Eects of a Virtual Learning Environment on Librarians

Information Literacy and Digital Literacy Competences

Ana Novo1 , Glria Bastos2, and Ana Isabel Vasconcelos3

( )

1
Universidade Aberta/LE@D/CIDEHUS- U, UID/HIS00057/2013, Lisbon, Portugal
anovo@uab.pt
2
Universidade Aberta/CEMRI/LE@D, Lisbon, Portugal
gloria.bastos@uab.pt
3
Universidade Aberta/LE@D, Lisbon, Portugal
ana.vasconcelos@uab.pt

Abstract. The continuing professional development of librarians is a require

ment imposed by the permanent progress of the knowledge society. In this
context, Universidade Aberta (Portuguese Open University) oers a post-grad
uate course in Library and Information Sciences for librarians. Being an e-
learning course based on a Learning Management System (LMS), it is expected
that the course not only develops information literacy (IL) and digital literacy
(DL) skills but also allows for the deepening of these skills due to the learning
environment itself. The aim of this study was to analyze students perception in
relation to their competences in IL and DL and the articulation between their
development and the virtual learning context. The adopted methodology was a
case study, through the application of a questionnaire, to students from the 2012
to 2015 editions of the course. The results show that at the end of the course,
students consider having signicantly improved their IL and DL skills, which
directly inuences their daily work practices.

Keywords: LIS education E-learning Information literacy Digital literacy

Universidade Aberta Portugal

1 Introduction

In the Portuguese Higher Education system, Universidade Aberta (Portuguese Open

University), with a history of nearly 30 years, is the only distance education public
university. This uniqueness requires a systematic investment in the continuous obser
vation, analysis and assessment of the adequacy of its courses in this teaching mode, as
this University uses a self created virtual pedagogical model, certied by prestigious
international bodies. This pedagogical model is based on four pillars: student-centered
learning, the primacy of exibility, the primacy of interaction and the principle of digital
inclusion [1]. Conceived and implemented as a result of the Bologna process, this model
gives conceptual as well as functional support to new courses, keeping in mind the
changes that are occurring in the eld of higher education and, in particular, of distance
education.

Springer International Publishing AG 2016

S. Kurbanolu et al. (Eds.): ECIL 2016, CCIS 676, pp. 655664, 2016.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-52162-6_64
656 A. Novo et al.

The course under study is a post-graduate course in information sciences that aims
at the professional development of an adult population which works in this eld. As
students are already in the job market, this post-graduation is designed for deepening
and critically reecting on central issues to the practice of the profession. These two
aspects are particularly valued in this course, taking into account the rapid changes that
have been occurring in recent decades, with direct inuence on the performance of
information professionals.
To understand the framework in which the study was performed, it is important to
characterize, albeit briey, the course under review. This post-graduate degree is struc
tured around two essential components: a practical-theoretical component developed in
an e-learning environment (Moodle), and the other, mainly practical-reective, which
is developed in a professional context. The aim of this course is to achieve an output
prole oriented towards the following aspects: (i) training of a professional who cares
about the social and technological changes and transformations that directly inuence
his/her activity and the ability to reect and to intervene appropriately in the working
context; (ii) training of a professional with skills to design, integrate and evaluate local
development projects, in the scientic areas of the course; (iii) training of a professional
with the ability to interact with peers on the availability to collaborate and share practices
and knowledge.
As a common denominator of the three referred aspects we identied the informa
tional and digital skills that information professionals should master. This article focuses
precisely on the analysis of students perceptions in relation to their competences in
information literacy (IL) and digital literacy (DL) and the articulation between its devel
opment and the virtual learning context.

