Integrating an Informationist Into Graduate Education: Case Study With Preliminary Results

Abstract

An informationist taught, consulted, and mentored graduate students enrolled in a graduate research project course in Health Informatics. An observational cohort study was conducted to determine the effect of an early (first term) and continued (subsequent term) exposure of course-integrated instruction, individual consultations, information resource mentoring, and educational collaboration partnership on the development of information literacy, research skills, and integrative competencies in graduate students. Student progress was assessed by survey, class performance, and faculty feedback. The course-integrated lectures, consultations, mentoring, and educational partnership between the informationist and academic advisors increased the students’ course performance, information literacy, and research skills in graduate students.

KEYWORDS:

• Course-integrated instruction
• educational collaborative partnership
• individual consultations
• information literacy
• information mentoring
• informationists
• research skills

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lyubov L. Tmanova

Lyubov L. Tmanova, MLIS, MS, VV ([email protected]) is Informationist, S. J. Wood Library and C.V. Biomedical Information Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065.

Jessica S. Ancker

Jessica S. Ancker, MPH, PhD ([email protected]) is Associate Professor; and Stephen B. Johnson, PhD ([email protected]) is Professor; both at Division of Health Informatics, Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, 425 East 61 Street, New York, NY 10065.

Stephen B. Johnson

Jessica S. Ancker, MPH, PhD ([email protected]) is Associate Professor; and Stephen B. Johnson, PhD ([email protected]) is Professor; both at Division of Health Informatics, Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, 425 East 61 Street, New York, NY 10065.