This document summarizes a webinar on new models for credit-bearing information literacy courses. The webinar included presentations from librarians at Boise State University and University at Buffalo. At Boise State, the library course evolved from a self-paced online course to include collaborative projects between the library and writing program. A key collaboration was the PoWeR program, which paired the library course with a writing course. Assessment found student research skills improved through this collaboration. At Buffalo, the library course uses case studies and has expanded to include discipline-specific sections to target different academic programs. The webinar discussed factors driving changes in library instruction and different approaches to credit-bearing information literacy courses.

1. New Models for Credit-Bearing
Information Literacy Courses
ACRL e-Learning Webcast, March 15, 2011

2. Presenters
 Kim Leeder: Librarian/Assistant
Professor, Boise State University
 Sara Seely: Librarian/Assistant
Professor, Boise State University
 Christopher Hollister: Associate
Librarian, University at Buffalo

3. Welcome!
Road map for today’s
webinar:
1. Introduction
2. Change & the new IL
course
3. Case Studies: Boise
State and U Buffalo
4. Discussion
Image: Scorpions and Centaurs on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sshb/4087836286/

4. We want to know about you.
Please answer the following question using Elluminate’s
polling choices below the participant list at left.
Are you currently teaching a for-
credit information literacy course?
• Yes: click the green checkmark
• No: click the red X

5. We want to know about you.
Please answer the following question using Elluminate’s
polling choices below the participant list at left.
How long has your library been
teaching a for-credit information
literacy course?
A: 1-5 years
B: 6-10 years
C: 11-15 years
D: We don’t teach one (yet)

6. We want to know about you.
Please answer the following question using Elluminate’s
polling choices below the participant list at left.
What has been the major change in
your library’s for-credit information
literacy course over time?
A: Content
B: Delivery method
C: Audience
D: All of the above

7. Change & the new IL course

8. Change & the new IL course
Students
• Learning styles & engagement
• Expectations
• Information literacy/illiteracy
• Emerging literacy

9. Change & the new IL course (cont.)
Institutions
• Accreditation
• Budgets
• Curricula
• General education
• Academic programs
• Individual disciplines

10. Change & the new IL course (cont.)
Libraries/librarians
• Professional role
• Institutional role
• Staffing/budgets

11. Change & the new IL course (cont.)
Technology
• Distance, online, hybrid
• Courseware
• Multimedia
• Web communication tools
• Social software/networking
• Instructional technology

12. Change & the new IL course (cont.)
Challenges
• Staffing
• Budgets
• Technology
• Support
• Continuing education & improvement

13. We want to hear from you.
Please answer the following question using Elluminate’s
polling choices below the participant list at left.
Which of these factors do you feel
has had the most impact on your
teaching?
A: Students
B: Institutions
C: Libraries/librarians
D: Technology

14. The Boise State experience
A microcosm of changes in the
library instruction world.

15. University 106: History & Context

16. University 106: History & Context
 1 credit, since 1973,
“Library Skills”
 Originally a paper, self-
paced course
 Later migrated online
Image: Lewis & Clark College Visual Resources on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15388497@N02/3333084687/

17. University 106: History & Context
 “Get it all right”
approach to
learning
 Worksheets must be
completed correctly
to pass
 Numerous attempts
possible
Image: rkeohane on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkeohane/104512355/

18. University 106: History & Context
Student
audience
=
varied
Image: maistora on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkeohane/104512355/

19. University 106: History & Context
 Required by a few
random majors (Marketing, Radiology)
 New students
 Seniors needing 1
more credit
 150 cap

20. Curriculum update (2008)
 Course retitled, new
focus: “Library
Research”
 Course goals
updated, aligned to
ACRL standards
Photobywarrenski,http://www.flickr.com/photos/warrenski/5026666309/

21. Curriculum update (2008)
 New approaches
 Blackboard
 In-person sections
 Discipline- and College-
oriented sections
 What haven’t we tried?