2 Conceptual Background

2.1 Information Literacy and Digital Literacy in Library and Information

Science Education

In the information society the consolidation and constant update of knowledge is

required, making learning an ongoing eort throughout our lives. IL and DL allow for
this lifelong learning because they enable individuals at all stages of their lives to eec
tively search, evaluate, use and create information aiming at achieving their personal,
social, educational and professional goals, as a basic human right in a digital world while
promoting the social inclusion of all nations [2].
Broadly speaking, IL is a set of skills that allow a person to recognize when he/she
needs information and acting eciently and eectively to obtain it. In this context, there
is the eort to identify an informational need, locate, acquire, and critically evaluate the
necessary information, organize, and incorporate it into the previously acquired knowl
edge base so that this information can result in a valid action. In this sense information
literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because
they know how knowledge is organized, how to nd information, and how to use infor
mation in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for
 Eects of a Virtual Learning Environment 657

lifelong learning because they can always nd the information needed for any task or
decision at hand [3].
DL is based on nding, organizing, evaluating, and creating information by using
digital technology. According to American Library Association (ALA) Digital Literacy
Taskforce, DL is the ability to use information and communication technologies to nd,
evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical
skills [4].
IL commonly embraces computer, internet, digital and media literacies all together
or individually but, as Koltay [5] referred, there seems to be an unanimity in considering
the former as the most adequate approach. The review of these concepts made by
Bawden [6] endorses the understanding that IL and e-literacy (digital literacy, informa
tion technology literacy, computer literacy) are two interconnected but diverse concepts.
The author related IL with content and communication and e-literacy with technological
infrastructure.
The role of libraries in the development of IL and DL is crucial because they have
a wide variety and quantity of information resources, information management systems
and trained sta, which are key actors in this process. With proper education and training,
information professionals are able to collect, evaluate, organize and provide access to
information. Having appropriate knowledge and skills, this trained sta is prepared to
be not only information and digitally literate but also able to teach IL and DL to others.
In Virkuss opinion [7] for the librarians to be able to perform as suppliers of IL for the
community, they have to start by acquiring competences themselves and to have a chance
to continuously improve their skills.
This two-fold role is at the core of the discussion within IL when delivering IL
education to LIS students is under consideration. Developing student information abil
ities, either for their course work or for lifelong learning, reects students needs as IL
consumers. But a great number of LIS students are also going to be IL producers
when they graduate, since teaching is now considered as part of the librarians prole.
As Inskip [8] said, They [LIS students] therefore need 1. To be aware of information
literacy as a concept; 2. To become information literate themselves; 3. To learn about
some key aspects of teaching information literacy.
In fact, information professionals, working in all sorts of information services such
as university libraries, school libraries, or public libraries, often need to spend time
teaching strategies for selecting, accessing, and manipulating databases, distinguishing
resource formats (journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, books, free access internet
sources) and applying criteria for evaluating all these sources of information. This is
even more crucial due to the dierent ways and speed in which information is being
created, disseminated, located, and incorporated to create new knowledge.
According to Inskip [9], the knowledge, competences, and attributes needed to
successfully develop and deliver those interventions means LIS students are going to be
involved in teaching, marketing and promotion, software development, networking and
liaison, budgeting, and communication.
The increase of digital technologies available creates great opportunities to improve
quality, access, and equity in education and, as stated by Virkus [10], has inuenced
658 A. Novo et al.

how LIS professionals are educated because students can learn anywhere, at any time,
following exible and individualized pathways.

2.2 Library and Information Science Education and E-Learning

As previously mentioned, the post-graduation under analysis is an online course. It is
developed according to a pedagogical model based on the importance of exibility and
interaction. The learning environment, although mediated through technology, values
the conversational dimension of learning and the building of a networking classroom.
Following these principles, the course is aligned with key trends with an impact on
Higher Education (HE), namely those presented by Horizon Reports (2014, 2015): some
of the major challenges pointed out in 2015 report [11] were the improvement of DL
and personalized learning. E-learning can materialize those challenges, as Information
and Communication Technologies (ICT) are at the centre of the process. The construc
tivist instructional design of this particular course can lead students towards a learning
experience that will enrich their knowledge and deepen their competences. In fact, as it
will be shown later in the results analysis, both the pedagogical and the technological
environment provide relevant opportunities for development in learning skills as well
as in content understanding. Therefore, distance education and e-learning emerge as an
important vehicle for librarians professional development not only because it allows
for more exibility when working and studying at the same time, but also, and mainly,
because of the specic learning experience built in the virtual environment. This expe
rience is based on the stimulation of reexive autonomy and collaborative participation
[12]. Another relevant dimension is related to the construction of a community of
inquiry, following the proposals of Swan, Garrison and Richardson [13].

