ERIC Number: ED261679
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1985-Jan-5
Pages: 196
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Educating the Online Catalog User: A Model for Instructional Development and Evaluation. Final Report. Revised.
Nielson, Brian; And Others
This report describes efforts by three academic libraries to develop a model instructional program for online catalog users that could be adopted in other academic libraries. A key component of the research included the exploration and development of a methodology for utilizing online transaction logs to evaluate user performance. The four project objectives were: to develop a model for online catalog instruction based on a set of systematic and generalizable instructional objectives; to implement an instructional program based on the learning objectives at Northwestern University; to evaluate the success of this program through a variety of evaluative techniques, including transaction analysis; and to assess the utility of transaction log analysis as a means for instructional evaluation. The five-part report includes: (1) a review of the project's objectives and some of the underlying issues that prompted this study in online catalog user education; (2) a description of the establishment of learning objectives--the framework upon which the model program is based--as well as the model itself, and a review of the process for determining generalizable objectives through collaboration among the three participating libraries; (3) a detailed description of the research design and evaluation methodology used in determining the effects of an instruction program on the model as implemented at Northwestern University; (4) the evaluation findings and principal research outcomes of the project; and (5) the principal conclusions, some general observations on the research process, and suggestions for further research. The instruments used to gather data on user performance are described and included. An extensive bibliography is among the 10 appendices included. (THC)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Policymakers
Language: English
Sponsor: Council on Library Resources, Inc., Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL. Univ. Libraries.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A