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Instruction is a core activity in libraries of all shapes and sizes. In fact, education and lifelong learning are some of what the American Library Association calls the key action areas, or the dimensions where library work is focused.1 This facet of librariesā work manifests differently across settings. In a public library, education and lifelong learning may involve resume-building workshops or trainings to use technology tools. In a special library, this action area might mean focused training for patrons or researchers in a unique information-discovery tool. In both school and academic libraries, education takes myriad forms. It can involve technology-centric learning opportunities, inquiry-driven research projects, instruction on ethically using sources, discovering data, and generating new ideas from existing knowledge. Although these environmentsāand the many other distinct library settings where instruction happensāare unique in their opportunities and challenges, they all aim to develop individuals who think critically, are curious about the world around them, ask questions, and seek understanding.
In this book, we will focus our attention on instruction that takes place in academic libraries and, more specifically, the online learning opportunities librarians can create. However, it is important for us to acknowledge the rich and relevant learning opportunities in other kinds of libraries, especially as e-learning options develop in these settings.2 Specifically, school libraries in Kā12 education environments often provide dynamic online learning experiences or support classroom teachers in such work.3 But school librariesā challenges and affordances are not always analogous to those of other libraries. Although they, too, represent a unique environment, academic libraries can be seen as a middle ground between the public, special, and school library worlds. Like school libraries, academic libraries are part of larger educational ecosystems, support broader curriculum goals, and have codified professional guidelines for instruction. Like public libraries, academic libraries often connect with community members and adult or non-traditional learners who seek support for personal and professional learning goals as well as academic needs. And like special libraries, academic libraries often have unique collections, archives, or resources that patrons need help to access. Academic libraries also present rich and diverse opportunities for online learning both as freestanding resources and as experiences connected to broader educational interactions (e.g., subject-area courses, library-centered courses).
INTEGRATING MODULARITY IN ONLINE LEARNING DESIGN
There is a large research corpus for librarians interested in designing meaningful online learning experiences for diverse groups of patrons. What distinguishes this book from the many otherāand very useful!āinstructional design guides is its focus on modular instructional design. But what does this term mean, both generally and in this context?
Based on its dictionary definition, the concept of modularity connotes the construction of standard pieces that allow flexibility and variety in how they are used.4 Of course, our minds may go to flat-packed furniture or half-height cubicle walls when we think of standard pieces that can be arranged in a variety of ways, but modular takes on a different meaning in education. First, the idea of learning modules is commonly employed across structured learning environments; Kā12 students may work through instructional modules on specific concepts or ideas, and post-secondary students can encounter learning modules in courses and online learning environments. For example, Boise State Universityās IDEA Shop promotes the idea of modular course designāthat is, constructing broader academic experiences out of smaller learning unitsāas beneficial for both instructors and students.5 Modularity in learning design makes it easier to update content, use pieces in an interchangeable order, and adapt those pieces to meet new learning scenarios or needs.6 For librarians, academic or otherwise, who are developing online learning resources, these advantages also hold true. In this book, we will explore how librarians can create e-learning objectsāwhether short screencasts, in-depth conceptual tutorials, or anything in betweenāthat can be designed and developed with a flexible, adaptable, and reusable approach in mind. When librarians have this mindset, their content can be nimbler, scalable, and easier to update.
Academic Libraries and Online Learning Today
As we consider what a modular approach to academic library instruction online involves, it is first important to acknowledge what current online educational opportunities look like. Nancy Dewaldās work on quality library instruction online is the foundational text for much of the existing scholarship on e-learning tutorials and resources.7 In this research, Dewald examined what kinds of online instruction replicated best practices in library instruction, including learning outcomes, active learning activities, opportunities for collaboration, rich media, connections to coursework, and getting additional assistance from a librarian.8 While she identified where academic librariesā learning resources were in relation to these concepts, Dewald also presented a path for future online learning objects, which other librarians have subsequently followed.9
For instance, many academic librarians have interpreted these concepts in video-based screencasts or tutorials and specifically those on using library resources to find information.10 Although these kinds of resources often demonstrate processes, other librarians have developed skill- or concept-based tutorials. This instruction can take on a variety of formats, from static text-and-image webpages to videos to technology-rich learning objects created in e-learning authoring programs.11 While such tools often incorporate active learning strategies, academic librarians have also sought specific ways to develop active learning objects to build learnersā knowledge and skills online.12 Librarians at college and university libraries have built meaningful course-embedded instruction into learning management systems, which present a developing opportunity for deep connections with students and faculty.13 Although these examples are certainly not exhaustive of online learning in academic libraries, these online learning design approaches do represent the majority of academic librariansā e-learning work.
The Framework and Online Learning
We would be remiss to not acknowledge the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and its important role in developing any sort of learning interaction in todayās academic library, even though it does not focus on online learning specifically.14 Beginning with its definition of information literacyāāthe set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learningāāthe Framework implicitly acknowledges the role that modular instructional design can take.15 If the information discovery, production, value, creation, and ethical knowledge areas are interconnected, they may work together in variable ways for each student, or in different course experiences, or within an academic major or degree-granting program. While the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education presented a more linear progression of information literacy skills, the Framework represents the modularity of library-connected learning.16 As we explore a modular online learning approach in more depth, we will consider the information literacy concepts in the Framework, as well as other guiding principles such as broader programmatic standards, disciplinary standards, and competencies for instruction librarians that can help us craft meaningful projects with useful products.
UNDERSTANDING MODULAR ONLINE LEARNING
As we approach online learning initiatives with a modular mindset, there are several key questions we need to explore. How can we:
- ā¢ design meaningful learning experiences, especially online?
- ā¢ get buy-in or establish meaningful collaborations within library settings, within organizations and institutions, or across organizations and institutions?
- ā¢ engage and respond to stakeholders in the design process, even when they are unaware such a process is happening or may be unwilling to participate?
- ā¢ redesign, rather than reinvent, the wheelāthat is, revise and reimagine existing content in meaningful ways?
- ā¢ practice what we preach regarding open educational resources or open access content when it comes to our own learning objects?
- ā¢ ensure equity for all using accessibility and Universal Design for Learning best practices?
- ā¢ build in an evaluation cycle or process to measure different metrics of success and identify diverse opportunities for growth and development?
- ā¢ meaningfully scale content to meet different learning needs and scaffold instruction across curricula?
- ā¢ be forward-thinking and future-ready when considering additional projects?
We will investigate these questions throughout this book, beginning with developing understanding around instructional design principles and processes. We will discuss making connections, getting buy-in, and working through a design process with a modular focus. Along the way, we will examine how we can revise or revisit existing content to make it work for our current (and future) needs, where we can integrate open educational resources into our online instruction, and the ways we can assess our work to understand the layers of impact in holistic and meaningful ways. We will conclude by considering what we can do to set up our online learning projects for success as we look to use them in more focused, broader, and similar situations to our original design environment.
Although we will explore these ideas in a sequence, it is important to note that they are interconnected and fluid. Many librarians may find that they consider these questions in this order; others may enter the modular design process at different points and work in various directions. These ideas represent spokes on a wheel that all intersect and interact; each piece influences, and propels forward, all of the work involved in the design process. Figure 1.1 represents these interlinked relationships, albeit imperfectly. Librarians interested in using a modular approach (or simply striving to increase flexibility and scalability) in creating an online learning project should start at whichever entry point fits their ...
