Online Learning Efficacy Research Database

This study proposes an innovative blended flipped and online mode for PBL-flipped and PBL-online study, a PBL-blended format of instruction. The study determines whether different pedagogical strategies –PBL-flipped, PBL-online and PBL-blended – influence the validation results for the ARCS model and the PBL learning outcomes. The study population consists of 116 students who use the general education Information and Literacy Ethics digital materials for higher education produced by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. The quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate that the paths in the ARCS model are all statistically significant for the three methods of instruction and there are no significant differences among the three methods of instruction in terms of class participation and learning scores. However, there is a very noticeable improvement in the PBL learning process in the aspects of reliable leadership and group collaboration learning in blended groups. Self-directed learning is also enhanced and negative learning attitudes are significantly reduced in blended groups. The study demonstrates that the proposed PBL-blended teaching mode is a more efficient and effective way of promoting PBL learning in information literacy courses. 
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While educators and librarians have long been concerned with developing undergraduates’ ability to find credible sources, the abundance of unreliable information online has exponentially complicated the situation. In developing a new curriculum for English Composition 1001 classes, a first-year writing class at the University of Cincinnati, we developed new ways of engaging with student experiences before and beyond the class sessions to address source analysis through active peer learning. Using an action research framework to position ourselves as both practitioners and researchers, we considered our own practice as teachers as much as student outcomes. We compared the use of flipped content with in-class instruction. By capturing students’ research process through pre-class and post-class surveys, we could better understand the online ecosystem they must navigate and help them reflect critically on their progress. Our analysis of student survey responses allowed us to measure progress in three areas: source quality, search strategy, and topic relevance. Flipped class activities had the same result on student behavior as did in-class delivery. 
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This article builds on the 2007 College and Research Libraries article, “The Librarian, the Machine, or a Little of Both.” Since that time, Oakland University Libraries implemented changes to its instruction program that reflect larger trends in teaching and assessment throughout the profession; following these revisions, librarians undertook a new study to assess the effectiveness of online library instruction in face-to-face courses in comparison to the hybrid model that had been in place. The study’s design and its results serve to contribute to discussion of best practices in information literacy pedagogy, online learning, instructional design, and the role of the librarian therein. 
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Each year, Oakland library faculty provide information literacy instruction for Rhetoric 160, a first-year writing course, through a combination of WebCT-based online tutorials and in-class teaching. For this study, twelve sections of RHT 160 during the winter 2005 term were selected to compare three instructional methods: online instruction only, live instruction, and the current “hybrid” combination of live instruction and online tutorials. The sections were assigned to one of the instructional methods and, to assess student learning, all students (n=224) completed identical pre- and post-tests. Results of the study, including differences in student performance in relation to pedagogy, are discussed. 
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