Flipped Classroom and One-Shot Library Instruction
Shannon Gibson
LT 8000
Georgia State University

Introduction

Librarians in higher education are charged with educating the student population in how to find–and use–the best information. One-shot library instruction is when the librarian has one class period to present to the students about the library, library materials, and search strategies. This is the typical method of library instruction in higher education, with the exception being if the school has a dedicated research course. Librarians feel a lot of pressure to cram everything they can into these sessions, which results in cognitive overload and turning the session into an overblown orientation without any deeper learning or connection to assignments and research strategies. As an alternative, some libraries are using the flipped classroom method to get the basic research lessons viewed by students and searching begun before coming to class. This allows the classroom session to be used for the students’ questions and possibly a deeper understanding of how to research.

Flipped Classroom

Flipped classroom comes from constructivism, which is rooted in learning being an active process that is social and uses cognitive conflict for learning opportunities (Reiser, 2017, p. 61). Flipped classroom started in 2007 by two teachers recording their lectures for viewing by students before class. They wanted to free “up that class time to do the important stuff that is really what good education is all about” (Noonoo, 2012, p. 3).

The flipped classroom method uses constructivist principles for a learner-centered experience. The learner reviews materials before the class meets. These materials could be tutorials, recorded lectures, reading materials, and other delivery methods for the foundational concepts of the learning objective. The learner usually starts to deal with a problem on their own to apply the materials to be learned. The material becomes a resource that the students can reference multiple times, thereby allowing struggling students to take their time with the material (Reiser, 2017, p. 178). Class time is reserved for questions and projects based from the material they reviewed on their own. For the flipped classroom and library instruction, students wrestle with research and library resources before class and then ask questions and participate in the guided learning activities during class.

Instructional Design Implications From the Literature

Goates, Nelson, and Frost compared how well students made search strategies by which instruction method they received: traditional one-shot library instruction versus a flipped classroom with an online tutorial as the assignment (Goates et al., 2017, p. 382). They found that the length of time spent watching the online tutorial and the attention paid to the tutorial were factors in student success with the assessed assignment. There was not “sufficient motivation to focus” (Goates et al., 2017, p. 388) on the tutorial. This study found that students liked the flipped model so that in the classroom component they could research their own topics (Goates et al., 2017, p. 390). From student feedback, the authors posit that instructors could lead a demonstration of skills from the tutorials to recap the skills taught before opening the classroom for the collaborative process (Goates et al., 2017, p. 390). Lastly, tutorials and other out-of-class material must be authentic and connected to the actual research that the students will do (Goates et al., 2017, p. 391).

One library set out to reduce overall anxiety about the library and increase student efficacy with online library resources by creating learning through technology. The flipped classroom model enabled the librarian to create hands-on activities for the students to complete as well as some short library orientation material to review. They found that the flipped classroom model for the one-shot library instruction “allows room to explore these more flexible practices and transferable skills” (Tingle, 2018, p, 196); however, it is a departure from the standard sage-on-the-stage lecture model. They found that this takes time and deliberate objectives and curriculum design to complete successfully (Tingle, 2018, p. 196).

Assessing the effectiveness of the flipped classroom method for one-shot library instruction is difficult. Rivera (2017) presents a comparison study that tries to assess the flipped classroom with a standard lecture for the one-shot library instruction. The findings showed no difference between the two as far as effectiveness; however, this study did conclude that close collaboration between the librarian and the course instructor is key in producing any type of effective instruction from the library (Rivera, 2017, p. 21). This includes giving a grade for the flipped classroom activity that accompanied the tutorials (Rivera, 2017, p. 23).

Creation of content for the portion that the student accomplishes on their own becomes a challenge for stretched staff and budgets. Creating unique content for flipped classroom by libraries happens rarely. Many videos are created according to the survey by Obradovich, Canuel and Duffy (2015, p. 753), but very few seem to be targeted to flipped classroom library instruction. One of the authors’ conclusions is that there needs to be a strategy “to establish the needed connections between pre-workshop videos and in-class workshop activities” (Obradovich et al., p. 756).

