RESEARCH VIDEO TUTORIALS

Research Video Tutorials:

Supplemental Information Literacy Tools for Developmental English Students

Elizabeth Hartig

Submitted to Graduate Studies – School of Education

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of:

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN STUDENT PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION

IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Dr. Meell

April 28, 2019

Concordia University - Ann Arbor, Michigan

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION & PROBLEM STATEMENT……………………………….……3

Introduction …………...……………………………………………..……3
Statement of the Problem …………...……………………………….……4
Glossary of Terms ……...…………………………………………………4
Project Description ……...…………………………………………..……5

II. LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………..…6

III. PROJECT DESCRIPTION & METHODOLOGY……………………………..….…9

Project Description…………………………………………..…..………..9
Content Advisor…………………………………………..…………...…10
Methodology…………………………………………..…..……………..10
Limitations ……...………………………………………………..……...11
Confidentiality and Anonymity…………………………………...……...11

IV. RESULTS & IMPLEMENTATION …………………………………………….….12

Results …………......………………………………….…………………12
Implications…………...……………………………………….…………13
Video Tutorials………………………………………………..…………13
Summary…………...………………………………………….…………14

V. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION…………………………….……...……15

Conclusions …………...………………………….…………………...…15
Recommendations …………...…………………………………………..16
Summary …………...……………………………………………………17

Reference List ………………………………………………………………………………….. 18

Appendices ………………………………………………………………………………………19
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SECTION I

INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Introduction

Located on the banks of the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Concordia University

Ann Arbor (CUAA) enrolled 1,197 students in fall of 2018. As a private institution, Concordia

University is affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. CUAA offers undergraduate

and graduate programs in business, nursing, education, and arts and sciences. Undergraduate

students are required to take English courses. All courses require some form of literature search

or research by students. The library offers in-class instruction on information literacy, as well as

individual research consultations.

College students in 2019 have access to more information than ever before. While

technology has made finding resources easier, it has also made navigating and evaluating sources

more difficult. Academic libraries provide instruction through courses on how to navigate

academic databases and improve information literacy skills. Information literacy instruction

includes types of sources, evaluating authority, strategic searching and other topics. While all

students require information literacy instruction during the transition from high school to college,

students in developmental English courses may not have the foundational information literacy

skills to benefit from a single information literacy session provided by an academic librarian.

English 100 is a developmental course for students who are not yet ready for a college

level writing course. English 100 aims at improving students’ writing skills, English grammar,

vocabulary, and reading comprehension. This course is required for provisional students.

Currently, information literacy instruction is not integrated into the English 100 curriculum. The

CUAA library also does not have specific services dedicated to English 100 students.
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Statement of the Problem

The current English 100 curriculum focuses on many useful skills related to grammar,

writing, and reading, but does not cover information literacy skills. From conversations with

English 100 faculty, I have learned that developmental English students specifically need support

understanding types of sources, identifying and understanding parts of scholarly articles, and

basic search strategies. Through focusing on these three topics, I created three video tutorials for

developmental English students to watch and follow on their own time or within a course as

needed.

I have witnessed the need for information literacy instruction through my work as an

academic librarian. Students often come to my frustrated after spending many hours searching

for literature and not finding relevant sources. Students could benefit from video tutorial

resources that they could access at any time and view as many times as needed. These tutorials

will teach information literacy skills and show the step-by-step process of using CUAA research

technology. I have utilized the Academic College and Research Libraries’ Framework for

Information Literacy for Higher Education to create the video tutorials.

Glossary of Terms

Developmental English Students: also called provisional students, who are admitted to

CUAA whose grade point average multiplied by ACT score is less than 50

English 100: A developmental English course for students who are not yet ready for

college level English

Information Literacy: A set of skills that allows an individual to know when information is
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needed, and have the ability to find it, evaluate it and use it effectively

Project Description and Relevance

I created three video tutorials that will serve as step-by-step explanations for

developmental English students to help them understand basic information literacy skills through

using Concordia University Ann Arbor research databases. These video tutorials are available to

the students to watch whenever they need to do research in their academic career.
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SECTION II

LITERATURE REVIEW

As an academic librarian, I have a passion for information literacy instruction. My

experience has shown that first year students face a large learning curve when it comes to

information literacy and research in higher education. After speaking with different faculty

members about my interests and ideas for a capstone project, I found a need in the

developmental English 100 course. The faculty member, who teaches English 100, also found

that students who are not yet ready for college level English are at a disadvantage when it comes

to understanding and navigating information as a college student. The Association of College

and Research Libraries [ACRL] (2015) has set the standard for information literacy for higher

education. The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education divides information

literacy into six interconnected concepts and discusses the learning outcomes for each (ACRL,

2015). For this project I used the framework of information literacy to develop the video tutorials

to highlight some basic information literacy skills aimed for English 100 students.

There is a common misconception that college students are natural at technology and

therefore natural at finding information. Gross and Latham (2011) found that the majority of first

year college students have below proficient information literacy skills. They also found that

those with below proficient information literacy skills overestimate their skill level both before

and after taking a skills test (Gross and Latham). This misconception that traditional first year

college students have grown up with technology and therefore are have information literacy

skills is believed by the students themselves. From my experience as an academic librarian this

misconception causes frustration and panic when the first big research project is assigned in the

semester. When students have an overestimated view of their skills they will not seek help or
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know where to turn. This project could make tools available to students to view whenever they

need help and view as many times as needed.

