A Booster Shot for Health Science Librarianship : Using Canvas and PechaKucha to Flip the Library Classroom

Abstract

PURPOSE: Most early career undergraduates receive instruction in the core competencies of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards. Recent studies suggest that such general instruction programs do not provide students with enough exposure or guided practice for these concepts to be retained sufficiently, requiring librarians to review many of these concepts with upper-level undergraduates. This paper will describe a pilot flipped information literacy program that will be implemented to improve the development and application of information literacy skills in upper-level undergraduates, while fostering closer collaboration between librarians and faculty. PARTICIPANTS: Faculty and students in the University of Maryland (UMD) Professional Writing Program, School of Public Health, Biological Sciences Department, and the Animal and Avian Sciences Department. METHODOLOGY: In the fall semester, the authors will pilot a flipped information literacy program. Prior to meeting for an in-person library instruction session, students will be required to complete online modules on topics related to information literacy. During the library session, students will work in teams to develop and deliver PechaKucha presentations on an assigned module. Instead of the traditional role of lecturer and database demonstrator, the librarians will adopt the role of facilitators. The program will be evaluated using a variety of tools at different levels: (1) Online quizzes for each module; (2) Peer assessment of the PechaKucha presentations; (3) Semi-structured interviews with faculty participants; (4) Analysis of bibliographies of students’ final projects. RESULTS: Expected results include improved retention and implementation of information literacy skills by upper-level undergraduates, an improvement in faculty-librarian collaborations in teaching information literacy skills, and an increase in the number of faculty using new pedagogical techniques in their classes. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Based on our results, the discussion will explore the challenges and successes in designing, implementing and evaluating a flipped information literacy program.