Online Instruction: Preparing and Creating Visual Tutorials

MLA Conference

May 11, 2005

Vivienne Piroli

One Approach…

Tutorials – what should they be? Instructional Design – a crucial

foundation Knowing what works – examples of

tutorial designs Creating your own – something to

take away Questions and comments

Tutorials

“Any period of tuition or training; a printed account or explanation of a subject intended for private study.” Oxford English Dictionary

Bibliographic Instruction Library Instruction Library Orientation Research Instruction User Education

Why a Tutorial?

Inform users about library services, resources and materials

Encourage library users to become more self-sufficient patrons

Reinforce “teaching” that happens at the reference desk and other one-on-one situations

Easier to reach a wider audience at once

Opportunities for Teaching

Person to person One-to-one Group

Lectures Demonstrations Interactive/hands

on Peer tutoring

Workbooks Handouts

Pathfinders Guides

Self-paced audio Online tutorials

Growth of Online Tutorials - Reasons Patron demand Increasing number of

electronic resources Increase in variety and

formats of all resources

Increase in number of instruction sessions

Better technology proficiency among librarians reducing reliance on institution’s Webmaster or design team

Augment and customize help screens in databases

Don’t require a person to give answers

Anytime, anywhere access

Dramatic increase in patrons with Internet access

Cost effective for distance education and multiple locations

Growth of Online Tutorials - Reasons More customizable than a “one-size-fits-all”

approach of database help screens Multiple, simultaneous users Not mandatory like some instruction/

training sessions - only if you need it Act as a reinforcement or follow up to in-

person training Self-guided, self-paced

Getting to Online

Decide what is suitable for an online tutorial

Should print guides be maintained in conjunction with an online counterpart?

Will instruction sessions be replaced or augmented with an online tutorial?

Who will create the tutorial? What level of expertise and equipment

will be required to create and maintain the online tutorials?

Elements of Good Teaching

Instruction must meet the perceived need

Practice or active learning is involved Collaborative learning is included Variety of media to appeal to different

learning styles Educational objectives exist so both

teacher and student are aware of rationale for instruction

Elements of Good Teaching

Concepts are taught in addition to “the mechanics”

Provision is made for follow up instruction

Assessment occurs so teacher can gauge effectiveness of teaching and make any necessary adjustments

Active Learning Principles

Active learning is very compatible in an online learning environment

Allows for connections between familiar experiences and new information

Creates opportunities to apply concepts to problems

Can provide experiences for critical thinking and creative action

Characteristics of the Learner

Multi-tasking- reliance on experimentation- non-linear approaches to comprehension

Collaborative Short attention spans Impatient or inattentive to extended text Visually stimulated Activity oriented

Learning Styles

Not about “is this person smart?” but, “how is this person smart?”

People perceive and process information differently- heredity- upbringing- environmental factors

Kolb/Gardner, visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile

Information Literacy

Defined as: “a set of abilities requiring individuals to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.”” ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards

http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm

Role of Information Literacy

Standards, performance indicators and outcomes are guiding principles for all learning experiences

Tutorials and lessons attempt to incorporate the competency standards in their architecture and content

Information Literacy and Technology

IL related to information technology skills IT skills enable an individual to use computers,

software applications, databases etc IL overlaps with IT but has a broader area of

competence IL focus is on content, communication,

analysis, information searching, and evaluation IT fluency focus is on understanding

technology and an increasingly skilled use of it

Information Literate Individual Does your tutorial contribute to any of the following?:

- determine the extent of information needed- access the needed information effectively and efficiently- evaluate information and its sources critically- incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base- use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose- understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally

IL Performance Indicators and Outcomes - Some Examples

Determining nature and extent of information needs- can construct a research/statement/question/topic- Understands library books are arranged by subject and LC classification scheme- recognizes the formats in which information is available: books, articles, Web sites, audio etc. - identifies the purpose and audience of potential resources - popular versus scholarly resources- realizes that some information may need to be constructed from raw data

IL Performance Indicators and Outcomes - Some Examples

Using information to accomplish specific purposes- can use information to address research statement/question- can quote and paraphrase information- manipulates digital text, images and data transferring them from original formats- maintains a log of information seeking strategies

Components of the Online Tutorial

Clearly stated goals and objectives Curriculum & Pedagogy - content Assessment Evaluation

Components - Goals and Objectives Tutorial topic is defined precisely and its

purpose is clearly outlined Objectives of the tutorial are listed

- by the end of this lesson you will be able to….

Direction of objectives should incorporate:- knowledge- understanding- skills

Components - Content: Curriculum & Pedagogy This is the learning opportunity to ensure a high

degree of relevance to the stated goals and objectives Easy to follow and should be presented in a logical

and sequential order Create learning activities that promote desired

outcomes- teaching strategies- related learning outcomes

Avoid jargon – if necessary provide a glossary Provide necessary details and instructions on how to

complete the assignment Offer links to additional help or contacts

Components - Assessment

Assessment is necessary to determine if the student has mastered the lesson(s) of the tutorial as set out in the objectives

Adequate to assess just one of the objectives – not necessary to cover each one

Assessments can be in the form of:

- surveys- sample exercises- multiple choice tests- questions and answer formats- true/false statements

Components - Evaluation

Evaluation examines if the goals of the tutorial have been met

Assessment must be complete before evaluation can take place

Evaluations can be in the form of:- anecdotal evidence- correlations between goals and assessment results

- user surveys- user feedback through forms/interviews/focus groups etc

Web Design Considerations

Adapted from Writing for the Web: A Primer for Librarians, Eric H, Schnell

Use a consistent writing style with language that is familiar to users (avoid library jargon)

Try not to put all of the content on the top level page. Give links to other pages to avoid cluttering the space

Each Web page should be able to stand alone and contain one theme or concept – it is a good idea to annotate links to other resources

Web Design Considerations

Graphics and animation are good if they have a purpose and add value beyond looking “cool”

When using large images provide thumbnail images with which to access them

Fonts and graphics can display differently in different browsers and machines

Keep font attributes (bold, italics etc) to a minimum – aim for a consistent look

It’s a good idea to develop templates for additional pages which give a uniform look to the Web site

Web Design Considerations

Provide contact details for the user as well as the URL

Make the site as easy to navigate as possible with links to the top level/home page

Offer links to software or plug-ins the user may need to fully use the site (Adobe Acrobat Reader etc.)

Knowing What Works!

World Wide Web TutorialPasadena Public Library, CAhttp://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/library/tutorial.asp

Research Tutorials and GuidesCal Poly Pomona University Libraryhttp://www.csupomona.edu/~library/html/tutorials_general.html

TILT – Texas Information Literacy Tutorialhttp://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/

Cycle of InformationBridget Rawding Merrimack College, MA

Over to You

Sample tutorial design Template to create your own

http://web.simmons.edu/~brady/mla/index.html