Design and Evaluation of Digital Information Literacy Modules in an Online First-year College Writing Course

Lee-Ann Breuch, Caroline Crouse, Julia Kelly and Merry Rendahl

Abstract

How can information literacy be communicated in an online environment?  Panelists in this presentation discuss the partnership between librarians and writing teachers to design and evaluate online modules about information literacy and library research at the University of Minnesota.  The pilot for the information literacy modules was an online writing course at the University of Minnesota, a first-year composition course.  Two librarians created modules on the following topics:  identifying popular and scholarly articles, selecting an index, and searching an index.  For the first module, the librarians used an interactive technology called Breeze which allowed them to create interactive PowerPoint slides with voice narration and quiz features.  The last two modules were created using animated, narrated files that demonstrated how to navigate online indices.  Quizzes for the modules were created to measure comprehension.  All modules and quizzes were integrated in the online writing course and were used to help prepare students for a prospectus assignment in which students needed to propose a topic and identify several popular and scholarly sources they would use for a long research paper.  Two writing instructors were involved in the online writing course:  a tenured faculty member in Rhetoric who designed the online course, and a PhD Rhetoric graduate student who taught the course Spring 2006.  These instructors worked with the librarians (one of whom was a liaison librarian who already worked closely with Rhetoric) at various points to discuss the content and placement of the modules in the course.  Our presentation shares the following information about this partnership:  how the partnership began, design decisions in creating online modules, results and reactions from students, and plans for revision and further evaluation. 

Full Paper [pdf]

About the Authors

Lee-Ann Kastman Breuch, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rhetoric at the University of Minnesota, where she teaches courses in first-year writing, technical communication, computer pedagogy, teacher training, and usability testing.  Her research addresses writing theory and pedagogy in technical disciplines, composition, and online environments.

Julia Kelly is Reference librarian and coordinator of library instruction at Magrath Library on the St. Paul campus at the University of Minnesota. She is the library liaison to the Dept. of Rhetoric, and works on a Web archive of agricultural economics literature. In addition to her degree in Library Science, she has a Masters degree in biology and worked in microbiology research before becoming a librarian.

Merry Rendahl is a Ph.D. student in Rhetoric at the University of Minnesota. Her areas of study include technology enhanced learning, writing pedagogies, and adult education. Merry has experience teaching writing courses both online and in the classroom. She has also been a tutor and director in the University of Minnesota Online Writing Center. Merry will be wrapping up her coursework this year with classes on the psychology of technology and instruction and educational research. Merry also likes to run--an activity that requires no writing and no computers.

Caroline Crouse is the Electronic Resources librarian in the Reference Department at the Gelman Library at George Washington University in Washington D.C. Until recently she was at University of Minnesota Libraries, working on undergraduate initiatives and information literacy. She received her Masters degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Michigan, and has a keen interest in the role of the information commons in a university setting.