Teaching Internet Library Instruction Sessions in the Electronic Classroom: The Adult Learner, the Internet, and Training Skills & Teaching Styles

Lesson Plan #: AELP-IFO0200

Teaching Internet Library Instruction Sessions in the Electronic Classroom: The Adult Learner, the Internet, and Training Skills & Teaching Styles

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Robert J. Lackie and K.T.L. Vaughan
Email: rlackie@rider.edu; kt_vaughan@ncsu.edu
School/University/Affiliation: Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ; NC State University, Raleigh, NC

Date: June 1, 2001

Grade Level: Higher Education, Vocational Education, Adult/Continuing Education

Subject(s):

Information Literacy

Duration: Three 2-hour sessions

Description: This workshop is designed to address the needs of all professional librarians who will be expected to conduct library instructions in an electronic environment, whether or not they now regularly conduct library instruction sessions. By the end of this training, participants will have gained knowledge and skills leading to more productive library instruction dedicated to better serving the students’ needs.

Goals:

Learn about the concept of training adult students.
Learn about the Internet and the challenges of teaching it to adult students.
Learn about some specific training skills and teaching styles used for delivering a successful Internet library instruction session to adult students in an electronic environment.

Objectives: By the end of this training, participants will be able to accomplish the following cognitive understandings (CUs), affective understandings (AUs), and cognitive skills (CSs):

Express increased confidence on the end-of-course evaluation about preparing for an Internet library instruction in the electronic classroom (EC) relative to feelings prior to taking the course. (AU)
Appreciate the importance of knowing the categories and types of computer learners in regards to instruction. (AU)
Describe the two categories and four types of adult learners on a short quiz. (CU)
Describe, in a short quiz, five of eight key principles to follow in helping adults learn. (CU)
Demonstrate a teaching style used for Internet computer instruction through a 5-7 minute presentation on any topic of interest regarding the Internet. (CS)
Describe four unique characteristics of the Internet and Internet instruction in a short quiz. (CU)
Appreciate, on an end-of-training evaluation and in group discussion, the practical use of using basic facilitation skills for training adults in an electronic environment. (AU)
Demonstrate basic facilitation skills through a 5-7 minute presentation on any topic of interest regarding the Internet. (CS)
Identify in a group setting the four basic facilitation skills used in conducting instruction for adults. (CU)
List, in a group setting, six characteristics of adult learners. (CU)

Materials:

Ittner, Penny L., and Alex F. Douds. Train-the-Trainer: Practical Skills that Work . 2nd ed. Amherst, MA: HRD Press, 1997. (one copy per participant)
Content Outline -- see “Content Outline: Internet Library Instruction in the Electronic Classroom” below
one computer with Internet access for each training participant with a maximum of two participants per computer
one computer for instructor with Internet access and MS PowerPoint software installed
electronic classroom equipped with data/video projector and overhead screen
PowerPoint presentation on Adult Learners, the Internet, and Electronic Classrooms with copies of slides for each participant (taken from Content Outline -- PowerPoint presentation is created by the instructor)
PowerPoint presentation on transparency with overhead projector (for back-up)
End-of-Training Evaluation Form

End-of-Training Evaluation Form in .pdf format; requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Click the icon to obtain the free Reader.

Rationale for Training:
This workshop is designed to address the needs of all professional librarians who will be expected to conduct library instructions in an electronic environment, whether or not they now regularly conduct library instruction sessions. Because most public services librarians perform reference duties and have acquired basic skills through completion of their graduate programs, the educational and experiential foundations have already been laid for this workshop. However, training sessions addressing the concept of training adults in an electronic environment -- especially on topics such as the Internet -- are not offered often enough. This workshop considers adult learners and the pertinent aspects of training these learners in the Internet or computer environment.

This workshop focuses on the effectiveness of Internet library instruction and the methods used to achieve specified ends or purposes, which is highly evident in technological and academic subject approaches to education. The role of the training instructor is that of a director who is mostly in control of the knowledge that will be imparted. A large aim of this introductory course is to develop more rational thinking in the minds of the participants so that they will tackle the project of teaching the Internet to adult learners more easily in the future. Traditional learning activities involving transmission will be used; however, the material is not concentrated around a particular core academic subject.

