Transforming Online Instructional Content to Engage Students and Alleviate Library Anxiety
This post was contributed by Bryant Moore, FYE Librarian at Texas A&M University–San Antonio.
Librarians constantly use online content as instructional resources. These resources may come in the form of information literacy modules, research guides, or library tutorials. Utilizing these tools allows libraries and librarians to expand instructional reach and provide around-the-clock instructional services to library users. As library professionals striving to reduce library anxiety and engage first year students, we must remember to transform online content.
When transforming online content, it’s important to listen to students. We live in an age where most first year college students spend a lot of time online. Before revising an information literacy module that all freshmen are required to complete, I gathered informal feedback from students. They voiced concerns over the module being boring and time-consuming. Library staff spend a great deal of time and energy creating instructional resources, but often fail to seek feedback from the students required to complete them.
Student feedback can ease the process of restructuring and recreating informational content. In return, we can make learning more engaging for the students.
The most crucial part of transforming online content is making sure the content is appropriate and relevant. Mestre stated (2012), “Content should be focused around the goals of the learning object and presented so that it is easy to understand the main points” (p. 143). When it comes to online content our university relies heavily on Credo Information Literacy to ensure students have appropriate and relevant content. The Credo tutorials allow students to engage in videos and short quizzes that help reinforce the importance of the research process.
When designing or transforming online library content, libraries and librarians should learn to take a personal approach. Taking a personal approach does require extra planning but it can force us to have fun and be creative. Many librarians, including myself, feel that personal interactions can be lost when using online content. To personalize the information literacy module for freshmen I decided to record videos of me introducing each section of the information literacy module. The videos included a secret challenge that included two keywords that I mentioned in each section. Students who recognized the keywords could visit my office to receive a candy bar. The videos reinforced that fact that there is a librarian available to help with their information needs.
References
Mestre, L. (2012). Designing effective library tutorials: A guide for accommodating multiple learning styles. Oxford, UK: Chandos Publishing.
What is Credo Information Literacy?
Credo Information Literacy is customizable, standards-aligned courseware based on the ACRL Framework and designed to teach key information literacy skills. Featuring multimedia content and robust assessments, it’s easy to integrate into courses, one-shot sessions, or point-of-need.
