Transcript Online Instruction: Preparing and Creating

Online Instruction:
Preparing and Creating
Visual Tutorials
MLA Conference
May 11, 2005
Vivienne Piroli
One Approach…
Tutorials – what should they be?
 Instructional Design – a crucial
foundation
 Knowing what works – examples of
tutorial designs
 Creating your own – something to
take away
 Questions and comments
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Tutorials
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“Any period of tuition or training; a printed
account or explanation of a subject intended
for private study.” Oxford English Dictionary
Bibliographic Instruction
 Library Instruction
 Library Orientation
 Research Instruction
 User Education
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Why a Tutorial?
Inform users about library services,
resources and materials
 Encourage library users to become
more self-sufficient patrons
 Reinforce “teaching” that happens at
the reference desk and other one-onone situations
 Easier to reach a wider audience at
once
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Opportunities for Teaching
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Person to person
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One-to-one
Group
Lectures
Demonstrations
Interactive/hands
on
Peer tutoring
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Workbooks
Handouts
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Pathfinders
Guides
Self-paced audio
Online tutorials
Growth of Online Tutorials Reasons
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Patron demand
Increasing number of
electronic resources
Increase in variety and
formats of all
resources
Increase in number of
instruction sessions
Better technology
proficiency among
librarians reducing
reliance on institution’s
Webmaster or design
team
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Augment and
customize help
screens in databases
Don’t require a person
to give answers
Anytime, anywhere
access
Dramatic increase in
patrons with Internet
access
Cost effective for
distance education and
multiple locations
Growth of Online Tutorials Reasons
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More customizable than a “one-size-fits-all”
approach of database help screens
Multiple, simultaneous users
Not mandatory like some instruction/
training sessions - only if you need it
Act as a reinforcement or follow up to inperson training
Self-guided, self-paced
Getting to Online
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Decide what is suitable for an online
tutorial
Should print guides be maintained in
conjunction with an online counterpart?
Will instruction sessions be replaced or
augmented with an online tutorial?
Who will create the tutorial?
What level of expertise and equipment
will be required to create and maintain
the online tutorials?
Elements of Good Teaching
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Instruction must meet the perceived
need
Practice or active learning is involved
Collaborative learning is included
Variety of media to appeal to different
learning styles
Educational objectives exist so both
teacher and student are aware of
rationale for instruction
Elements of Good Teaching
Concepts are taught in addition to “the
mechanics”
 Provision is made for follow up
instruction
 Assessment occurs so teacher can
gauge effectiveness of teaching and
make any necessary adjustments
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Active Learning Principles
Active learning is very compatible in
an online learning environment
 Allows for connections between
familiar experiences and new
information
 Creates opportunities to apply
concepts to problems
 Can provide experiences for critical
thinking and creative action
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Characteristics of the Learner
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Multi-tasking
- reliance on experimentation
- non-linear approaches to comprehension
Collaborative
Short attention spans
Impatient or inattentive to extended text
Visually stimulated
Activity oriented
Learning Styles
Not about “is this person smart?” but,
“how is this person smart?”
 People perceive and process
information differently
- heredity
- upbringing
- environmental factors
 Kolb/Gardner, visual, auditory,
kinesthetic and tactile
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Information Literacy
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Defined as: “a set of abilities requiring
individuals to “recognize when
information is needed and have the
ability to locate, evaluate, and use
effectively the needed information.””