3 Methodology

The case study method has been used by researchers from a wide range of disciplines
and has been gaining increased popularity in educational research in recent years. The
central feature of the case studies is the fact that these studies aim to achieve a holistic
understanding (systemic, integrated, and comprehensive) of the systems under analysis
[14]. Thus, this study falls within a mixed methodology and assumes an interpretative
approach [15].
Within this research method and to meet this studys objectives, we have structured
a questionnaire with a set of closed questions that focused on the three areas of analysis
already referred to: training in information sciences; the e-learning education system;
IL and DL. Having these areas in mind, three sets of questions on the following areas
were presented: (1) motivation/reason for attending this course in information sciences;
(2) specic skills developed in e-learning; (3) level of prociency in IL and DL.
The rst two sets asked for prioritization of options, oered in closed answers (1 to
8 and 1 to 6 items, respectively), and the last set used a Lickert scale. The questionnaire
also included an open question where a review about the work done during the course
and the learning method (positive and negative aspects) were asked for. The
 Eects of a Virtual Learning Environment 659

questionnaire included other issues, but these three sets and the open question were the
items selected for analysis, within the scope of this paper.

4 Results and Discussion

Forty seven students participated in this study corresponding to 85.6% (11 male and 36
female) of those who have completed the four editions of the course (201112 to
201415). With regard to age distribution, the situation was as follows: 70.2% (n = 33)
were over 40 years old; 25% (n = 12) were between 30 and 40 years old and 4.2% (n = 2)
were under 30 years old.
Regarding professional experience, a large part of the students had quite a lot of
experience in the area of the course. With the exception of two respondents who did not
answer this question, the results were as follows: 44.5% (n = 20) had more than 10 years
of work experience; 31% (n = 14) had between 6 and 10 years and only 24.5% (n = 11)
had between 1 and 5 years of work experience.
Considering students previous experience in online education it was possible to
dierentiate two sub-groups: while 63% (n = 29) had already had experience in e-
learning, 37% (n = 18) had no previous experience. This dierentiating element had
implications on the answers to some of the questions.

4.1 Motivation

The rst set of questions on the questionnaire aimed at assessing the motivations that
led these students to attend the course. From the eight given reasons, the need for
professional skills was the preferred option, revealing the concern for increasingly
improved performance in their professional activity. The desire for personal valoriza
tion and interest in deepening theoretical knowledge were close to equal in results
(14.9% and 14.7%, respectively). These choices show the recognition of the academic
knowledge while a process for self-valorization. In this sense, the learning factor
emerges as a strong reason for the continuation of studies in a formal system, though
not in attaining an academic degree, as is the case of this post-graduate course.
Career progression was the option that came in fourth place, which caused some
surprise since due to todays Portuguese context (EU/IMF economic intervention in the
country since 2011) career progression is not achievable in the short-term. Having the
age level of the respondents as a reference, the valuation of this item can be explained
by todays longer working life span. Thus, there is the possibility of a return to this
investment in a professional career that is, nowadays, longer. On the other hand, answers
to the open question revealed respondents desire to occupy other roles in the information
services, having as a means to this end the possibility of attending a course in this area
as a dierentiating element in the assessment of their CV.
Those who chose the online learning, did it more due to the exible nature of e-
learning (12.2%) than due to the valorization of this specic learning regimen when
compared to face-to-face education (9.3%). The valorization of exibility appears both
in the group of respondents with experience in e-learning and in those without this
660 A. Novo et al.

experience. We can infer that since these respondents have a learning tradition in face-
to-face education, the previous online learning experience was not a negative one as
they have once more chosen this mode, yet it is motivated by the exibility factor that
it enables.
Although curriculum relevance and integration of professional practice compo
nent items were less valued as reasons that inuenced the choice for attending this
course, the content analysis done to the answers provided in the open question showed
a dierent perspective. In fact, at the end of the course, students pointed out the relevance
of the curricula structure as well as the benets of developing work in a professional
context. This apparent contradiction shows that initial priorities changed by the end of
the course as students seemed to realize that curricula contents were also a value to be
considered.

