Abstract
The purpose of this article is to provide guidance to university faculty and librarians in developing LibGuides as effective pedagogical tools in teaching/learning in undergraduate- and graduate-level health promotion classes. This article presents the steps for developing and using LibGuides in course instruction as well as the evidence for their effectiveness.
The LibGuides improve both teaching strategies and learning outcomes in health promotion classes by providing guided instruction, expertise, and skilled shortcuts for literature searches in completion of written assignments (Beric & Coats, 2012). The question of why we need an embedded librarian (Coats & Beric, 2011) in health promotion classes may be valid, and the answer could be as simple as this: Librarians are knowledgeable in accessing credible health information that university health promotion faculty require from their students. In collaboration they can develop course-specific LibGuides to aid students in searching for credible information on their own, outside the classroom or in the university library. Furthermore, librarians can be guest speakers in face-to-face classes and provide additional individually tailored coaching to students for their course-specific assignments. The primary objective that librarians have as guest speakers during instructional sessions is to build students’ information literacy skills, including finding, evaluating, and using information effectively (Association of College & Research Libraries, 2015) in order to nurture academic and professional success.
When approaching assignments that require extensive research and careful selection of information, both undergraduate and graduate students can be overwhelmed by the vast amount of resources available on the Internet and through the library’s subscription databases. In order to maximize the teaching/learning process, faculty may collaborate with librarians to effectively use available technology and learning tools, such as LibGuides, that could be used during classroom instruction or for individual searches by students. In a survey conducted by Credo on student research behaviors (McKiel, 2013), 77% of respondents reported that guides for research are the most helpful instructional material. LibGuides are a type of web-authoring and hosting software, available from Springshare Corporation (2015), that can be used to develop and publish customized electronic subject and course guides. LibGuides incorporate Web 2.0 applications to provide an easy-to-use method of designing research guides that serve as portals to library and Internet resources and facilitate students’ navigation through the research process. As of February 2015, 66,342 librarians at 4,799 libraries worldwide have created 433,745 LibGuides, creating an extensive LibGuides community that allows librarians to collaborate by sharing resources (Springshare Corporation, 2015).
Close interprofessional collaboration between health promotion faculty members and librarians is seen as an effective teaching strategy for securing optimal teaching/learning content for students (Coats & Beric, 2011). For example, a social constructivism approach (Ahn & Class, 2011; Fosnot, 2005; Lalonde, 2011; Vygotsky, 1978), used in the health promotion courses emphasized here, provides the theoretical framework for placing a student in the central position of his or her learning in this teaching/learning strategy. The role and influence of collaborative work between teachers and librarians and the culture of learning experience are emphasized in developing the “scaffolds” for knowledge and skill building. LibGuides are an important component of a scaffold where students are provided with a guided learning focused on building skills and subject knowledge in Health Promotion. Vygotsky (1978) described the development that follows learning such as the zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal development allows students to reach their maximum development as future health professionals with such scaffolding and learning in a social context.
The development of course-specific LibGuides is based on the specific research assignment for the course, which needs to be very detailed for effective communication of the teacher’s requirements as well as the collaborating librarian’s. The teacher-developed course syllabus always contains a course description, the goals and objectives, and may also include the professional competencies and outcomes desired in students’ learning (National Board for Public Health Examiners [NBPHE], 2013; National Commission for Health Education Credentialing [NCHEC], 2013). In addition, the assignments that will enable students to attain competencies and knowledge are usually included in the syllabus, and if not, they are provided to students at some point later in the semester. The LibGuides developed by health faculty members and librarians are listed in the syllabus and included in the “required reading” list.
The first and most important step in this process and possibly the key component in developing the course-specific LibGuides is the faculty–librarian communication that allows for more relevant and specific sources to be incorporated into the LibGuides. When the faculty carefully communicate the purpose and meaning of the assignments, the librarians subsequently determine better and more appropriate selections of the resources offered, resulting in more focused research by the students.
Each of the course-specific LibGuides has a home page listed on the University Library website, including the name, the course number, and each assignment description. Sources embedded in LibGuides are organized under categorized resource tabs, which include books, subscription library databases, health websites, and citation help. A simple click on a link takes students from the requirements of the assignment directly to the resource, either a subscription research database or a website. A variety of resources often overlooked by students, such as government documents with statistical information, podcasts, media, RSS feeds, and tutorials can be included in LibGuides to support research topics in Health Promotion. An example of a LibGuides created for an undergraduate senior-level course, HE 435: Promoting Health in Communities, can be found at http://guides.monmouth.edu/HE435 (Beric & Dubicki, 2015).
Furthermore, two library sessions are included in the course outline in the syllabus and are implemented during the semester. The first session with an introduction of the librarian and LibGuides is usually scheduled several weeks prior to the due date of the first assignment, allowing enough time for the students to conduct the first assignment’s research and writing. In this session, the librarian demonstrates the use of the course-specific LibGuides to introduce available library resources, such as databases, search tools, and so on. Usually, to demonstrate to students the research process and usefulness of LibGuides, the librarian provides a hands-on exercise with one of the class projects selected and suggested by students. Subsequently, students begin searching for materials on their own topics. It is essential that both health faculty and the librarian are present and available to students to answer questions and to provide further guidance during this introductory session.
Students use the following week or so to explore the options and to begin work on the assignment using LibGuides. A follow-up session is scheduled with the librarian about one week thereafter in either the library computer lab or the classroom with computer access to the Internet and to LibGuides. This serves as a consultation session where, again, both faculty and librarian are answering very specific questions regarding the assignment and the research process. Usually, these are questions related to specific resources, such as access to journals or articles that are either not available or are difficult to locate. At that session, students usually share new resources and references they found, and the librarian can add these to the LibGuides. Furthermore, the librarian is continuously available to students via email, through personal consultation while at the Reference desk, or by appointment with students individually or in a group, if the assignment is a group project.
