Heidi Julien

Preparing Tomorrow's Decision Makers: Learning Environments and Outcomes of Information Literacy Instruction in Business Schools

This study examined information literacy instruction in Canadian business schools, conducted to identify successful outcomes, as well as opportunities to increase the scope and magnitude of instructional outcomes. Three business schools and their supporting libraries participated in the study, which included analysis of policy documents and interviews with students, librarians, teaching faculty, and administrators. In addition, the SAILS test was administered to business students at all 3 institutions. Critical factors in the learning environments at each school were analyzed, and instructional outcomes were identified. One striking finding was the lack of coherence between the perspectives of students about their information literacy skills and learning, and the perspectives of the librarians and faculty members who teach them.

A Model of Student Learning Outcomes of Information Literacy Instruction in a Business School

This study presents and tests a research model of the outcomes of information literacy instruction (ILI) given to undergraduate business students. This model is based on expectation disconfirmation theory and insights garnered from a recent qualitative investigation of student learning outcomes from ILI given at three business schools. The model was tested through a web survey administered to 372 students. The model represents psychological, behavioral, and benefit outcomes as second-order molecular constructs. Results from a partial least squares (PLS) analysis reveal that expectation disconfirmation influences perceived quality and student satisfaction. These in turn affect student psychological outcomes. Further, psychological outcomes influence student behaviors, which in turn affect benefit outcomes. Based on the study’s findings, several recommendations are made.

The globalization of the iSchools movement

In 2005 a relatively small interdisciplinary group of LIS schools, all based in the U.S., announced its intention to form a new “iField.” The explicitly stated goal behind the formation and formalization of this group was the coming to grips with the “elusive identity [that] poses a challenge for the I-School movement” (King, 2006). Today 40% of the iSchools Caucus is non-U.S. based. This research examines the impact of the international member schools on what was once an exclusively American group. The internationalization phenomenon is examined from the perspective of the Information Outcome Space (Gross & Latham, 2011). Content analysis of school websites addressing vision and mission statements, “about the school” statements, and messages from the Deans/Directors were conducted to discern the philosophical approaches of iSchool as they relate to the concept of information. This research addresses whether information conception is the uniting, identifying, and defining identity for the iCaucus.

Reading for Evidence

When we went to school our reading of information was quite different from that of students today. Information we had access to was limited in range and predominantly in print form and there was an implied perception of trust in the information due to the accountability that was attached to print forms. Today we live in a ‘digital universe’ where information is rapidly expanding; it is instantly and continually accessible without having to leave the confines of our classroom or home, and almost immediately available from the time of generation and often with little evidence of source or validity. The information varies from vitally important matters of life and death to the trivial and unimportant, such as what a distant relative ate for supper. The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that digital information will grow 47 % in 2011 alone to reach 1.8ZB (1.8 × 1021 bytes) and rocketing to 7 ZB by 2015 (IDC, 2010). This enormity of information changes the landscape of how in our everyday lives we filter, select, and read information and how it is shared and used in classrooms. Of particular importance is how students themselves find and evaluate information—tasks that teachers have set for students for generations but now occurring in a rapidly changing digital universe.

Information Literacy in the Business School Context: A Story of Complexity and Success

Abstract nThis chapter addresses information literacy instruction (ILI) in business schools, where learning outcomes receive considerable emphasis due to accreditation requirements, and where information literacy outcomes are increasingly being recognized as critical to graduates’ success in the workplace. We report a study examining ILI practices and program components against the background of student demographics and factors in the learning environment. The outcomes of those instructional experiences for students are analyzed, including psychological, behavioral and benefit outcomes. Data were collected via student skills testing; interviews with students, teaching faculty, librarians, and school administrators; and a web survey of students. Taken together, the results convincingly demonstrate that ILI is a complex undertaking with diverse perceived outcomes. Some success is evident, and verifiable outcomes include increased student self-efficacy; positive perceptions of libraries, librarians, and online library resources; improved and increased use of librarians and online library resources; and increased efficiency and effectiveness of conducting information research. The results demonstrate the value of pedagogical approaches such as active learning, just-in-time instruction, and integration of information literacy instruction with course curricula, as well as the importance of marketing efforts to manage students’ expectations of instructional benefits. Although instruction remains uneven and complex due to divergent expectations and assumptions by different stakeholders (students, librarians, and administrators), successful learning outcomes are possible.

The evolution of information behavior research: Looking back to see the future

This panel will examine past, present and future trends for one of the central bodies of research within information science – human information behavior (HIB). Beginning with a brief history of the settings, populations, methodologies, theories and other key features of HIB research, the panel will then explore possibilities for the future. Attendees will engage in an interactive ‘working session’ exploring the key research questions being addressed (or that should be addressed) in HIB research, as well as trends in methods and techniques that will inform future work. The panelists have received numerous grants for research on human information behavior, have published widely on the topic, and have served as research leaders within the discipline. They are all very engaging speakers, having presented at numerous international conferences and symposia. These panelists are well-placed to facilitate an engaging discussion of trends in this important research area of the discipline.