4.2 Competences Developed in an E-Learning Environment

Considering student proles for this course professionals who already held knowledge
and competences in the information sciences eld it was particularly interesting to
analyze the achievements of this post-graduation in what refers to skills students consid
ered having further developed while using this pedagogical model. It should be empha
sized that these results will also have to be crossed with the online education experience
of the respondents, as what was assessed was the development of skills. Therefore,
the two groups departed from dierent competence levels.
As Table 1 shows, from the six listed skills, which are developed in a training
program based on e-learning, the competence that was pointed to as being more devel
oped was critical thinking. This fact is linked to the virtual pedagogical model and
conrms the relevance of the dynamics and pedagogical strategies developed by teachers
of the course. In fact, the virtual learning environment focuses on a permanent debate,
which requires critical thinking on the resources that are available. This practice, that
students must have, encourages reective autonomy and collaborative participation,
being these key pedagogical dimensions to distance education today [11]. The most
commonly used strategies in the course, such as forum discussions and group work,
encourage individual and joint reection, leading to the desired construction of knowl
edge necessary in the consolidation of a learning community.

Table 1. Most developed competences

Skills %
Critical thinking 19.2
Searching/retrieving information 18.6
Organizing ideas 17.5
Building knowledge together 15.7
Debating thematic contents 15.3
Sharing resources 13.7
 Eects of a Virtual Learning Environment 661

The skill searching/retrieving information came second and we can consequently

establish a relationship between the digital environment in which learning occurs and
with students showing an attitude of constant demand for resources in the environment
in which they are immersed, while learners.
As many of the interactions are in written form, students need to have previously
prepared them. As it is known, writing requires a clear organization of ideas and this is
a particularly sensitive point in the interaction among the elements of the group. If, in
face-to-face education, the oral component allows for some discursive disarticulation,
in written communication the competence organizing ideas is essential, and that is
why it was placed in the top three skills most developed in this form of learning.
Building knowledge together and debating thematic contents are two skills that
were evaluated with the same level of development, meaning that these two aspects are
closely related with the nature of the dierent curricular units.
The ability for sharing resources, a recurring action in e-learning, was the option
less valued which seems to indicate that it was the less developed skill. As this result
was not expected, we decided to analyze it taking into account the answers given by
each of the groups: (a) students who had attended online courses before and (b) students
who had never experienced this mode of learning. There was a distinctive behavior,
having the inexperienced group valued much more signicantly the ability for sharing
resources: 2.8 average for group (a), and 5.2 average for group (b) in a scale between
1 (less developed) and 6 (most developed). This dierentiation enables us to explain
that the level of development of this skill was evaluated by the experienced group (a),
probably already more skilled, as not having had a signicant progression.

4.3 Development of IL and DL Competences

In the third area of this study, which deals with the perception of students regarding the
development of their skills in IL and DL, we can highlight the very positive valorization
of all items listed (see Table 2).

Table 2. Perceived development of IL and DL competences

Competencies 1 2 3 4 5
(No (Strong
evolution) evolution)
Using digital tools 5% 10% 20% 30% 35%
Searching/retrieving resources from Web 5% 0% 25% 35% 35%
Applying digital marketing strategies 0% 10% 15% 55% 20%
Evaluating quality/reliability of internet 0% 5% 10% 50% 35%
resources
Ethical use of information 5% 5% 15% 30% 45%
Interacting in virtual contexts 5% 0% 10% 45% 40%

These results are particularly signicant in the context of this study, as they conrm
the underlying design perspective of this post-graduation course, as stated at the begin
ning of this paper. As it is an e-learning course based on a Learning Management System
662 A. Novo et al.

