TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY IN OFFCAMPUS CLASSROOMS

1
TEACHING INFORMATION LITERACY IN OFF-CAMPUS
CLASSROOMS Jacob Hill, Reference/Instruction
Librarian, the A.C. Buehler Library at Elmhurst
College
Whats the Issue? Distance Learners vs.
Distributed Learners As defined by ACRLs
Guidelines for Distance Learning Library
Services (http//www.ala.org, June 29, 2004),
Distance learning library services refers to
those library services in support of college,
university, or other post-secondary courses and
programs offered away from a main campus, or in
the absence of a traditional campus, and
regardless of where credit is given. Distance
learners are traditionally users who perform
their studies in a location far from a sponsoring
institution. Libraries tend to support such users
with online information literacy tools such as
web-based instruction tutorials and synchronous
and asynchronous support. However, this
definition does not fit all types of off-campus
students. For the purposes of this presentation,
I would like to advance the term distributed
learner. A distributed learner follows from
its defined use in the article The Librarys
Role in Distance Education Survey Results from
ACRLs 2000 Academic Library Trends and
Statistics by Hugh Thompson (College Research
Libraries News, May 2002). Distributed learning
refers to learning situations where students
may not be in a traditional classroom, but
neither are they at such a large distance from
the institution that they are unable to
physically have access to its services (39). In
a distributed-learner classroom, the student may
live close enough to the parent institution to
make occasional use of the facilities. In these
situations, it may be more feasible for a
librarian to visit remote classroom sites and
provide information literacy instruction in
person, rather than treating the students as
faceless remote users. However, the traveling
academic librarian faces new problems when
delivering corporeal instruction off-campus
resources vary from location to location, and
librarians must adapt instruction to fit these
resources and student needs.

• Step 5) Prepare for the additional demands of
  distributed-learning students and the off-campus
  environment.
• Common distributed-learner questions
• Best methods for remote access to campus
  databases
• Answers to Frequently Asked Technical Questions
  (i.e. firewall issues, student authentication,
  possible workarounds).
• Access to items at the library the interlibrary
  book loan process, article photocopy requests,
  reference desk service hours.
• Access policies concerning other libraries what
  libraries are near to the area, what resources do
  they have, how to access their OPACS.
• Are there alternate means for printing articles?
  Many remote classrooms lack printers, so students
  will be looking for ways to access articles
  electronically (persistent URLs, emailing
  articles to an email account)
• Technical issues
• Prepare for the unfamiliar computer layout- if
  possible, arrange for technical support, or
  budget extra time to acquaint yourself with
  unfamiliar equipment.

• Step 2) Determine the available resources at the
  remote site classroom (either from instructor or
  by contacting the remote site directly).
• Questions to ask
• Are there computer resources in the classroom? If
  not, is there an accessible computer lab to use
  for teaching purposes, or can resources be made
  available for a class session? Will it be
  necessary to bring my own laptop and/or
  projector?
• Does the lab have the ability to display the
  instructors computer screen, either by
  projector, wall-mounted display, or screen
  slaving.?
• Is there internet access? What type (Ethernet or
  WiFi)?
• Possible classroom resource scenarios (see A
  through E below)

Step 3) Choose your instruction tools based on
the available resources and student outcomes to
provide effective instruction. First determine
the technology and resources youll require to
properly achieve student outcomes, then choose
from the following toolkit responses to fit
Step 2 classroom scenarios.

• Step 4) Prepare a Remote Site Package
• Be aware that you will be on your own, away from
  technical support, so plan accordingly. You must
  be prepared to teach the class without computer
  support if necessary. Also recognize that you are
  the only representative of the library that a
  distributed-learning student might have contact
  with. Things to include
• Search simulations and examples
• Screen-shot printouts of applicable sites (course
  page, library OPAC).
• Sample search Print-outs and search results from
  applicable resources.
• PowerPoint slides, additional technological
  how-to handouts.
• Lists of applicable or useful links,
  bibliographies.
• 2) General information about the parent library
  and its services
• Information about library databases, (location,
  directions, available resources).
• Details about remote access and instructions for
  authentication.
• Contact numbers/emails (e.g. a flyer from the
  library), hours, including reference desk
  availability.
• Checkout policies (especially concerning your
  librarys reciprocal borrowing agreements with
  other libraries).
• Student group workshop materials (e.g., handing
  out articles to groups, having them differentiate
  between scholarly and non-scholarly sources.
• Print resources you may need.

Step 1) Determine the instructors desired
student outcomes.

• Your Information Resource Working with
  Off-Campus Faculty
• Communication is the most essential ingredient
  when planning off-campus information literacy
  instruction. Remote-site faculty instructors may
  work entirely off-campus, so librarians must do
  their utmost to foster adequate
  points-of-contact. General questions to ask a
  remote classroom instructor about the class
• What resources do you believe students need to
  complete their assignments? Some classes require
  different depths of instruction.
• Are you aware if students have access to a
  computer lab, or internet access at home
  (distance-learners are assumed to have a
  computer, but distributed learners may not have
  one)?
• Is this class in an accelerated time format?
  Often, remote-site learners take classes that are
  condensed for time in order to fit with work
  hours. This may affect the amount of time you
  have to provide instruction.
• Is there a particular issue or items that
  students have consistently had questions about
  (e.g. available resources, remote database
  access, librarian availability, borrowing
  reciprocity)?
• Are there any classroom constraints that affect
  instruction? Some remote-site classrooms are of
  irregular shape, size, or function, and/or differ
  from the traditional concept of classroom.

