Online by Design: The Essentials of Creating Information Literacy Courses

by Yvonne Mery, Jill Newby

Overview

As more and more academic libraries consider offering online credit courses or converting face-to-face courses to online, instructional librarians need to quickly get up to speed about online course design and delivery. Even the most seasoned instruction librarian may be intimidated by the thought of converting their classroom course into an online course.

Based on both sound research in the area on of online pedagogy and extensive teaching experience, this book includes ideas for:

1. Creating innovative and interactive information literacy tutorials that engage students.
2. Addressing common pitfalls of online instruction including communicating with students, designing a course that is easy to navigate, and getting the most out of the course management system.
3. Developing assignments and assessments that work in an online environment
4. Incorporating the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education into the materials development process.

A must for both seasoned instruction librarians and those just starting, this book will provide librarians with the practical information needed to move their instruction online and teach a successful course.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810891111
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/23/2014
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Yvonne Mery is associate librarian and instructional designer at the University of Arizona. She has co-authored several papers on the integration of information literacy in online classes and presented at numerous national conferences on best practices for online information literacy instruction.
     
Jill Newby is associate librarian at the University of Arizona and has been teaching information literacy at academic libraries for over 25 years. She is currently teaching an online information literacy course for graduate students.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction
Perceptions of Online Learning
Perceptions of IL Credit Courses
Is Online Instruction Effective?
Benefits of Online Instruction for Students, Librarians, and Libraries
The Challenges of Online Instruction
Defining Online Instruction
SECTION 1: DEVELOPING THE COURSE
Chapter 2: The Nuts and Bolts of Online Credit Courses: What You Need to Know Before You Start
The Course Approval Process
Online Instructor Roles
Competencies
Time Commitment
Marketing the Course
The CMS: A Love/Hate Relationship
Quality Matters!
Where to Get Training
Chapter 3: A Recipe for Success: Cooking up the Curriculum
Needs Assessment and Environmental Scanning
Writing Goals and Outcomes
Information Literacy Topics in an Online Course
Course Units: Scope and Sequence
Textbooks
Resource 3.1: Sample Undergraduate Course Topics and Learning Outcomes
Resource 3.2: Sample Graduate Course Topics and Learning Outcomes
Chapter 4: Creating a Student-Centered Syllabus: Taking it to the Next Level
The Interactive Syllabus
What is a Syllabus Good for Anyway?
Elements of the Course Syllabus
Will They Use It?
Resource 4.1: Sample Syllabus Undergraduate Information Literacy Course
Resource 4.2: Sample Syllabus Graduate Information Literacy Course
SECTION 2: DEVELOPING THE UNITS
Chapter 5: Learning Materials 101: Variety is the Spice of Life
Underlying Teaching Strategies
Aligning Learning Materials and with Learning Objectives
Addressing Learning Styles
Creating the Materials
Universal Design for Learning
Using Copyrighted Materials
Chapter 6: Tutorials 101: Keeping Students Engaged
Passive and Active Learning
Writing Student Learning Outcomes
Building Interactivity
Building Engagement
Make it Real
Make it Effective
Choosing the Software
Developing for Mobile
Chapter 7: Assignments 101: Making it Real, Related, and Rewarding
Assignments: More than Busy Work
Creating Meaningful Assignments
Best Practices in Assignment Development
Collaborative Assignments
Workload Management
Resource 7.1: Sample Assignments for Graduate Students
Resource 7.2: Sample Assignment for Undergraduate Students
Chapter 8: But Did They Learn Anything? Assessing and Evaluating
The Assessment Cycle
Formative and Summative Assessment
Assessment Methods
A Word about Cheating
Evaluating Teaching Effectiveness
Resource 8.1: Pre-Post Test Questions
Resource 8.2: Research Portfolio Requirements
Chapter 9: New Models for Teaching and Learning
MOOCs
Digital Badges
The Flipped Classroom
Mobile
A New Instruction Librarian
Index
About the Authors

Editorial Reviews

Online by Design is a highly accessible primer on information literacy course design, written by two distance services librarians who have designed and taught online information literacy courses.. . .[T]his book contributes something new to the community of practice. It synthesizes the best practices for course design and information literacy in one cohesive structure to help novices in course design to create deep, authentic learning experiences. As librarians look for new ways to reach online students and advance research instruction, Online by Design is a timely read.

The Christian Librarian

Online by Design provides a clear window into the making of a successful online course. Mery and Newby do an excellent job of sharing their experiences and approach to designing the content needed to actualise their teaching of IL in a technology-rich environment. By taking a no nonsense approach to their writing they focus on the subject at hand and as a result provide a substantial quantity of pedagogical ideas and principles useful in the development of online courses and even face-to-face classes. The subtitle of this book: the essentials of creating information literacy courses, should not be lost on the readers for the suggested guidelines are indeed essential.. . .Online By Design is an important read for both novices and experienced librarians who have a desire or need to develop and design successful online IL courses.

Journal of Information Literacy

Yvonne Mery and Jill Newby successfully lead the reader through the process of designing an online information literacy course. For those not designing such a course, Online by Design: The Essentials of Creating Information Literacy Courses still has much to say about online course creation and instruction in general. Writing from their own experiences at the University of Arizona in Tucson, which made a strong commitment to online learning in 2008, the authors begin with a general review of the issues surrounding online instruction and credit-bearing information literacy courses. In the following seven chapters, they provide details and suggestions for developing the course and then the individual course units. In the final chapter, they reflect on the future of online learning and instruction. This is a thorough and well-organized guide that is essential reading for those following in the authors’ path.

Portal: Libraries and the Academy

Online by Design: The Essentials of Creating Information Literacy Courses is a well-researched , exceedingly readable text, covering every aspect of the course planning process from the early planning phases to assessing the course. Whether you're a new librarian trying to learn about this type of work, an experienced librarian who has never taught online, or someone who teaches online who would like to start a credit- based course, this book will be a valuable resource in your work.

Lauren Pressley

Yvonne Mery and Jill Newby successfully lead the reader through the process of designing an online information literacy course. For those not designing such a course, Online by Design: The Essentials of Creating Information Literacy Courses still has much to say about online course creation and instruction in general. Writing from their own experiences at the University of Arizona in Tucson, which made a strong commitment to online learning in 2008, the authors begin with a general review of the issues surrounding online instruction and credit-bearing information literacy courses. In the following seven chapters, they provide details and suggestions for developing the course and then the individual course units. In the final chapter, they reflect on the future of online learning and instruction. This is a thorough and well-organized guide that is essential reading for those following in the authors’ path.

portal: Libraries and the Academy