(LMS), it is expected that the course not only develops IL and DL but also enables the
deepening of these skills due to the learning environment itself.
As was expected, interacting in virtual contexts was one of the two most valued
abilities, together with evaluating quality/reliability of web resources, which is an
essential skill in the scientic area of this course. The ethical use of information was
also considered a crucial skill, and this is a subject that has a specic approach in the
ambiance module that precedes the beginning of the course.
The searching/retrieving resources from the Web ability was referred at the same
level as the skill searching/retrieving information, reected in Table 1. The develop
ment of the ability for applying digital marketing strategies results mainly from a
curricular unit contents, being the evaluation of this skill closely related with the
academic success in that specic area. It is, thus, a more restricted skill, because it has
specic contents and purposes.
The ability for using digital tools was the lowest in percentage although the dier
ences between this result and those assigned to the other skills was small. Moodle plat
form, where the whole learning process takes place, is itself, a digital tool that includes
the virtual classroom of each curricular unit. The LMS oers a number of digital tools
such as wikis, web conference, resources for preparing questionnaires and quizzes,
which are used in the learning process with various purposes (collaborative work, simu
lation of digital libraries, e-marketing, web-seminar). The fact that these tools are inside
the Moodle platform, therefore easily accessible, could justify the value assigned to the
development of this skill, as these digital objects become common in the daily life of
this group, being either students or librarians.
Individual opinion on the course, asked for in the open question, conrmed and
reinforced, generically, the already identied strengths. The majority of the students
feedback was about the need to develop skills to meet the new demands that arise in the
profession, as well as to deepen theoretical knowledge to enable them to develop projects
with more condence. Although this mode of learning was a very positive experience,
it was the exibility factor that was mentioned as an added value. The development
of autonomy in the learning process that is promoted by this model was also referred to.
Students also mentioned having developed other specific skills as a result of e-learning
such as more reflected interactions, which need some critical thinking instead of being present
as a listener in a traditional class. They also pointed out the development of the organization
and method ability, particularly in times that required individual study, before participating in
the discussion forums. The usage and mastery of new technologies was a recurring comment
in this open question, associated with the importance given to the evaluation of the existing
resources on the web, in order to verify their reliability. This is a very important point, on the
one hand, for anyone who is attending a course that uses exclusively digital learning resources,
and, on the other, to whom is in charge of libraries and has the collections development and
management as a duty. It was also emphasized as positive the fact that the group worked as a
learning community, and that it could, in the future, turn into a community of practice, because
the current interactions were already close to the dynamics of these communities that work in
virtual environments.
 Eects of a Virtual Learning Environment 663

5 Conclusions

The results obtained show that at the end of the course, students, most of them already
inserted in the libraries labor market, consider having signicantly improved their IL
and DL skills, which directly inuences their daily work practices. We can add that there
was a consistency of results taking into account that, in this study, respondents from the
four editions of the course were involved. Therefore, the several editions of the course
were not a signicant variable, as already stated in another study involving the analysis
of other parts of the questionnaire in use [16].
In relation to the design of the course, it was considered that it promotes the creation
of virtual learning communities, in which the levels of interaction and sharing of ideas
have a signicant weight. This situation provides, according to respondents, more
diverse and better quality experiences, also representing a factor of motivation for the
student/librarian [17]. Respondents answers also revealed that learning in a virtual
community signicantly develops the ability to interact in virtual contexts.
Learning within the e-learning model, designed, and implemented in Universidade
Aberta, improved skills for critical thinking and promoted the joint construction of
knowledge. As a conclusion we can say that the design of the course and the environment
in which it was developed contributed signicantly to a better performance of students
in their workplaces. Furthermore, we can also say that, as librarians, these professionals
deal directly with information, including information in digital format, and this training
was relevant to particularly potentiate the development of DL.

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