No special instruction tools needed The classroom
has adequate resources to support regular
instruction, unless student outcomes demand
additional resources. Prepare a Remote Site
Package (proceed to Step 4)

• A) Multiple-station computer lab with
• Internet access
• Students can follow your
• demonstration,
• or perform tasks
• on their own
• stations.

Use Cached (saved) Webpages to show library
resources- demonstrate the workflow. Use a
cached sample search to illustrate the process.
This sample search can easily be inserted into a
PowerPoint narrative, or the search process can
be simulated as it would appear in an actual
search

• B) Instructor computer station with..
• Computer video projector or some other display
  method
• Internet access

Sources Association of College Research
Libraries. Guidelines for Distance Learning
Library Services. 8 March 2005. American Library
Association. 19 March 2005. lthttp//www.ala.org/al
a/acrl/acrlstandartds/guidelines.htmgt DeWald,
Nancy et al. Information Literacy at a Distance
Instructional Design Issues. Journal of Academic
Librarianship 26.1 (2000) 33-45.
WilsonSelectPlus. Elmhurst College Library,
Elmhurst. 28 Feb 2005 lthttp//www.oclc.orggt. Mille
r, Kathryn. Beyond the Campus Libraries Serving
Distance Education Students. March 2005
Information Literacy Summit, Moraine Valley
Community College, Moraine Valley, 30 March 2005.
Stern, Caroline. Information Literacy
Unplugged Teaching Information Literacy
Without Technology. Presented July 2002 at the
U.S. National Commission on Library and
Information Science (UNESCO). 4 March 2005.
lthttp//www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconfmeet/pa
pers/stern-fullpaper.pdfgt Thompson, Hugh. The
Librarys Role in Distance Education Survey
Results from ARCLs 2000 Academic Library Trends
and Statistics." College Research Libraries
News 63.5 (2002)338-340. WilsonSelectPlus.
Elmhurst College Library, Elmhurst. 28 Feb 2005
lthttp//www.oclc.orggt.

• The Need Elmhurst Colleges Off-Campus Cohort
  Program
• Elmhurst College, a small liberal arts college
  located in Elmhurst, Illinois, recently expanded
  its undergraduate Nursing Department by
  developing a cohort teaching program in
  conjunction with four local area hospitals. The
  cohort program is designed specifically for
  nurses who already work in the profession, and
  are taking night classes for their baccalaureate
  degree. Classes are taught by Elmhurst College
  Nursing faculty, and all four hospitals are
  located within a 30 mile radius of the parent
  institution.
• Area hospitals
• Advocate Lutheran General
• Advocate Good Samaritan
• Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
• Advocate Bethany
• The versions of these classes taught at Elmhurst
  College have an established comprehensive 4-year
  information literacy program, so the remote sites
  needed to include a similar instruction program.
  Since the remote sites were close to the library,
  it was feasible and logistically possible to have
  a librarian visit the remote classrooms in person
  to provide in-person instruction. These
  off-campus literacy sessions had to be modified
  from versions of on-campus sessions, and adjusted
  for content, available resources, and time
  available at the sites.. The remote site
  instruction program was initiated in January of
  2004.

C) Classroom computer station(s) without Internet
service Photo courtesy of
"http//philip.greenspun.com/"gtPhilip Greenspun
Librarian-Authored Course Web pages A
Librarian-authored course/subject page is
especially useful for off-campus instruction.
Users can be directed to their specific course
page for primary database selection. These pages
are also useful for inserting links to
information commonly needed by remote-site
students online interlibrary loan request forms,
contact information, and access
instructions.
D) No computers in remote classroom

• Results of Implementing the 5-Step Off-campus
  Information Literacy Program
• Flexibility the model can be applied to teaching
  information literacy in classrooms on-campus as
  well as off-campus.
• Students were able to meet a second
  point-of-contact for the parent institution,
  which broadened the involvement of the parent
  institutional in the students educational
  process.
• Efficient time usage- with backup materials
  already prepared (Remote Site Package), less time
  was spent adapting to remote site resources if
  off-site technology resources proved confusing or
  too difficult to utilize, then backup materials
  were substituted to save time.
• Off-site instructors were made more aware of
  information resource limitations facing
  off-campus students, and were consequently able
  to adapt their student expectations and
  assignments as needed.
• Students were exposed to the library website and
  electronic databases even if the remote classroom
  site contained no computer resources.
• Students were able to see visual demonstrations
  of the search process and participate in the
  search process, either in workshop form (via
  handouts) or by direct participation (if computer
  access was available).

The Solution A 5-Step Off-Campus Information
Literacy Instruction Model for Distributed
Learners Off-campus information literacy
instruction presents a unique challenge to the
academic librarian, who is used to facilitating
most instruction backed by a sizable "toolbox,"
such as computers, Internet access, video
projectors and a controlled, familiar physical
environment. The unpredictability inherent in
this type of instruction requires flexible
responses, new techniques, and additional class
preparation, as well as adequate communication
with off-site instructors. A replicable model had
to developed that would allow librarians to
formulate an instruction plan depending on the
types of scenarios encountered.

• Bring a laptop computer and computer video
  projector, or
• If available, make arrangements for a computer
  and projector in the classroom.

YES
Were you able to arrange for computer resources?
E) Unknown status of remote classroom (unable to
reach instructor, classroom change, et.
cetera)
NO
Go to Step 4 (prepare a Remote Site Package)