The Benefits of Improved Information Literacy Skills on Student Writing Skills: Developing a Collaborative Teaching Model with Research Librarians in Undergraduate Social Work Education

ABSTRACT

Improving the information literacy and writing skills of undergraduate social work students continues to be an issue for social work educators. In spite of the persistent concern, only a few studies examine the factors influencing these skills and interventions to strengthen them. This article details a faculty–librarian collaborative teaching model to develop students’ information literacy and writing skills through an iterative, peer-reviewed process that includes online and in-class library instruction. Pre- and posttest results from course evaluations, using the learning management system, indicate that students improve their information literacy skills, which in turn improves their writing skills. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for academic and professional development.

KEYWORDS:

• Teaching methods
• undergraduate
• literature
• research
• writing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.