Case to Review

Hawes and Adamson in “Flipping Out over Online Library Instruction: A Case Study in Faculty-Librarian Collaboration” (2016) write about a case in which a graduate level instructional design class received library instruction in a virtual meeting room through the college’s learning management system. This method of library instruction delivery was standard lecture and demonstration. Student feedback about the research assignment, especially trying to find articles, was that it was a “challenging assignment” (Hawes & Adamson, 2016, p. 255). The assignments for this class required multiple essays and discussion posts that incorporate journal articles into their writing.

The librarian and instructor devised learning objectives and a plan for the librarian to ensure that the students had the baseline competencies of research skills to then build upon them for the products asked of them in class and in their work products (Hawes & Adamson, 2016, p. 254). This process took place over three and a half years, and included live classes for research instruction as well as review and improvement to the instruction.

The librarian and instructor had a respectful, professional relationship with similar interests (Hawes & Adamson, 2016, p. 254). This helped them not only collaborate successfully but also model a respect for library services. They particularly believe that because the instructor valued research skills, the students will value these skills as well. The librarian and instructor thought that the flipped model would be more interesting for the students than just a lecture alone.

“Self-directed learning” (Hawes & Adamson, 2016, p. 257) was a large part of the flipped classroom experience for these graduate students in this case. A LibGuide (website that brings library resources together for a class or program) and the flipped classroom activity were used together by students with guided practice worksheets to explore the different library services and to practice searching and research strategies. The librarian created learning objects that were “step-by-step procedures” and “mini-video tutorials…demonstrating complex tasks” (Hawes & Adamson, 2016, p. 259). These learning objects were a part of the course LibGuide.

The first iteration of the project was a LibGuide that had five modules (Hawes & Adamson, 2016, p. 260). As feedback and development continued, the LibGuide had information literacy lessons, video tutorials, demonstrations, examples, and active learning. The live component, the classroom, changed from the librarian virtually attending the online class to the librarian’s online classroom which was outside of the regular class meeting schedule (Hawes & Adamson, 2016, p. 261).

Analysis and Design Implications Application

This case study seems to be a typical scenario in the academic library world, in that the librarian and faculty have to figure out the solution by themselves. However, the iterative process that the instructor and librarian went through is to be admired. They applied instructional design principles to improve the students’ learning. This is especially good to note since this research component was for a graduate instructional design program.

Flipped learning changes the classroom experience completely. Instructors must restructure the face-to-face experience for students for a successful flipped experience. The interactive and engaging activities should be in line with the homework activities to promote authentic learning. Instructors can be “surprised at how much time and organization this took as compared to a passive lecture” (Green, 2019, p. 13). Learning objects matched with classroom activities that are deliberately designed takes a lot of work, more than was expected (Tingle, 2018, p. 196). The librarian and instructor kept working through the design process over three and a half years, each time getting closer to an effective design.

Another challenge to overcome is the motivation of students to complete the content before class. In the case study, the students had to complete worksheets that were optional at the beginning of the three-year process. Eventually, these worksheets became required as an assessment tool “to gauge content mastery of the selected information literacy and research skills” (Hawes, 2016, p. 261). The librarian and instructor were able to give feedback to the class during the face-to-face meeting, and they could also edit and change the at-home components if there seemed to be a concept that the students did not understand. Accountability to the homework components is a thread through the literature (Green, 2019, p. 13), and motivating the students through grades or other social ways would be up to the culture of the class. However, using formative evaluation to assess the homework portion does help with both challenges.

Once students are motivated to complete the out-of-class material and come to class prepared, the learning uses real examples of the students’ own research topics. By facilitating the authentic learning in the class, this learning turns into transferable skills. In this case, the skills are research skills. The connection between the homework portion and the in-class work has to be clear. By scaffolding the lessons on the LibGuide and having the librarian available for guidance, the lessons relate directly to their research as well as the class portion.