The curricular function that this workshop serves is a specialized function, since it is comprised of subject matter that further educates the participants on a primary job task -- that of providing library instruction sessions to adult students on a variety of topics, including the Internet, in the electronic classroom environment. This workshop promotes curriculum synthesis, because it draws upon information from the fields of education, instructional technology, psychology, and sociology.

Using the Internet as one of the foci for the workshop cuts across all disciplines, because it can be taught and used in all subject areas. In addition, teaching about specific training skills and teaching styles in an electronic classroom, as well as instructing participants on the concept of the adult learner in a computer environment, prepares the instructor to better relate to and address the personal and social concerns of the adult student learners before, during, and after the library instruction session.

All three training sessions focus on the participant (learner), specific knowledge, and the society. It was by addressing the individual learner’s unique interests, abilities, and needs that this workshop was organized and created to help them better prepare and feel more confident in the instruction tasks ahead. The topic of providing Internet library instruction to adult students in the EC is of particular interest to librarians today, since it is a fact that they will be expected to know the “what,” “why,” and “how” associated with conducting these sessions. Societal values are addressed by this staff development seminar, because it gives the librarians the opportunity to better supply students with knowledge and skills they will need to function successfully as a student and a member of society. By the end of this course, participants will have gained knowledge and skills leading to more productive library instruction dedicated to better serving the students’ needs.

Content Outline--Internet Library Instruction in the Electronic Classroom:
I. Training Adult Students
    A. Characteristics of Adult Students
        1. Impatient or Urgent
        2. Definite Needs and Goals
        3. Need Quick Success
        4. Have Experience to Share
        5. Fearful of Embarrassment
        6. Easily Frustrated
    B. Adult Learning Principles
        1. Focus on “Real World” Problems
        2. Emphasize How Learning can be Applied
        3. Relate Learning to Goals of Learner
        4. Relate Materials to Past Experiences of Learner
        5. Allow Debate and Challenge of Ideas
        6. Listen to and Respect Opinions of Learners
        7. Encourage Learners to be Resources
        8. Treat Learners as Adults
    C. Categories of Adult Computer Learners
        1. Procedural/Less Experienced or Older Student
            a. Need Specific Procedures
            b. Depend on Memorized Material
        2. Navigational/More Experienced or Younger Student
            a. Comfortable Experimenting
            b. Rely on Online Help
D. Types of Adult Computer Learners
    1. Reflective
        a. Subjective Learners
        b. Active Participants
    2. Conceptual
        a. Take Prolific Notes--Details
        b. Want Whole Picture
    3. Practical
        a. Look for Shortcuts
        b. Look for Ways to Transfer to Job
    4. Creative
        a. Love to Play/Experiment/Practice (Unguided)
        b. Have Difficulty with Established Learning Structure

II. The Internet
    A. General Information
        1. Growth
        2. Great Finds
        3. Problems
        4. Future
    B. Characteristics of Internet
        1. Huge
        2. Unorganized
        3. No Authority
        4. Poor Indexing
        5. Endless Resources
        6. Fun
    C. Expectations of Internet
        1. Learners (Students)
            a. Easy (Point & Click)
            b. Self-Explanatory
            c. Evil Pornographic Cesspool
            d. More Information than a Million Libraries
            e. You can find Anything
        2. Instructors (Librarians)
            a. Difficult
            b. Overwhelming
            c. Ever-Changing
            d. Valuable Resource
            e. Not Always Appropriate for Task

III. Internet Library Instruction Session in the Electronic Classroom
    A. The Electronic Classroom (EC)
        1. What is it?
        2. Types of ECs
        3. Pedagogy in the EC
    B. Basic Facilitation Skills for Training in the EC
        1. Attending
        2. Observing
        3. Listening
        4. Questioning
    C. Teaching Styles for EC
        1. Lecture
        2. Demonstration with Hands-on Practice

Training Session #1--Training Adult Students

Instructional Foci: Ittner workbook (Chapters 2 & 9), brainstorming, group discussion, PowerPoint presentation & lecture, flipcharts for participants, informal oral quizzes

Instructional Learning Objectives:

List six characteristics of adult learners in a group setting.
Describe, in a short quiz, five of eight key principles to follow in helping adults learn.
Identify in a group setting the four basic facilitation skills used in conducting instruction for adults.

