Information Is Experimental: A Qualitative Study of Students’ Chemical Information Literacy in a Problem-Based Beginner Laboratory

Abstract

The focus in teaching and research is shifting from a traditional perspective of information literacy (IL) as a specific set of general, mostly text-based skills to a more comprehensive understanding of the complex aspects that constitute IL as an ongoing, contextspecific process. However, there is a need for further insight into the social and contextual dimension of the information process. The inherent connection between problem-based learning (PBL) and IL holds great potential for a better understanding of students' information experience. The aim of this study was to describe the contextual and social aspects of the information process students engage in during a PBL beginner's lab and how this practical experience can be utilized for teaching. To this end, a wide range of qualitative data were collected over the course of three cohorts, including interviews, on-site audio recordings, and documents. Results suggest that students first evaluate the information they retrieve in terms of experimental safety, feasibility, and usefulness in planning the experimental procedure. Then, the experiment provides the crucial information about whether the previously acquired information was useful for solving the problem. The experiment is at the center of the student information process in a PBL lab. In this work, we discuss how to organize IL instruction from the student perspective and thus place the experiment at the center of IL instruction in a PBL lab. The results of this work contribute to an expanded understanding of IL that is useful for teaching and research in chemistry education.

Evaluating Threshold Concepts for Information Literacy in an Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry Literature Research Project

“…Very few articles have provided an objective assessment of student learning. 16−19 Efforts have been undertaken in courses across the curriculum, including general chemistry, 9,15 analytical, 7,10 inorganic, 17 organic, 8,13,16 biochemistry, 12,18 solid state chemistry, 11 seminars, 14 laboratory courses, 9,16,19 and chemical literature courses. 20 Several studies support the need for explicit instruction for undergraduates to achieve chemical information literacy.…”

“…Until recently, most published reports on chemical information literacy described exercises or activities. − Some reports have provided student perceptions − of learning gains that have been generally positive. Very few articles have provided an objective assessment of student learning. − Efforts have been undertaken in courses across the curriculum, including general chemistry, , analytical, , inorganic, organic, ,, biochemistry, , solid state chemistry, seminars, laboratory courses, ,, and chemical literature courses …”

“…Several studies support the need for explicit instruction for undergraduates to achieve chemical information literacy. , Different approaches to promoting student development of information literacy skills have been investigated, such as problem-based learning, ,, Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), ,, guided worksheets, etc. Several studies have provided insight into some chemistry students’ struggles in developing information literacy skills.…”

“…Several studies have provided insight into some chemistry students’ struggles in developing information literacy skills. These include the difficulty in determining the quality of a source; students appear to value and prioritize findability and comprehensibility, which can lead them to value web-based sources. − Students also seem to have difficulty distinguishing primary and secondary sources, often misidentifying reviews as primary sources. Furthermore, they may choose an inappropriate source when a citation is required in their writing. , …”

The Application of Informatization Teaching and Flipped Classroom in the Teaching of Traditional Culture in College Languages

“…Furthermore, university-level instruction in language and traditional cultural studies can bolster students' cultural self-assurance. Deep engagement with and comprehension of Chinese traditional culture may reinforce students' national pride and cultural confidence [5][6] , enabling them to contribute more effectively to the nation and its citizens. However, analyzing the actual situation at this stage, it still faces certain problems.…”