This case represents a best-case scenario between the instructor of a class and the librarian to present effective learning opportunities for the research component of this class. Since the instructor and the librarian were cooperating on the design project of the case study, they collaborated well. An instructional designer in other situations would have to keep this in mind to get the different stakeholders working toward the common design project goal. Future research could include flipped classroom with collaboration between the stakeholders versus the non-flipped classroom with a traditional one-shot library lecture and orientation. This research approach could follow students through their program and look at their different research projects to see if these research skills transfer to other classes and projects.

Lessons Learned

A flipped classroom approach can be very powerful when it departs from the traditional lecture style to engage the learner and provide an environment in which “the learner actively imposes organization and meaning on the surrounding environment and constructs knowledge in the process” (Reiser & Dempsey, 2017, p. 57). The constructivist approach makes the learner the center of the process. Together, the instructor and librarian provide an authentic opportunity for the learner to learn how to use library resources with this method.

Along with this learner-centered approach of the flipped classroom, the homework assignments, tutorials, videos, or other formats must be constructed to pair with the classroom activities. Both must be made to provide the learner with the tools and information they need to complete the class tasks and the assignment for the class. Scaffolding the learning so that all levels of prior experience are covered seems to be important so that when the classroom activity takes place all learners can contribute.

Assessment is the underpinning for all of the design planning. Using the formative assessment tools as feedback for the design is key to producing a viable design product. Regardless of the instructional design process such as ADDIE or Dick & Carey, the assessment piece provides insight that takes the designer back to the analysis and design phases (Reiser & Dempsey, 2017, p, 24).

For the learner–which is why this is all being done–the design should be meaningful, authentic, and transferable. When students are shown how to research and then allowed to research their own topics in the classroom as the hands-on activity, they can immediately apply what they learned in the homework portion of the flipped method. In the classroom with the librarian, the students have real opportunities to ask questions that affect their research. This paves the way for the students to form a relationship with the librarian for future research. The students can transfer what they learn to other projects and classes.

References

Association of College and Research Libraries. (2019, May 30). Chapter 14: Standards, Guidelines, and Frameworks. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/resources/policies/chapter14#14.1

Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for information literacy for higher education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

Goates, M. C., Nelson, G. M., & Frost, M. (2017). Search Strategy Development in a Flipped Library Classroom: A Student-Focused Assessment. College & Research Libraries, 78(3), 382–395. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.3.382

Green, L. S. (2019). Chapter 3: Flipped Learning Environments: An Introduction for Librarians Who Design and Teach. Library Technology Reports, 55(5), 11. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=aqh&AN=137385612&site=eds-live&scope=site

Hawes, S. L., & Mason Adamson, J. (2016). Flipping Out over Online Library Instruction: A Case Study in Faculty-Librarian Collaboration. Journal of Library & Information Services In Distance Learning, 10(3–4), 254–267. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1533290X.2016.1219202 

Noonoo, S. (2012). Flipped learning founders set the record straight. THE Journal, The Flipped Classroom [Web log comment]. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/06/20/flipped-learning-founders-q-and-a.aspx

Obradovich, A., Canuel, R., & Duffy, E. P. . (2015). A Survey of Online Library Tutorials: Guiding Instructional Video Creation to Use in Flipped Classrooms. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(6), 751–757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2015.08.006

Reiser, R.A. & Dempsey, J.V. (Eds.) (2017). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th ed.). Pearson Education.

Rivera, E. (2017). Flipping the Classroom in Freshman English Library Instruction: A Comparison Study of a Flipped Class Versus a Traditional Lecture Method. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 23(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13614533.2016.1244770

Tingle, N. (2018). Taking care of business (before class): Information literacy in a flipped classroom. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 23(2), 183–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/08963568.2018.1510254