Teaching Strategies/Procedures:

The Instructor will teach and/or refresh participants about the adult learner/student by initially conducting a survey (from Ittner workbook, Chapter 2—see Materials section) to identify learning styles found in adults. (20 minutes)
Through group discussion, facilitated by the instructor, the participants will explore the adult learner further by discussing the characteristics of adult learners in depth, and adult computer learners in general. A PowerPoint presentation with copies of the slides put into worksheets for the participants will help keep the training session focused. (30 minutes)
Adult learning principles from the workbook (see Ittner, Chapter 2) will be explored with the participants writing their own version and rank ordering their list and sharing them with the group in a flipchart. (30 minutes)
The session will conclude with the instructor lecturing on four basic facilitation skills and demonstrating each (see Ittner, Chapter 9). (30 minutes)
A short informal quiz on all topics covered will follow, along with group discussion on the skills. (10 minutes)

Training Session #2--The Internet

Instructional Foci: Group discussion, PowerPoint presentation & lecture, workbook, brainstorming, listing

Instructional Learning Objectives:

Describe the two categories and four types of computer learners in a short quiz.
Discuss the two categories and four types of computer learners in a group setting to help to better relate to them.
Identify in a group setting the four basic facilitation skills used in conducting instruction for adults.
Describe four unique characteristics of the Internet and Internet instruction in a short quiz.

Teaching Strategies/Procedures:

The Instructor will give a brief summary of session #1. (15 minutes)
Participants will then write a short list of descriptions of adult computer users and the types they would expect to find in their instruction sessions. (10 minutes)
The instructor will then compare these with the formal list on the PowerPoint slides/outline and see if the participant-generated list is closely related to the formal listing and initiate a group discussion and evaluation of them both. (15 minutes)
Participants will then write a short description of the Internet, after a general information lecture/PowerPoint presentation is given. (10 minutes)
After group discussion, the instructor will ask participants to write a few expectations of the Internet from (1) a student’s perspective and (2) a librarian’s perspective. (10 minutes)
The instructor will again compare these with the PowerPoint slides and initiate a group discussion and evaluation of the findings. (15 minutes)
The session will conclude with the group sharing their experiences with this topic and examples of how to better use the basic facilitation skills (attending, questioning, listening, and observing) in an EC. (45 minutes)

Training Session #3--Training Skills & Teaching Styles in the EC

Instructional Foci: PowerPoint lecture, workbook, group discussion, demonstration, practice training, evaluation

Instructional Learning Objectives:

Demonstrate a teaching style used for Internet computer instruction through a 5-7 minute presentation on any topic of interest regarding the Internet.
Demonstrate basic facilitation skills through a 5-7 minute presentation on any topic of interest regarding the Internet.
Express increased confidence on the end-of-course evaluation about preparing for an Internet library instruction in the EC relative to feelings prior to taking the course.
Appreciate the importance of knowing categories and types of computer learners in regards to instruction.
Appreciate, on an end-of-training evaluation and in group discussion, the practical use of using basic facilitation skills for training adults in an electronic environment.

Teaching Strategies/Procedures:

The Training Instructor will introduce the concept of an electronic classroom and explain the types and pedagogy used in them. (15 minutes)
The instructor will then demonstrate using the basic facilitation/training skills in a lecture and a demonstration teaching style. This will be covered in a PowerPoint presentation lecture/class discussion session at the start of this session. (15 minutes)
Each participant will have prepared a 5-7 minute presentation on any topic of interest using the Internet, and will demonstrate how to use facilitation skills while presenting this quick, informal Internet practice presentation to the group. (1 hour)
Each participant will provide written feedback using a sharing feedback form and discuss with the group current feelings about conducting Internet library instructions and their use of training skills. (15 minutes)
The Instructor will then summarize the lessons learned, and after a discussion, all participants will fill out a training evaluation. (15 minutes)

Assessment of Instructional Learning Objectives: By the end of this training, participants will be able to accomplish the following cognitive understandings (CUs), affective understandings (AUs), and cognitive skills (CSs):

