Type of Presentation

Individual paper/presentation

Conference Strand

Critical Literacy

Target Audience

Higher Education

Second Target Audience

K-12

Location

Poster Session

Relevance

As a team, we explored the experiences of students and faculty when engaging with information literacy. Critical evaluation of research is a fundamental aspect of the teaching and learning process.

Proposal

This phenomenological study focused on the perspectives and experiences of students and faculty as they engaged in a dialogue on the importance of information literacy and its relevance in today’s world. As a team of a graduate faculty member and a graduate student assistant, we interviewed students about their views on information literacy and its application to scholarly and everyday activities.

The purpose of our project was to investigate the needs and wants of students. With the COVID 19 Pandemic, we witnessed a profound transformation in education and a sharp increase in remote learning. Students expressed mixed feelings about the need for remote and hybrid modalities of learning while recognizing their practicality. A perceived societal pressure toward practical and immediately applicable professional skills also appeared to intensify.

In our preliminary findings, we found that students had a wide range of levels of exposure and confidence concerning information literacy. While some felt confident that they could retrieve and critically evaluate information for accuracy and bias, others were concerned about their ability to identify sources effectively. Interestingly, most students maintained that going to the library in person was a positive experience, but they also wished for more online guidance and tutorials.

One final aspect to consider is that not all students indicated a consistent application of research skills in their courses, which may be a concern when evaluating the mission of higher education institutions.

Short Description

As a team of a graduate faculty and a graduate student assistant at a public state university, we noticed the wide range of abilities displayed by students when required to conduct research and research evaluation. We also wondered how, if in any way, the COVID 19 pandemic had affected the access to resources and training necessary to complete scholarly activities. This presentation shares the preliminary findings of our study, including interview excerpts and an analysis of students’ experiences.

Keywords

COVID 19, Information Literacy, Bias, Credibility, Scholarly, Database

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Mar 31st, 4:30 PM Mar 31st, 5:30 PM

Information Literacy in the COVID 19 pandemic/post pandemic era: Student and faculty perspectives

Poster Session

This phenomenological study focused on the perspectives and experiences of students and faculty as they engaged in a dialogue on the importance of information literacy and its relevance in today’s world. As a team of a graduate faculty member and a graduate student assistant, we interviewed students about their views on information literacy and its application to scholarly and everyday activities.

The purpose of our project was to investigate the needs and wants of students. With the COVID 19 Pandemic, we witnessed a profound transformation in education and a sharp increase in remote learning. Students expressed mixed feelings about the need for remote and hybrid modalities of learning while recognizing their practicality. A perceived societal pressure toward practical and immediately applicable professional skills also appeared to intensify.

In our preliminary findings, we found that students had a wide range of levels of exposure and confidence concerning information literacy. While some felt confident that they could retrieve and critically evaluate information for accuracy and bias, others were concerned about their ability to identify sources effectively. Interestingly, most students maintained that going to the library in person was a positive experience, but they also wished for more online guidance and tutorials.

One final aspect to consider is that not all students indicated a consistent application of research skills in their courses, which may be a concern when evaluating the mission of higher education institutions.