How students interact with information in a

PBL setting

Lorna Dodd

Liaison Librarian

University College Dublin,

Belfield, Dublin 4,

Ireland

Lorna.dodd@ucd.ie

PBL & Information Literacy:

Background

• Only Veterinary Medicine programme in Ireland

• Review in mid 1990s resulted in introduction PBL in the 2 pre-clinical years

• Students attend traditional lectures & lab sessions as well as PBL module

What is Information Literacy?

“recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.” (Association of College Research Libraries, 2000)

Why is Information Literacy important in PBL?

• Self-directed learning

• Development of life-long transferable skills

• Critical and reflective thinking

Identify information

need

Identify the most

appropriate source

Effectively retrieve relevant

information

Use the information in an ethical way

INFORMATION LITERACY

Evaluate the reliability, relevance, currency &

appropriateness of the

information

Rationale

• No reading lists for PBL module

• How are students finding information?

• Does this affect the way they use the library?

• Most of the literature comments on how PBL impacts the library

• How does PBL impact students behaviours?

Methodology

• Data was collected regarding both PBL and non-PBL experiences

• Data was collected from all student participating in PBL using a questionnaire Quantitative data Open ended qualitative questions

• Data collected from 5 academic staff – PBL tutors Semi-structured interviews

The Library

• 95% of students consider the library to be important in PBL “While other resources e.g. Internet are useful, information

gathered from the library is more reliable and often more relevant”

• Those who did not think the library was important in PBL also experienced difficulties with PBL

• Half of students spent longer in the library for PBL because of the way PBL affects how they find and use information “Requires more research” “Learning involved is more intensive” “Information is needed from a variety of sources”

• Staff feel:– Students have a much greater need of the library in PBL– PBL encourages students to use the library much earlier

“PBL forces them to look into sections and shelves they wouldn’t have otherwise done”

Information Literacy Skills• 40% of students experienced difficulty finding information for

PBL

• Most students consider information seeking skills very important or extremely important in PBL because: “You need to be able to find information…quickly for the next

session” “As a qualified vet you have to do your own PBL” “[PBL] enables individuals to develop ability carry out research

independently” It’s pretty much the purpose of PBL to work things our for yourself”

• Those who value information skills were able to search for information more easily

• Academic staff expect students to “Find their own resources” “Learn what type of resources are available”

Choosing Resources

Non-PBL work

• Use one or two resources as preferred

• Select their own resources for non-PBL work did so because of internal factors “”[I] don’t follow

lectures”

PBL work

• Did not prefer one single resource but used a variety of resources

• Select their own material for PBL work did so because of external factors – PBL “PBL is based on your

own initiative”

Main findings

All those who spent more time

in the library for PBL

considered information literacy

important in PBL

Students who selected their own material:

Considered information literacy skills more important & displayed

higher levels ofinformation literacy skills

Students who feel the library is important in PBL

display higher levels of information literacy

Convert Learning

Outcomes into search

strategies Identify what kind of

information they need and which resource to find

it in

Identify the most

appropriate source

Effectively retrieve relevant

information

Apply the information to the problem & integrate it into their existing knowledge

Use the information in an ethical way

APPLYING INFORMATION LITERACY TO

PBL

Identify an information

need

Evaluate the reliability, relevance, currency &

appropriateness of the

information

• Anatomy of the lung Factual Information –

Textbooks

• Allergens and treatment Current Research – Journal

Articles or Websites

• Is the information reliable?

• Is the information relevant to problem? Location Availability of treatment

The Coughing Horse

Main Findings

As a result of PBL:

Librarian is PBL tutor

Knows problems & therefore required resources

Talks to students about resources they use

Close collaborative relationship with faculty

Information literacy delivered after first problem – in context

Start of PBL:

Information literacy delivered during orientation

Librarian in support/admin role

Main Findings

• Facilitator/Tutor plays important roleResults showed that facilitators differedSome recommended material and

directed students in finding informationThese students selected material

themselves lessDisplayed lower levels of information

literacy – never verified information by checking another source

Conclusion

• Information Literacy should be consciously developedFacilitators can - encourage students to think about information they need challenge students to critically evaluate the information

they find and the source

• Information Literacy can be: Included as a learning outcome An assessment criteria

• Involve librarians in curriculum development: Ensure there are sufficient resources Help students develop necessary skills

Running or planning a PBL course?

Don’t forget your friendly librarian!!!

“Know where to find information and how to use it. That’s the secret of success.”

Albert Einstein

References

• Association of College Research Libraries (2000), ‘Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education’ [online], American Library Association. Available from http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm.

• Dodd, L. (2007) ‘The impact of Problem-Based Learning on the Information Seeking Behaviour and Information Literacy of Veterinary Medicine Students at University College Dublin’, Journal of Academic Librarianship, vol. 33(2), pp.206-216

• Eskola, E (1998) ‘University students’ information seeking behaviour in a changing learning environment – How are students’ information needs and use affected by teaching methods?’ Information Research vol. 4(2)

• Oker-Blom, T. (1998) ‘Integration of Information Skills in Problem Based Curricula’, 64th IFLA General Conference, August 16-21, 1994, Amsterdam, pp.1-8, IFLA

• Rankin, J.A. (1996) ‘Problem-based learning and libraries: a survey of the literature’, Health Libraries Review, vol. 13, pp.33-42

• Silen, C & Uhlin, L (2008) ‘Self-directed learning – a learning issue for students and faculty’ Teaching in Higher Education.