Beyond Mr. Bungle: Information Literacy and the Quality of Discussion in Online Classes

Type of Presentation

Individual paper/presentation

Type of Presentation

Panel (1 hour and 15 minutes presentation total for two or more presenters)

Target Audience

Higher Education

Location

Room 217

Relevance

N/A

Abstract

Improving information literacy in education requires more than simply providing students with information to improve their research process. To be truly information literate, particularly online, students must be both motivated to learn and willing to communicate. Moving Information Literacy assignments online means that students must think critically about their communication methods in virtual space. Observers of electronic groups are exploring both connections to conventional communication and the complications resulting from the nature of electronic interaction as applications and expectations evolve. Sometimes the quality of discussion in online classes can suffer from the effects of an exaggerated sense of anonymity and a distorted sense of community in electronic space. We call this combination the “Bungle Effect” based on a multiuser discussion group where events took place that illustrate the results.

We propose an interactive approach to improving communication and discussion quality in online classes by deliberate emphasis on interpersonal familiarity and authentic community to address the Bungle Effect. We propose to engage educators and information specialists in a dialogue addressing expectations, standards, and methods for productive and efficient online discussion activities and assignments based on research designed from Arthur Aaron's "interpersonal closeness" studies.

Presentation Description

The first presenter will talk about the context of communication in electronic discussion. The second presenter will discuss preliminary results from survey research assessing information literacy in her Summer 2015 Technical Collaboration course. Following the research presentations, the audience will be invited to participate in the development of a collaborative, interactive discussion and evaluation. This presentation is ideal for instructors interested in exploring ways students' interactions online affect their success with incorporating information literacy strategies in their assignments.

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Sep 25th, 1:15 PM Sep 25th, 2:30 PM

Beyond Mr. Bungle: Information Literacy and the Quality of Discussion in Online Classes

Room 217

Improving information literacy in education requires more than simply providing students with information to improve their research process. To be truly information literate, particularly online, students must be both motivated to learn and willing to communicate. Moving Information Literacy assignments online means that students must think critically about their communication methods in virtual space. Observers of electronic groups are exploring both connections to conventional communication and the complications resulting from the nature of electronic interaction as applications and expectations evolve. Sometimes the quality of discussion in online classes can suffer from the effects of an exaggerated sense of anonymity and a distorted sense of community in electronic space. We call this combination the “Bungle Effect” based on a multiuser discussion group where events took place that illustrate the results.

We propose an interactive approach to improving communication and discussion quality in online classes by deliberate emphasis on interpersonal familiarity and authentic community to address the Bungle Effect. We propose to engage educators and information specialists in a dialogue addressing expectations, standards, and methods for productive and efficient online discussion activities and assignments based on research designed from Arthur Aaron's "interpersonal closeness" studies.