Flipped Instruction for Information Literacy: Five Instructional Cases of Academic Librarians

Abstract

University of California, Berkeley librarians have incorporated the flipped instruction model into information literacy training by focusing on two primary elements: assigning pre-class assignments and increasing active learning techniques. We explore these two elements across five diverse instructional cases, which include one-shot and semester-long classes that were conducted through online or in-person delivery for both graduate and undergraduate students across a range of subject areas (sciences, social sciences, and humanities). We examine the enabling factors and the perceived outcomes of this instructional paradigm. Because students came to class with enhanced library understanding and experience from the pre-class assignment, they were better prepared to engage with the material and articulate additional learning needs. We note students' increased engagement during class and more time available for higher-order learning exercises and discussions. As a result, flipped instruction appears to enable more learning opportunities without increasing classroom time. The challenges of this model are the requisite commitment of time and effort, the need to foster class participation, and the facilitation of active communication within the class. We propose a framework of catalysts, building blocks, and instructional outcomes to help library instructors incorporate flipped instruction elements into their instructional design.

Online active-learning: information literacy instruction for graduate students

“…Their needs are more subject-specific and require library instruction from a specialist in the discipline. Loo et al (2016) mentions "[a]n advanced audience provides an opportunity for more sophisticated instructional content and to move beyond 'point-and-click' demonstrations of the mechanics of catalog and database searches" (p. 276).…”

Flipping the classroom for information literacy instruction

“…Flipped classroom is a new model of course delivery that emerged around 2005 from Salman Khan (Plunkett, 2014). In this model, course materials are delivered beforehand, while the classroom is used as a venue for answering inquiries (Loo et al, 2016). The purpose of flipped classroom methodology is to motivate students to engage actively with course content and to improve interactions between students and academic staff so that deeper learning happens (Rotellar & Cain, 2016).…”

“…The below is a list of research of particular importance to this study. Loo et al (2016) present five cases of flipped IL instructions in different forms: a one-shot instructional session for a large interdisciplinary undergraduate course, a one-shot graduate orientation seminar, an embedded librarian in a graduate research seminar, a real-time online graduate course, and a hybrid online and in-person instructional program. Their study aims to provide direction in devising a mode of flipped IL instruction facing the diversity of disciplines and audiences.…”

“…Researchers have also expressed concerns over the lack of data with regard to learner perceptions (Loo et al, 2016;Rodriguez, 2016). In his 2017 study concerning a flipped freshman (first year undergraduate) English library instruction, Rivera did not find the expected success, and suspected that this was caused by students' unfamiliarity with the flipped class model (Rivera, 2017).…”

Beyond the one-shot: Intensive workshops as a platform for engaging the library in digital humanities

“…Recent publications have called for rethinking the one-shot format, either by employing flipped instruction techniques (Obradovich, Canuel, and Duffy 2015;Loo et al 2016;Rivera 2015) Studies and the spatial humanities . To that end, the institute was concerned with helping participants to think spatially, to internalize the concept of space, and to develop spatial literacies in their scholarship and practice.…”