Effectiveness of Use of the LibGuides as a Pedagogical Approach
The health faculty in these courses reported that student engagement was at a higher level with the use of LibGuides than with other teaching strategies. The students completed the assignments with higher precision, more relevant literature, better organization and presentation of the written assignment or poster project, and improved delivery (Beric & Coats, 2012). This type of collaborative project provides the groundwork for a more interactive process between students and instructors by allowing students to ask questions while researching and developing strategies for selecting and presenting the material. The result is students who are actively engaged in their own learning. This interactive process allows for the construction of knowledge and the development of new skills, essential for all future health professionals. The expertise and history of the discipline, essentially a culture of each profession that lies within the teachers and mentors, that is, health promotion and library sciences, are unselfishly shared with students and learners. Students learn from each other and construct knowledge through collaboration, forming an exchange of information in a democratic and empowering way. They also actively search for information, asking questions and directions from each other, from teachers and librarians and, in effect, learn how to learn. The best advocates for this type of instruction are the students who have experienced the process. Their comments and suggestions indicated that LibGuides should be available in all health promotion and education classes, and librarians should be embedded in the Health Promotion classroom (Coats & Beric, 2011).
Evidence of Effectiveness
To provide support for this approach in teaching/learning, we conducted a survey among Health Studies majors at Monmouth University and summarized the students’ perceptions. Monmouth University’s institutional review board approved the data collection method. The survey questionnaire asked students to rank the usefulness of different types of information available in the LibGuides, based on a 5-point scale from 1 = not at all useful to 5 = very useful. Responses are presented in Figure 1. The participants in the study identified research databases as the most helpful (4.3 = both Fall 2012 and Spring 2013) in completing their assignments, followed by health websites (4.0 = Fall 2012; 4.1 = Spring 2013) and government statistics (3.9 = Fall 2012; 4.1 = Spring 2013). Participants rated books as a 3 in Fall 2012 and 3.1 in Spring 2013. They rated the usefulness of the assignments provided in the course LibGuides as a 3.5 in Fall 2012 and 3.8 in Spring 2013 and citation help as a 3.7 in both semesters.
Usefulness of information available in the LibGuides.
Students were also queried regarding the benefits of course-specific LibGuides. As presented in Table 1, the participants reported that the LibGuides improved their research process (80%, n = 108), provided easier access to resources on their topics (80%, n = 108), and provided access to credible sources (78%, n = 105). Forty-two percent (n = 57) reported LibGuides reduced anxiety in completing the assignments, and 41% (n = 55) reported that the LibGuides identified new sources.
Students’ Perceptions of the Benefits of Course-Specific LibGuides.
In an open-ended question, students were asked what types of sources could be useful if added to the LibGuides. Nineteen written responses were collected, and several students reported that all the information they needed to complete the assignment was already there. Some of the comments recommended (verbatim): “directions for APA citations,” “highlighted words of whatever you are searching (keywords),” that “it could be easier to access,” or a “better indication of which sources are appropriate.” Some replied that the LibGuides were “very quick and helpful” and “the Guide is well organized.” Additional comments lauded the Guides as “Helpful. More is better,” “None [changes] . . . It was fantastic and should be implemented in every class,” and “Spread the word to professors/students on LibGuides for classes.”
From the librarian’s perspective, LibGuides are an effective and flexible teaching tool. The librarian explains their use and demonstrates important links during an instructional session. Because the LibGuides are course-specific, the links included within them to subscription research databases and websites are all selected for inclusion as the best sources to complete course assignments. Students expressed positive perceptions of the LibGuides and the usefulness of the information within them in the survey.
Easy access to the LibGuides from a course management system or the library’s website assures that the learning process extends beyond a single instructional session, a fact that was verified by monitoring usage of the guides over the course of the semester. Students can easily access and navigate the LibGuides as many times as they need during their research to explore other resources that are relevant to their topics. The ability to track usage and feedback provides the librarian and the faculty with details on how frequently the information links are used and what material is most heavily accessed. While the highest spike in usage corresponded with the day of the instructional session, the LibGuides were used later in the semester up until the assignment deadline. The use of LibGuides subsequent to the instructional session suggests that students retain the knowledge presented during the session and are able to “focus on the process of discovering, synthesizing, and producing new content” (Bielat, Befus, & Arnold, 2013, p. 141) Time constraints limit the number of sources that can be effectively covered during a library instruction session. However, a review of usage statistics for individual links reveals that students are exploring content available in the LibGuides on their own, even though all the links were not demonstrated during instruction. The initial strong support for LibGuides from both students and faculty has encouraged the librarian to propose and create course-specific LibGuides to support other Health Promotion courses.
Conclusion and Further Recommendations
Based on feedback from students, faculty, librarians, and our own experiences with developing and using LibGuides as a teaching tool, we concluded that course-specific LibGuides are an effective teaching tool for course assignments in Health Promotion classes. They provide an accessible, easy-to-use portal to library resources and to credible sources of information mainly available online. From this work, we make the following recommendations:
Active partnering of Health Promotion faculty and librarians should be expanded, especially to embed library instruction sessions in courses with a research component.
Course-specific LibGuides should be developed for assignments in a variety of courses.
The use of LibGuides by Health Education Specialists in nonacademic settings (organizations, institutions affiliated with academic settings) should be promoted, in addition to academic settings.
LibGuides could be developed for review courses for certification exams to address seven areas of responsibilities (NCHEC, 2013) for meeting CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist) and MCHES (Master Certified Health Education Specialist) competencies, as well as CPH (Certified in Public Health) competencies (NBPHE, 2013).
The use of LibGuides could be combined with other platforms for online and distance teaching/learning.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.