Introduction
Academic librarians play an important role in supporting the educational development of students, particularly when it comes to research and information literacy. Through classroom instruction, research consultations, and educational workshops, librarians help students develop the skills necessary to navigate information resources and engage with academic research. Librarians must also consider how individuals acquire, process, and apply new knowledge, recognizing that learners bring different experiences, abilities, and levels of familiarity to an educational setting. By understanding established learning principles and theories, information professionals can develop instructional approaches that respond to these differences, encourage active participation, and help individuals build upon their existing knowledge.
Competency K asks us to demonstrate our ability to design individual and collaborative learning experiences based on learning principles and theories. Understanding these concepts allows information professionals to develop instruction that responds to the different needs of learners while encouraging active participation, critical thinking, and the application of new knowledge.
Learning Principles and Theories
Learning principles and theories provide a foundation for understanding how individuals develop knowledge and skills. One important approach is constructivism, which emphasizes that learning is an active process in which individuals build upon their existing knowledge and experiences. Rather than simply receiving information from an instructor, learners develop their understanding by engaging with new concepts and connecting them to what they already know. The National Research Council (2000) emphasizes the importance of recognizing the knowledge and experiences that students bring into educational environments. These experiences can influence how individuals interpret new information, making it important for educators to consider what learners already understand before introducing unfamiliar concepts. Within libraries, this principle can be applied by developing instruction that builds upon students’ existing research skills while introducing new approaches to locating and evaluating information.
Another important consideration is how learning activities are structured. Biggs (1996) introduces the concept of constructive alignment, which emphasizes the relationship between intended learning outcomes, instructional activities, and assessment methods. Rather than developing activities without a clear purpose, instructors should consider what they want students to learn and design experiences that help them achieve those goals. For librarians, this might involve establishing specific learning objectives before developing a research workshop or instructional session.
Collaborative learning also plays an important role in educational environments, including library workshops, instructional programs, and other learning experiences outside of traditional classrooms. Johnson et al. (1998) discuss cooperative learning within higher education, emphasizing how structured group activities can encourage students to work together and develop their understanding through shared experiences. Within libraries, these principles can be applied through group discussions, research activities, and workshops that encourage participants to exchange ideas and learn from one another. These experiences demonstrate how librarians can design instruction that supports learning through both individual exploration and collaboration.
Designing Learning Experiences in Libraries
Beyond learning principles and theory, information professionals must also be able to apply these concepts when developing educational experiences that meet the needs of their communities. This involves identifying learning objectives, selecting appropriate instructional methods, and considering how learners will demonstrate their understanding. Black (2020) examines how instructional design principles can be applied to information literacy sessions within academic libraries. Through the Understanding by Design framework, Black discusses the importance of establishing clear learning objectives and developing instructional activities that support those goals. This approach is particularly useful for librarians who may have limited time to provide instruction, as it encourages them to focus on the knowledge and skills students should gain from an educational experience.
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL, 2016) provides additional guidance for information literacy instruction through its Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The framework identifies six central concepts, including Research as Inquiry and Scholarship as Conversation, that encourage students to engage critically with information and develop a deeper understanding of the research process. These concepts can serve as building blocks for designing educational activities that go beyond simply demonstrating how to use library resources.
For example, a librarian developing an information literacy workshop might organize students into small groups and ask them to evaluate different sources on the same topic. Drawing upon the principles of cooperative learning discussed by Johnson et al. (1998), this activity would encourage students to share their perspectives, discuss the credibility of different sources, and develop their understanding through collaboration. Alternatively, an individual research consultation might involve helping a student develop a research question, identify relevant resources, and reflect on their search strategies. This approach reflects constructivist principles by building upon the student’s existing knowledge and encouraging them to participate actively in the learning process. Although these experiences differ in their approaches, both demonstrate how established learning principles can guide instructional decisions.
Biggs’ (1996) concept of constructive alignment is particularly relevant when evaluating the effectiveness of these activities. Librarians should consider whether their instructional methods allow students to practice the skills they are expected to develop and whether assessments demonstrate that the intended learning outcomes have been achieved. As an example, if the objective of an information literacy workshop is to teach students how to evaluate sources, librarians might ask participants to independently assess a source and explain their reasoning. These assessments allow librarians to identify whether students have developed the intended skills and determine where additional instruction may be necessary.
In my future instructional work, I hope to apply these principles to create learning experiences that are engaging, accessible, and responsive to students’ needs. By considering how individuals learn and selecting appropriate instructional methods, I can support students in developing the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to conduct research independently and collaboratively.
Cited
| Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for information literacy for higher education. ALA. https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32(3), 347–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00138871 Black, E. L. (2020). Instructional design for single information literacy sessions. Public Services Quarterly, 16(3), 161–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2020.1775753 Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A. (1998). Cooperative learning returns to college: What evidence is there that it works? Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 30(4), 26–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091389809602629 National Research Council. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded ed.). National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/9853 |