Transcript Topic 5 Geospatial Literacy: Developing an Innovative and Student-Centered Approach through Blended Learning

Geospatial Literacy:
Developing an Innovative and
Student-Centered Approach Through
Blended Learning
地理空間訊息素養：
以混合學習模式開發創新和以學生為本的課程
J. Trzeciak
The 10th Annual Library Leadership Institute
Preserving our Past: Creating our Future
Hong Kong. 16-20 March 2012.
Outline
• The opportunity that presented itself
• The organization of a solution
• A display of the modules
• Feedback and future directions
The Opportunity
• Growing demand for geospatial literacy
• ~40% of library instruction at McMaster
University is geospatial
• Geospatial instruction in the library is led by
support staff
• Students value the skills but dislike the current
instructional approach
The Challenge
• The current system of instruction and support faces a
number of challenges:
•
instruction is resource-based and focused on how to use
particular tools and reference sources;
•
students want research support that is available all the time
and when they need it not in one-hour blocks when it fits the
instructor and library schedule;
•
students may receive similar face to face instruction several
times in different courses; and,
•
Students have different levels of geospatial literacy and would
benefit from training more specific to their needs.
Literature
• McMaster not unique in this regard
• Truth Be Told: How College Students Evaluate
and Use Information in the Digital Age
(2010,Head/Eisenberg)
• “Students relied on librarians infrequently,
if ever, whether they were conducting
research for course work or for personal
use.”
• Recommendation: “Re-thinking resourcefocused librarian training. “
The Modules
Gord Beck, Andrew Colgoni,
Karen Nicholson, Margaret Rutten,
& John Maclachlan
Andrew
Colgoni,
Kathy Ball,
Jeff Trzeciak
&
iSci Students
Library
Staff
Susan Vajoczki
Project
Team
Jeff Trzeciak &
Library
Leadership
Team
Technical
Jim Bell,
Evelyn Chan,
Reg Woodruffe
& Tracey Butler
Carolyn Eyles,
Lisa Leoni, John
Maclachlan,
Michael Mercier, &
Walter Peace
Julianne Bagg
CLL Team
The Modules
• 3 courses
• 1st year environmental science
342 students
• 1st year human social geography
471 students
• 1st year human cultural geography
314 students
Implementation
• Required to complete a module relate quiz if not
completed student received:
• a grade of zero on the lab
OR
• A grade deduction
• Assignments related to the modules are timebased meaning students who did not properly look
at the modules are at a large disadvantage
Module
Module Screenshot JOHN WHAT IMAGE DO YOU WANT HERE
The Feedback
• Students prefer ‘just in time delivery’ and 24-7
access
• Students like that the modules provide them
control over their learning
• More than 90% of students in environmental
science completed the quiz
• Anecdotally most students seemed to enjoy the
method of learning
The Feedback
• Modules are long
• Some students don’t comply
• Technical concerns after modules completed
•
•
Font size
Audio quality
• Labour and cost intensive to produce
• Content can be dry for the students
Instructor/Admin. Perspective
• Instructor quotes:
• “The geospatial literacy modules allow for students
to be fully prepared with upcoming lab material. We
have seen outstanding comprehension and
completion of geospatial skills because of these
modules.”
•
“With the students coming to the labs with
background knowledge from the geospatial literacy
modules they are allowed more time to work with the
material and develop higher-level questions”
• Librarians can focus on upper level courses and
graduate face-to-face instruction
Next Steps
• Significant update in Summer 2012
• Anticipate annual modest revisions in subsequent
years
• Develop additional modules for students
• Informational literacy (currently being piloted)
• Media literacy
• Numeracy literacy
• Provide community access to modules
• High school students
• alumni
• Campus-wide availability
Assessment
• Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO)
multi-year project
•
•
•
•
•
Student satisfaction
Student learning
Instructor satisfaction
Financial feasibility
Alignment with Universal Instructional Design
Principles
Acknowledgements
We wish to extend our sincere thanks to:
• all the students who participated in helping us to
better understand their needs and preferences;
• faculty who took the risk and made the commitment
to join us on this journey to make teaching and
learning even more successful; and,
• all the staff who worked on this project.
Exercise
Discuss among yourselves how instruction is handled
at each of your institutions.
How might you use technology to improve the quality
and availability of your instruction program?
How might you involve faculty and others in the
development of an online program?
How might you involve students?
How might multiple libraries work together on
collaborative projects related to online learning?
http://cll.mcmaster.ca/articulate/blended_learning/Social%20Sciences%20Inquiry/pl
ayer.html
http://cll.mcmaster.ca/articulate/blended_learning/Geospatial%20Literacy%20Modul
es/player.html