The purpose of this research was to determine how information synthesis skills can be taught effectively, and to discover how the level of synthesis in student writing can be effectively measured. The intervention was an information synthesis lesson that broke down the synthesis process into sequenced tasks. Researchers created a rubric which they…

The library literature contains many discussions on problem-based learning as a means of engaging students in instruction and promoting information literacy. A related but relatively unexplored opportunity is available through client-based projects. Using examples from the business education literature, library literature, and the author's…

This paper describes an exploratory study investigating the impact of problem-based learning and clicker technology as active learning strategies at the American University of Sharjah Library, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Studies compared traditional and active learning classes. The present article maps the successes and challenges of these unique…

This announcement outlines a one-year project in the South Hackney School. Funded by the British Library for one year, the project is designed to collect and organize materials relating to community information sources, and to evaluate methods of teaching pupils how to retrieve and use such information in daily problem solving. (Author/JAB)

Reviews controversies over different conceptions of critical thinking and its application to education. Discusses the relevance to and impact of critical thinking on bibliographic instruction. (JKP)

This article on problem-based learning (PBL) explores the advantages of its use as a teaching/learning strategy for introducing information literacy to students. The author reviews the various methods presented in the literature for integrating PBL and information literacy, examines the unique challenges PBL presents for instructors, librarians,…

This paper focuses on critical factors regarding the effectiveness of the course-related or course-integrated mode of bibliographic instruction: administrative problems (cost in time and personnel, coordination and scheduling materials development); critical role of faculty; consistency of instruction; transference of library knowledge from one…

Addressing many students' ignorance of library usage, describes an assignment requiring a critical bibliography to be submitted followed by a critical essay. Emphasizes the need, even in introductory large lecture classes, for a working partnership between instructional staff and professional librarians and for students to become familiar with…

This article examines issues encountered over a two-year period by a faculty librarian at the Penn State University Libraries while developing and delivering course-related library instruction employing problem-based learning (PBL) in the First-Year Seminar (FYS) of the Penn State School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST). The process of…

Library research skills instruction aids the development of critical, evaluative faculties in teacher trainees. This article describes a problem-solving simulation method (guided design simulation method) for teaching library skills, and discusses gains accruing to teachers and pupils from such instruction. (IAH)

This paper discusses customer services in academic libraries. The first section addresses the concept of the "customer." Thereafter, the paper applies the metaphor of the producer and its consumers to the relationship between a university and its students. The second section looks at education as a process of refinement. Next, the…

This study surveyed 126 school librarians in 18 countries, representing 131 schools serving more than 113,260 students. The survey instrument requested respondents to describe techniques they used to facilitate information literacy, their perceptions of their functions in the development of independent learners, and the training they received that…