Mass Producing a Masterpiece: Designing a Required One Credit, Distributed Learning Information Literacy Course Sharon Verba Head, Research, Instruction, & Reference University of South Carolina Karen Brown Information Literacy & Instruction Librarian University of South Carolina

Learning Outcomes Participants will: Be able to apply backwards design process in order to design and develop a distributed learning information literacy course Be able to describe challenges associated with transforming a skill based, face to face curriculum into a distributed learning environment in order to design lesson plans and other learning materials Be able to identify the necessary infrastructure in order to develop and maintain large-scale delivery of a credit bearing information literacy course

When your provost calls… What was needed ◦ Information Literacy instruction for 2000 transfer students annually to meet a Carolina Core (General Education) requirement What we couldn't do (not what the provost wants to hear) What could be done, and how we could possibly help

Answers were in the problems Not enough space— ◦ put it online Information Literacy is practice driven, cannot be self or automatically assessed ◦ Can still be online, but will need instructors Not enough librarians to be instructors ◦ make the content set, use adjuncts to grade & give feedback

What could Research, Instruction, & Reference do? Create the content Give a home to the program ◦ Hire & supervise a program coordinator ◦ Hire, supervise & share an instructional media person ◦ Hire and supervise (through the program coordinator) the adjuncts

And then it would run itself, and we would just assist when curriculum needed updating…… With that as the idea, we moved ahead

Creating the Curriculum

Backward Design Begin at the end— Determine what you want the students to learn (rather than what you want to teach) and work from there

Stages of Backward Design From: Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. Understanding by Design Expanded 2 nd ed. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, Identify Desired Result 2. Determine Acceptable Evidence 3. Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Identify Desired Result For the course overall For each weekly module For each module segment

Created the outline of the course (the whiteboard wall: 8 feet high & 10 feet wide)

Determine Acceptable Evidence For the course overall For each weekly module For each module segment

Evidence (almost) equals Assessment

Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction For the course For each weekly module For each module segment

‘ Recruited’ Research, Instruction & Reference librarians to work on segments in teams

Set up a blackboard site

Hired a program coordinator & a media designer Jack Turner, experience in teaching online (religion) and in managing a university program (testing) Jordan Thompson, experience in setting up courses in Blackboard, and creating media for them (U of SC School of Medicine)

Piloted the course in Spring time frames, Spring I & Spring II 10 sections, capped at 15 students each Instructors ranged from experience in online, experience in LIBR101, and general instruction experience

Be able to describe challenges associated with transforming a skill based, face to face curriculum into a distributed learning environment in order to design lesson plans and other learning materials

Instructional Delivery Challenges Face-to-face sections make heavy use of active learning for instructional delivery Instructional delivery is tied to learning management system technological capabilities

Instructional Delivery Challenges Shifted to lecture format ◦ Self assessment activities included at the end of most lectures

Instructional Delivery Challenges Self assessment activities ◦ Lectures and associated self assessment activities registered in gradebook

Instructional Delivery Challenges Self assessment activities Individual student results can be viewed by instructor

Instructional Delivery Challenges Instructional delivery method is tied to student computing availability

Assessment Design Challenges Graded assessments consist of: ◦ Four assignments (Research Strategies, General Article Databases, Subject Article Databases, Newspaper Databases) ◦ Final Project: Annotated Bibliography and Research Reflection ◦ Two Quizzes Overarching factor: ◦ Assessments must be designed to foster academic integrity  875 students enrolled simultaneously in 35 sections starting Fall 2014

Assessment Design Challenges Assignments ◦ Instructors may or may not be librarians ◦ Instructors may or may not be familiar with available library resources ◦ Number of assignments limited due to instructor grading time needed Quizzes ◦ Multiple choice ◦ Randomized ◦ Large question bank needed

Assessment Design Challenges Developing authentic assessments ◦ Current assignments, with the exception of the annotated bibliography and research reflection, consist of guided worksheets. ◦ Current assignments are structured. ◦ Current assignments and quizzes are not realistically contextualized ◦ Quizzes are multiple choice and assess at times seemingly unrelated bits of knowledge.

Lessons Learned Develop expert knowledge of your learning management system Test, test, test, and test more both as instructor and student ◦ Multiple computers, multiple operating systems, multiple devices, multiple browsers Develop relationships with campus technology services responsible for providing learning management support Develop relationships with campus teaching excellence centers staff

Be able to identify the necessary infrastructure in order to develop and maintain large scale delivery of a credit bearing information literacy course.

Administrative

Instructor Mentoring Assisting with academic integrity and other student issues University policies and procedures Training and keeping updated Technical support if distributed delivery

Student Policies and procedures Communication Technical support

Course Management Course evaluations Course scheduling Student registration queries Collecting and compiling statistical data Advertising and hiring of adjuncts

Curriculum Development Who How What When

Questions ?

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