An important component of the academic health librarian role is the establishment of interventions to support the development of student skills in evidence-based practice. It is important for practicing librarians to evaluate their activities to determine effectiveness and to inform decision making and best practice in librarianship. A series of six online modules was developed for a core first-year Bachelor of Nursing unit. Modules were subsequently investigated for impact on student learning of evidence-based practice by determining any correlation between students' completion of the modules and their academic performance. The level of students' interest and engagement was also examined through a survey about their experiences of and attitudes toward the modules. A positive correlation was found between module completion and attainment of higher grades by students. Feedback from the survey indicated that students engaged positively with the modules.
Parallel Lines 949such evidence. There are many who advocate for the use of evidence for evaluation and decision making in practice, 6 and the evaluation by practitioners of their activity contributes toward the growth of an evidence base. To demonstrate impact, evidence in some form is required.
Literature ReviewHistorically, instruction of information literacy in academic libraries has tended to take the form of face-to-face one-shot sessions. 7 However, in the last decade, there have been moves toward information literacy support, which is both embedded within the course curriculum 8 and delivered largely online. 9 Kuh & Gonyea 10 strongly advocated for higher education institutions to investigate the effectiveness of library activities on student learning. Many practitioners have since investigated and found demonstrable positive impact between their delivery of information and digital literacy instruction and student skill development. 11 Munn and Small 12 undertook a systematic review into information literacy and academic skills programs for first-year health science students. They found evidence that such programs improved students' learning and behavior and that students responded favorably to them; they recommended that practitioners aim to embed support into curriculum.Online modules have greater potential for integration into the curriculum than face-to-face one-shot sessions, given there is less competition for time with other priorities within the curriculum. This integration allows for a more authentic student understanding of graduate learning outcomes, rather than information literacy being treated as supplementary content. 13 It also allows for more sustained contact than is usually possible in one-shot classes. Where one-shot classes are still delivered, they are often blended with online pedagogies. Carroll adopted the flipped classroom pedagogy with a group of health science students by developing online modules for students to complete prior to attending the class, with the intention of increasing student retention of information literacy skill...