To frame or not to frame: creating a metaliteracy course for online Ed.D. students

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to create a course in a learning management system (LMS), Canvas, for online Ed.D. students and determine if the course can improve scores measuring metaliteracy concepts from pretest to posttest. The course assessed knowledge of metaliteracy goals and objectives instead of using the ACRL Framework. This paper reports on the creation of the course, results of the pretest-posttest, a mapping of metaliteracy goals and objectives with the ACRL Framework and recommendations for including metacognitive practices in library instruction. Design/methodology/approach The researcher used a quantitative, quasi-experimental, exploratory design and developed a metaliteracy course in the Canvas LMS using a pretest-posttest design, creating video tutorials as the treatment for each module (five total) using Adobe Spark. Findings According to a t-test run in SPSS, there was a significant difference between the metaliteracy pretest and metaliteracy posttest. Using metaliteracy goals and objectives as a method for assessing information literacy knowledge can be useful. Using the ACRL Framework along with metaliteracy goals and objectives can be effective for presenting and assessing information literacy knowledge and skills. Research limitations/implications One limitation of this study was the use of one population of online Ed.D. students at one institution. One implication of this study is the need for metaliteracy goals and objectives to be used in connection with the ACRL Framework. Originality/value This research adds to the limited knowledge of how metaliteracy goals and objectives can be used to assess information literacy and other literacies using a pretest-posttest format in an online format.