teaching partnership, we hope to build on Beaufort’s work by examining and elaborating the role of research with respect to writing development by sharing findings from our own longitudinal study of undergraduates’ development as writer-researchers. Specifically, we are interested in the ways in which undergraduates’ research interfaces with their writing practices as they advance through their general education coursework and various disciplines. How …

More Powerful Than Paper: Using Libwizard Surveys In Information Literacy, Sarah E. Keil

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This fall, Waggoner Library at Trevecca Nazarene University began utilizing the Surveys feature available through Springshare’s LibWizard Lite in face-to-face information literacy sessions. Initially these surveys simply substituted for the paper worksheets previously used for in-class activities and assessments. However, it soon became apparent that LibWizard Surveys provided a more meaningful medium for students to practice new skills and a better tool for librarians to gauge student progress.

As a solo instructor working with large classes, adding interactive elements to information literacy sessions can be hard since it is difficult to assist students concurrently. The ability to include links and …

Set It And Forget It! A Self-Sustaining Semester-Long Literature Assignment For An Undergraduate Genetics Class. Now With A Bonus Reference Game To Emphasize Boolean Operators!, Brian Odom

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Biology is the largest undergraduate major at Wingate University and Molecular Genetics is a required course for all biology majors. Some of the goals of this course are to provide technical training in skills required to function in the modern workforce. In addition to the gaining of molecular laboratory techniques, training in the use of library resources is also included in the laboratory curriculum. This training, taught by the course instructor, is a follow-up to an intensive library introduction provided by reference and instruction Librarians as part of the foundational molecular biology course taken during the freshman year.

This additional …

Thinking Outside The Building: Developing A Library Ambassador Program Across Campus(Es), Lydia C. Gwyn

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In an effort to address declining university retention rates and to reach students who may not make it to the library for research help, the Sherrod Library at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is in the process developing a peer-mentoring program. This program is one way the library can help the institution in its efforts raise student retention rates and improve student success. Peer learning programs have proven successful in tutoring centers and elsewhere in the university for decades, and research has shown that trained undergraduates are ideal candidates for delivering general reference and information literacy instruction to their peers …

Working Information: Developing A Qep For Campus-Wide Information Literacy Infusion, Susan N. Moore

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

When Spartanburg Community College was looking for a new QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan) for their reaccreditation, the SCC Library saw a great opportunity to widen our faculty collaborations across the curriculum. The Library wrote the proposal that eventually became the College’s new QEP and worked with a diverse team to develop a college-wide information literacy program entitled WIn: Working Information.

Now in its second year, this five-year program aims to make information literacy part of the institutional culture by having faculty work with librarians to infuse information literacy skills and assignments throughout their curriculum.

The overall goal of …

What Does It Mean To Be Embedded?, Elena Rodriguez

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Having helped develop one type of Embedded Librarian Program at a Technical College, and then transitioning to a four-year college with an already established program, it has become more apparent that there is not one universal definition of an Embedded Librarian. The reason for these differences can be seen in the number of students and programs at an institution, the number of staff available, and other responsibilities that librarians have within their library organizations. What this shows is that careful consideration should be given when an academic library is considering starting their own Embedded Librarian Program to ensure their specific …

Who’S Evaluating The Evaluators? Cognitive Biases, Fake News, And Information Literacy, Jon C. Pope, Kim Becnel

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In response to the increased attention to “fake news” and “alternative facts” as information challenges in the wake of the recent election cycle, librarians and educators have dramatically stepped up efforts to cultivate basic information literacy skills, especially prioritizing the careful evaluation of online sources of information. While these critical source evaluation skills are an essential component of functional information literacy, the recent emphasis on them is predicated on a model of communication that assumes that the readers of these online sources are capable—and desirous—of making informed, objective judgments about the credibility of an external information source. Rhetorical theories, however, …

Mlis And Esl, How Librarians Can Serve English Language Learners, Jordan P. Moore

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Librarians are uniquely situated to assist English language learners, not only in the workplace, but in our communities. The presenter of this session works with international patrons and volunteers with organizations that serve immigrant and refugee communities in Atlanta, Georgia. Training in library instruction and research consultation has aided them their interactions with non-native English speakers as they learn a new language and adapt to life in the United States. During this session, participants will see how the strategies we use every day to assess patrons’ information needs and present information in an accessible and adaptable way can be particularly …

Making Library Instruction More Interactive With Kahoot!, Vincent S. Larkin

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This presentation will describe our efforts to increase student participation and enthusiasm during library instruction sessions in a small college setting using Kahoot, a free online polling application. Kahoot, which can be accessed on mobile devices or PCs, allows the instructor to poll students and check for understanding at multiple points during an information literacy (IL) session.