22. Curriculum update (2008)
Increasing collaboration with
First-Year Writing Program
Image: Clearly Ambiguous on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/401400171/

23. Project Writing and Research

24. PoWeR = Collaboration

25. PoWeR Institutes
 3 Saturdays in Fall 2009
 Developed a research curriculum
 Based on Engl102 & Univ106 learning outcomes
 Series of 16 modules (topic selection, keywords)
 Paired librarians and English faculty
 Offered 20 PoWeR sections in Spring 2010

26. PoWeR courses
 PoWeR Univ106 taught fully online
 Librarians developed video tutorial skills
 Online teaching skills
 Student experience
 Weekly online research assignments
 In-class workshops
 Consultations with librarian

27. Best practices for pairing courses
 Build bridges between course content
 Instructor communication strategies
 Accommodate in-person learners
 Use shared assignments (annotated bib)
 Individualize instruction
 Challenges/Benefits

28. Portfolio assessment
 Requested 3 portfolios of student work from
all English 102 courses
 Collected and reviewed approximately 12%
of student portfolios (210 portfolios)
 2 independent readings of each portfolio

29. Rubric criteria

30. Rubric criteria

31. Rubric criteria
Cover letter prompts:
•Please discuss your research processes. How does your research
process affect your writing as you move through a project? How has
your research process changed over the semester?
•What research strategies have you developed this semester?
Please describe them.
Cover letter prompts:
•Please discuss your research processes. How does your research
process affect your writing as you move through a project? How has
your research process changed over the semester?
•What research strategies have you developed this semester?
Please describe them.

32. Overall assessment

33. Rubric criteria

34. Univ106 Course Evaluations

35. + / -
 Successes
 Collaboration
 Impact
 Challenges
 Collaboration
 Scalability
 Reaching 60-70
sections
Image: ItzaFineDay on Flickr,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/itzafineday/131415487/in/pool-52241664802@N01/

36. PoWeR E-Textbook

37. Next steps at BSU
 Continued PoWeR experimentation
 Variations in pairings
 PoWeR Institute focused on E-Textbook
integration
 Discipline-specific
 Health Sciences
 STEM resources
 Marketing resources

38. Boise State Q&A

39. The University at Buffalo
experience
ULC 257: Library Research Methods

40. University at Buffalo
ULC 257: Library Research Methods
 Two credits
 Since 2003
 General Education Program, elective
 University Learning Center
 Two sections per semester

41. University at Buffalo
 Case study teaching (definition)
 “…chunk of reality” used for instructional
purposes
 “…derived from preexisting materials…”

42. University at Buffalo
 Case study teaching (requirements)
 Specific learning outcomes
 Real world scenarios
 Meaningful, relevant, and understandable

43. University at Buffalo
 Case study teaching (components)
 The case itself
 Case questions
 Small group work
 Debriefing

44. University at Buffalo
 Case study teaching (purpose)
 Active learning
 Critical thinking
 Published evidence
 Refreshed instructors

45. University at Buffalo
 Case study teaching (results)
 Improved test scores
 Improved final grades
 Improved course evaluations

46. University at Buffalo
 ULC 257 Digital Archive
 Showcase for students’ research projects
 Ongoing exhibit
 Wiki platform

47. University at Buffalo
ULC 257 Digital Archive (results)
 Student expectations & effective instruction
 Ongoing exhibit
 Undergraduate student research initiative
 Student portfolios
 Demonstrated initiative; higher caliber projects
 Instructor/student collaboration
 Effective monitoring

48. University at Buffalo
 ULC 257: Library Research Methods
 Discipline specific sections
 Credit IL course for the Department of
Chemistry
 Moodle

49. Buffalo Q&A

50. General Q&A / The end
Thank you!

Find this presentation at:
http://slidesha.re/creditbearing

51. Selected Bibliography
ALL AREAS OF THE CREDIT IL COURSE
Hollister, Christopher, ed. Best Practices for Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Courses. (Chicago: Association of College &
Research Libraries, 2010).
TARGETED STUDENT GROUPS
Bagnole, J., & Miller, J. (2003). An Interactive Information Literacy Course for International Students: A Practical Blueprint for ESL
Learners. TESL-EJ, 6(4), Retrieved from ERIC database.
Nims, J. K., Andrew, A., Eastern Michigan University., & National LOEX Library Instruction Conference. (2002). First impressions,
lasting impact: Introducing the first year student to the academic library. Library orientation series, no. 32. Ann Arbor, MI:
Published for Learning Resources and Technologies, Eastern Michigan University by Pierian Press.
Snavely, L., & Wright, C. (2003). Research Portfolio Use in Undergraduate Honors Education: Assessment Tool and Model for Future
Work. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(5), 298-303. doi: 10.1016/S0099-1333(03)00069-7
Sugarman, Tammy S., and Laura G. Burtle. "From 50 Minutes to 15 Weeks: Teaching a Semester-Long Information Literacy Course
Within a Freshman Learning Community" Integrating information literacy into the college experience. Pierian Press, 2003. Library
Lit & Inf Full Text. Web. 6 July 2010.
TARGETED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Durando, P., & Oakley, P. (2005). Developing information literacy skills in nursing and rehabilitation therapy students. Journal of the
Canadian Health Libraries Association (JCHLA), 26(1), 7-11. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology
Abstracts database.
Mulherrin, E., Kelley, K., Fishman, D., & Orr, G. (2004). Information Literacy and the Distant Student: One University's Experience
Developing, Delivering, and Maintaining an Online, Required Information Literacy Course. Internet Reference Services Quarterly,
9(1/2), 21-36. doi:10.1300/J136v09n01•03.
Scales, J., Matthews, G., & Johnson, C. (2005). Compliance, Cooperation, Collaboration and Information Literacy. Journal of
Academic Librarianship, 31(3), 229-235. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
Stephenson, E., & Caravello, P. (2007). Incorporating data literacy into undergraduate information literacy programs in the social
sciences. Reference Services Review, 35(4), 525-540. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts
database.
Stylianopoulos, L. (2003). It’s All in the Company You Keep: Library Skills Credit Courses in the Art Library. Art Documentation, 22(1),
29-32. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.