Express increased confidence on the end-of-course evaluation about preparing for an Internet library instruction in the EC relative to feelings prior to taking the course. (AU)
- Evidence: Participants, at the conclusion of the training--if not before, informally--will tell the group participants how they feel about preparing for and conducting an instruction session now. Also, the end of training evaluation will ask if they feel more confident, less confident, or about the same as they did about this than they did before this training.
Appreciate the importance of knowing categories and types of computer learners in regards to instruction. (AU)
- Evidence: Participants will be given an opportunity during group discussion to express, in oral form, the reasons they feel it is important to understand all computer users/learners. On the end-of-training evaluation, participants will be asked to state in a short paragraph why instructors should be aware of the different categories and types of computer learners.
Describe the two categories and four types of adult learners on a short quiz. (CU)
- Evidence: Participants will describe in writing these on their own to their best ability after reading a passage in the workbook, but prior to the lecture covering them. During the lecture, all participants will compare their individual lists to the “lecture list” and discussion will follow. A short informal oral quiz could follow this section.
Describe, in a short quiz, five of eight key principles to follow in helping adults learn. (CU)
- Evidence: Participants will list without assistance adult learning principles from the workbook or their own version and rank ordering their list and sharing them with the group in a flipchart.
Demonstrate a teaching style used for Internet computer instruction through a 5-7 minute presentation on any topic of interest regarding the Internet. (CS)
- Evidence: Participants will conduct a 5-7 minute presentation to the group on any topic of interest using the Internet, demonstrating use of facilitation skills in one of the two teaching styles presented earlier in the training.
Describe four unique characteristics of the Internet and Internet instruction in a short quiz. (CU)
- Evidence: Through question and answer periods and group discussion, participants will be able to describe a unique characteristic of the Internet and Internet training expectations.
Appreciate, on an end-of-training evaluation and in group discussion, the practical use of using basic facilitation skills for training adults in an electronic environment. (AU)
- Evidence: Participants will state why the use of one or more of the facilitation skills can assist an instructor to effectively conduct an Internet library instruction session in an electronic classroom. This will be addressed in group discussions facilitated by the instructor as well as be a short answer question on the end-of-training evaluation.
Demonstrate basic facilitation skills through a 5-7 minute presentation on any topic of interest regarding the Internet. (CS)
- Evidence: Participants will conduct a 5-7 minute presentation to the group on any topic of interest using the Internet, demonstrating use of facilitation skills in one of the two teaching styles presented earlier in the training.
Identify in a group setting the four basic facilitation skills used in conducting instruction for adults. (CU)
- Evidence: After the practice training, each participant will be asked to discuss how he or she used or didn’t use the four basic facilitation skills during their presentation in the EC and how difficult or easy it was to incorporate them into the presentation.
List, in a group setting, six characteristics of adult learners. (CU)
- Evidence: Participants, through group discussion facilitated by the instructor, will explore the adult learner further by discussing characteristics of adult learners, and adult computer learners, with the instructor evaluating comprehension through short question & answer sessions.

Useful Internet Resources:
* “Standards for College Libraries.” 2000 ed. Association of College and Research Libraries. 7 Jun. 2000: n. pag. Online. Internet. Available:
http://www.ala.org/acrl/guides/college.html

* Training Magazine
http://www.trainingmag.com/training/index.jsp

Other References:

Brottman, May, and Mary Loe, eds. The LIRT Library Instruction Handbook. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1990.
Greenfield, Louise, et al. “A Model for Teaching the Internet: Preparation and Practice.” Computers in Libraries 16.3 (Mar. 1996): 22-25.
Ittner, Penny L., and Alex F. Douds. Train-the-Trainer: Practical Skills that Work 2nd ed. Amherst, MA: Human Resource Development Press, 1997.
List, Carla. “Sanctifying the Internet.” American Libraries 26.10 (Nov. 1995): 1021-22.
Page, Mary, and Martin Kesselman. “Teaching the Internet: Challenges and Opportunities.” Research Strategies 12.3 (Sum. 1994): 157-67.
Shill, Harold B. “Bibliographic Instruction: Planning for the Electronic Information Environment.” College & Research Libraries 48.5 (Sept. 1987): 433-53.