The polling application, which can be used individually or with teams, has generated noticeable excitement/participation during library instruction sessions, garnering positive responses from students and faculty alike, and allows us to check for understanding throughout IL sessions. The ease of customization/changing of questions …

Double Shots, Not Decaf! Going Beyond The One-Shot As An Embedded Librarian, Michelle Abbott, Susanna R. Smith

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

The typical one-shot method of library instruction challenges a librarian to teach students everything they need to know in one session, before the students doze off in the first few minutes. An alternative has a librarian in an online environment providing assistance though chat or discussion boards. These embedded librarians are also challenged because it requires the student to make the connection, and they often snooze through that opportunity too. This caffeinated presentation offers a different solution to the age-old librarian problem: “How do I get students to interact with me and learn a little in the process?”

For the …

Research And Writing In The Disciplines: A Model For Faculty-Librarian Collaboration, Erika Scheurer, Talia Nadir

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In our collaborative faculty-librarian presentation, we will offer a model for institutionalizing information literacy (IL) instruction through our university’s Writing in the Disciplines courses. In this model, developed through primary and secondary research, we facilitate and support faculty-librarian collaborations, guiding pairs to maximize the potential for IL instruction as a means of supporting student writing.

As the extensive literature on faculty-librarian collaboration suggests, the "one shot" approach to IL instruction is not ideal for several reasons. Chief among them is that without shared understandings of the role of librarians and of what IL is (and is not), IL can become …

Meeting The Needs Of Freshmen And Transfer Students: Using Library Guides And Instruction As Platform, Janet S. Ward, Justin Davis

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

The presentation focuses on methods used for developing a one-stop-shop that provides resources and vital information for students in their first year on campus. During the presentation, presenters will deliver methods used in designing a LibGuide that contains various assignments and research activities so that students gain an understanding of library research, critical thinking, evaluation skills, financial literacy, registration, ethics, and more. The presenter developed Student Success @ Limestone College LibGuide specifically for freshman students. The guide has been so popular it has been designated as a required tool in freshman day and online courses.

Digital Storytelling: A New Approach To Boost Information Literacy In First-Year Writing Courses, Yvonne B. Wichman

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

While the principles of rhetoric have changed little over the ages, the methods of delivery have changed, and at the heart of this evolution is modern technology. Traditional-age college students, ages 18 to 25, are part of the iGeneration. Rarely, do we see students walking around our campuses without some sort of technology in their hands. Be it an iPod or iPhone, today’s students are plugged in.

Clearly, the dissemination of information is moving from textual to visual, which means that students must learn to view visual and aural information in the same way that they view the printed word, …

Mi Casa Es Su Casa: Supporting Student-Created, Collaborative Learning Environments With Libguides Cms, Jeffrey M. Mortimore, Ruth L. Baker

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

As faculty seek innovative ways to develop student-created, blended learning environments, librarians have an opportunity to provide technical tools, training, and support that enhances faculty-librarian collaboration and promotes library instructional services.

LibGuides CMS provides a flexible platform for supporting student-created work, including student profiles, blogs, and simple html/scripting projects. This session discusses how librarians at Georgia Southern University opened up their LibGuides CMS platform to faculty in two programs to provide an online home for a variety of class and program-based projects. In each case, faculty and students were invited onto the platform as collaborative content creators and editors, while …

Recomposition And Information Literacy, Bailey Mcalister

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

To be successful in the ever-transforming world of writing, students must be familiar with new media and multimodal composition. New media, for most students, is something they are used to - they are frequently introduced to new social media features that enhance their online social experiences. But multimodal composition is more difficult to absorb. It’s not that students don’t compose multimodally everyday; it’s that many students don’t see the connections between informal multimodal composition on social media, academic composition in the classroom, and practical composition in the professional world. Having students compose a multimodal piece for an academic assignment allows …

Informed Learning And The Acrl Framework: What Faculty Teach And How Students Learn., Lorna M. Dawes

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Faculty are increasingly implementing pedagogies that create cultures of inquiry in their classes and teach information use as a part of their discipline subject content. Informed Learning is a pedagogy that focuses on “learning subject content through engaging with academic or professional information practices” (Bruce et al, 2010) and is the most effective way of teaching information literacy. Evidence gathered via interviews with 24 teaching faculty reveal how information literacy is a part of the teaching and learning that occurs serendipitously and intentionally in first-year courses. The faculty describe five qualitatively different ways that students experience information use throughout their …