ACRL Information Literacy
Competency Standards
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm
Role of Information Literacy
Standards, performance indicators
and outcomes are guiding principles
for all learning experiences
 Tutorials and lessons attempt to
incorporate the competency standards
in their architecture and content
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Information Literacy and
Technology
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IL related to information technology skills
IT skills enable an individual to use
computers, software applications,
databases etc
IL overlaps with IT but has a broader area of
competence
IL focus is on content, communication,
analysis, information searching, and
evaluation
IT fluency focus is on understanding
technology and an increasingly skilled use
of it
Information Literate
Individual
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Does your tutorial contribute to any of the following?:
- determine the extent of information needed
- access the needed information effectively and efficiently
- evaluate information and its sources critically
- incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge
base
- use information effectively to accomplish a specific
purpose
- understand the economic, legal, and social issues
surrounding the use of information, and access and use
information ethically and legally
IL Performance Indicators and
Outcomes - Some Examples
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Determining nature and extent of information
needs
- can construct a research/statement/question/topic
- Understands library books are arranged by subject
and LC classification scheme
- recognizes the formats in which information is
available: books, articles, Web sites, audio etc.
- identifies the purpose and audience of potential
resources - popular versus scholarly resources
- realizes that some information may need to be
constructed from raw data
IL Performance Indicators and
Outcomes - Some Examples
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Using information to accomplish specific
purposes
- can use information to address research
statement/question
- can quote and paraphrase information
- manipulates digital text, images and data
transferring them from original formats
- maintains a log of information seeking
strategies
Components of the Online
Tutorial
Clearly stated goals and objectives
 Curriculum & Pedagogy - content
 Assessment
 Evaluation
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Components - Goals and
Objectives
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Tutorial topic is defined precisely and its
purpose is clearly outlined
Objectives of the tutorial are listed
- by the end of this lesson you will be able to….
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Direction of objectives should incorporate:
- knowledge
- understanding
- skills
Components Content: Curriculum &
Pedagogy
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This is the learning opportunity to ensure a high
degree of relevance to the stated goals and objectives
Easy to follow and should be presented in a logical
and sequential order
Create learning activities that promote desired
outcomes
- teaching strategies
- related learning outcomes
Avoid jargon – if necessary provide a glossary
Provide necessary details and instructions on how to
complete the assignment
Offer links to additional help or contacts
Components - Assessment
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Assessment is necessary to determine if the
student has mastered the lesson(s) of the
tutorial as set out in the objectives
Adequate to assess just one of the objectives
– not necessary to cover each one
Assessments can be in the form of:
- surveys
- sample exercises
- multiple choice tests
- questions and answer formats
- true/false statements
Components - Evaluation
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Evaluation examines if the goals of the
tutorial have been met
Assessment must be complete before
evaluation can take place
Evaluations can be in the form of:
- anecdotal evidence
- correlations between goals and assessment
results
- user surveys
- user feedback through forms/interviews/focus
groups etc
Web Design Considerations
Adapted from Writing for the Web: A Primer for Librarians, Eric H,
Schnell
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Use a consistent writing style with language
that is familiar to users (avoid library jargon)
Try not to put all of the content on the top
level page. Give links to other pages to avoid
cluttering the space
Each Web page should be able to stand
alone and contain one theme or concept – it
is a good idea to annotate links to other
resources
Web Design Considerations
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Graphics and animation are good if they have a
purpose and add value beyond looking “cool”
When using large images provide thumbnail images
with which to access them
Fonts and graphics can display differently in different
browsers and machines
Keep font attributes (bold, italics etc) to a minimum –
aim for a consistent look
It’s a good idea to develop templates for additional
pages which give a uniform look to the Web site
Web Design Considerations
Provide contact details for the user
as well as the URL
 Make the site as easy to navigate
as possible with links to the top
level/home page
 Offer links to software or plug-ins
the user may need to fully use the
site (Adobe Acrobat Reader etc.)
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Knowing What Works!
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World Wide Web Tutorial
Pasadena Public Library, CA
http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/library/tutorial.asp
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Research Tutorials and Guides
Cal Poly Pomona University Library
http://www.csupomona.edu/~library/html/tutorials_general.html
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TILT – Texas Information Literacy Tutorial
http://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/
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Cycle of Information
Bridget Rawding Merrimack College, MA
Over to You
Sample tutorial design
 Template to create your own
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http://web.simmons.edu/~brady/mla/index.html