52. Selected Bibliography
DEPARTMENTAL COLLABORATIONS
Goebel, N., & Neff, P. (2007). INFORMATION LITERACY AT AUGUSTANA. Communications in Information Literacy, 1(1), 6-15.
Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
IMPROVED / INNOVATIVE TEACHING
Allen, M. (2008). Promoting Critical Thinking Skills in Online Information Literacy Instruction Using a Constructivist Approach. College
& Undergraduate Libraries, 15(1/2), 21-38. doi:10.1080/10691310802176780.
Frantz, P. (2002). A scenario-based approach to credit course instruction. Reference Services Review, 30(1), 37-42. doi:
10.1108/00907320210416528.
Hegarty, N., Carbery, A., & Hurley, T. (2009). Learning by Doing: Re-designing the First Year Information Literacy Programme at
Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) Libraries. Journal of Information Literacy, 3(2), 73-87. Retrieved from Library,
Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
Hollister, C. Making the Case for Enhanced Learning: Using Case Studies in a Credit-Bearing Library Course. In E. Connor (Ed.), An
Introduction to Instructional Services in Academic Libraries (pp. 95-105). New York: Haworth.
Johnson, W. (2007). The Application of Learning Theory to Information Literacy. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 14(4), 103-120.
doi:10.1080/10691310802128435.
Sharma, S. (2007). From Chaos to Clarity: Using the Research Portfolio to Teach and Assess Information Literacy Skills. Journal of
Academic Librarianship, 33(1), 127-35. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.
Williams, J., & Chinn, S. (2009). Using Web 2.0 to Support the Active Learning Experience. Journal of Information Systems Education,
20(2), 165-174. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database.
ASSESSMENT
Burkhardt, J.M. (2007). Assessing Library Skills: A First Step to Information Literacy. Portal : Libraries and the Academy, 7(1), 25-
34,36,44-49. Retrieved July 6, 2010, from ProQuest Central. (Document ID: 1205768831).
Oakleaf, M. (2009). The information literacy instruction assessment cycle: A guide for increasing student learning and improving
librarian instructional skills. Journal of Documentation, 65(4), 539-560. Retrieved from Library, Information Science & Technology
Abstracts database.

53. Selected Bibliography
PORTFOLIO STRUCTURE
Walsh, T. & Hollister, C. (2009). Creating a Digital Archive for Students' Research in a Credit Library Course. Reference & User
Services Quarterly 48 (4), 391-400.
TECHNOLOGY
Burkhardt, J., Kinnie, J., & Cournoyer, C. (2008). Information Literacy Successes Compared: Online vs. Face to Face. Journal of
Library Administration, 48(3/4), 379-389.
Chen, H., & Williams, J. (2009). Pedagogical Design for an Online Information Literacy Course: College Students' Learning Experience
with Multi-Modal Objects. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 33(1/2), 1-37. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf
Full Text database.
Chen, H., & Williams, J. (2009). Use of multi-modal media and tools in an online information literacy course: College students' attitudes
and perceptions. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 35(1), 14-24.
Jacobs, W. (2007). Online Discussion in a Hybrid Information Literacy Credit Course. Education Libraries, 30(2), 18-26.

54. Switch to Chat Discussion
 We’ll now begin a presenter-moderated chat
discussion of for-credit instruction models.
 Please switch your screen to Elluminate’s “Wide
Layout” to expand your chat box.