A Test of the Efficacy of an Information Literacy Lesson in an Introductory Biology Laboratory Course with a Strong Science-Writing Component

Abstract

Competency in science information literacy is an objective of most undergraduate biology programs and increasingly important in freshman introductory courses. We implemented a controlled study to test the efficacy of a single, information literacy lesson at the beginning of the semester in an introductory biology laboratory course with embedded writing components. We examined effects of this pedagogical manipulation by comparing laboratory sections that received the lesson with those that did not. We found that skills related to the identification of primary or secondary sources and use of proper citation format were higher in those sections that received a single literacy lesson in the semester-long course. Additionally, one year after the course, students who completed the course showed better mastery of information literacy skills compared to students who did not take the laboratory course. We used results from this controlled study to inform curriculum content decisions in our introductory biology course sequence.

Keywords:

• college biology
• library skills
• science information literacy
• undergraduate education

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by an NSF-DUE CCLI 0736872 grant to Linda Fuselier and others. We thank Carroll Wilkinson for her helpful review of the manuscript, our local Institutional Review Board committee, organismal biology instructors B. Wisenden, D. McEwen, S. Alemadi, A. Wallace, and D. Rodenbaugh, and the students for participating in the study.