Detecting Information Literacy: Choose Your Own Adventure Video Series

Finding interesting approaches to teach the concepts of information literacy is a problem that many face in library instruction. The Lichtenberger Engineering Library at the University of Iowa has been working to create a fun and engaging way through an online video series that walks students through different parts of information literacy while allowing the students to choose their own path. Using the concept of the Choose Your Own Adventure books published by Bantam Books and the They Made Me Do Research series by the University of Northern Colorado, the Lichtenberger Engineering Library has set out to create a video series that will help students explore various topics of information literacy. Each series of videos, called a module, teaches one topic of information literacy. The first module – which has been completed – focuses on evaluating information using the CRAAP Test. The second module, which is under development, will focus on setting up search strategies. A module will consist of 18 to 20 videos, each less than 2 minutes in length. Each video will end with a question and require the viewer to choose from several video options. Each option takes the storyline in a different direction. The video series is no longer passive learning – by requiring the viewer to evaluate each scene and the potential outcomes, it becomes active engagement and learning. These videos will be embedded in various seminars and classes throughout the College of Engineering. They are created to help in both classroom instruction and as stand-alone learning tools. Completion of a module will award the student a digital badge that can be linked directly to an online course management system, allowing instructors to see who has completed the assignment. By completing a video series, or module, the student will have created their own adventure while learning different aspects of information literacy in a fun and engaging way.