Deciding what information skills to cover in the tutorials was a topic I discussed in detail

with the English 100 faculty member. Borrelli and Johnson (2012) conducted a three semester

study of students in a first year experience course with an embedded librarian. The students took

pre and post-tests to measure their information literacy skills. They found that students scored

the lowest in the pretest for understanding how to evaluate scholarly sources online. The lowest

area of proficiency on the posttest was identifying components of a scholarly article (Borrelli and

Johnson). In my own professional experience I help students that are have trouble identifying

scholarly articles and evaluating them. These topics also were recommended in my conversation

with the English 100 faculty member.

Not only are information literacy skills needed by first year students but they also need

technology skills. Buzzetto-Hollywood, Wang, Elobeid and Elobeid (2018) found that when

addressing information literacy in Higher Education there is also a digital divide among

advantaged and disadvantaged students. Students from underserved populations do not have the

technology skills needed for academic success when they begin college (Buzzetto-Hollywood,

Wang, Elobeid and Elobeid). I addressed this need in creating the video tutorials for English 100.

I covered skills while explaining and showing in detail how to use the CUAA research

technology.

The video format allows for students to replay the step by step instructions as many times

as needed. Latham and Gross (2013) found in their focus group study that first year students with

below-proficient information literacy skills prefer a combination of demonstration and hands-on

learning. They also found that below-proficient first year students preferred using both the
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internet and people as sources, when trying to seek information (Latham and Gross). The

research video tutorials demonstrate information literacy skills to students to compliment in class

instruction.

In order to assess information literacy skills, students will take online pre and post-tests

in the plan of implementation. Yager, Salisbury, and Kirkman (2013) found that online quizzes

are as effective as more complex rubric based assessment to gage understanding of information

literacy skills by first year college students (Yager, Salisbury, and Kirkman). The pre and post-

test will be a simple multiple choice quiz on blackboard. The research video tutorials will be

made available after the pretest and before the post-test.

Information literacy skills are vital to all students, no matter their field of study.

Providing easily accessible research video tutorials highlighting information literacy, will

support provisional students in English 100. Squibb and Mikkelsen (2016) reported in their study

of course-embedded information literacy instruction that information literacy skills transfers into

success in upper level writing experiences (Squibb and Mikkelsen.) Skills gained from the

English 100 course and reinforced through the video tutorials could be transferable to the

student’s other academic coursework.

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SECTION III

PROJECT DESCRIPTION & METHODOLOGY

Project Description

This project was to develop video tutorials for proposed implementation for students at

Concordia University. From my experience, students often struggle with using academic

databases at home while working on research projects. I decided to make video tutorials to

supplement information literacy instruction and serve as a resource for students working

independently. The Academic College and Research Libraries’ Framework for Information

Literacy for Higher Education has guided the creation of the video tutorial content. The videos

have been created. The plan for implementation includes using the videos to support English 100

curriculum in the fall of 2019.

I created three video tutorials to supplement information literacy skills taught in English

100. These video tutorials are available for students to view from wherever they want and as

many times as needed. The first video covers using CUAA research databases and choosing your

search terms. The second video covers viewing the results and the types of different sources. The

final video is dedicated to understanding the parts of a scholarly article. Through watching step-

by-step demonstrations of the academic databases and individual resources, students will be able

to recreate these processes on their own. The videos are narrated to highlight information literacy

skills. These videos are uploaded to YouTube and are completely free and accessible to all

students. Faculty members can easily embed the videos into blackboard course sites or emails.
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Content Advisor

The content advisor for my project teaches English 100 at Concordia University Ann

Arbor. She teaches the class each fall and has developed curriculum for the course. I will submit

my plan of implementation to her for her possible use in her next course in the fall of 2019. I

conducted an interview of her experience working with developmental English students. We

meet periodically throughout November 2018 and April 2019 to discuss the project. Her

experience teaching English 100 and High School English has been very helpful in

understanding the transition students experience while working with information.

Methodology

I collected archival data for this project to better understand the English 100 course. I

completed an informational interview of an English 100 faculty member in December, 2018.

Curriculum materials were gathered for review in December of 2018. I also gathered information

on the definition of provisional students and how students were chosen for the English 100

course from Assistant Vice President of Academics in December of 2018.

I completed a pilot study of the video tutorials through a survey of three students in a

research methods graduate course. Three students watched the first video tutorial and completed

a survey after they watched the video. The survey included five questions using a 1-5 rating scale

and two open ended response questions. The students took the survey in March of 2019. The

survey was conducted on paper and students also signed a consent form giving me permission to

use their data in my final report.

The plan of implementation in fall of 2019 includes pre and post-test results to assess the

video tutorials’ efficacy as my second data collection tool. The pre and post-test will be a short
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simple multiple choice test to gage the level of information literacy skills the student already

have coming into English 100. After completing the course and viewing the video tutorials the

students will then take the post test to determine if the videos were effective in increasing their

understanding of information literacy.

The plan of implementation in fall of 2019 includes using a focus group of English 100

students in order to gain information on how to improve the video tutorials. The focus group will

be comprised of 4-5 students and take place after the post test. The students will be asked about

the usability and relevance of the videos. The students will consider other topics they might like

presented in future video tutorials.

Limitations

The most challenging limitation of this project was the schedule for the English 100

course. English 100 is only taught during the fall semester. This has impacted my ability to

complete the data collection for the pre and post-tests along with the focus group. The plan for

implementation will be proposed to the English department for implementation in fall 2019.

Confidentiality and Anonymity

The results and data of this proposed research project will be stored on a personal

computer with password protection. No other individuals will have access to the data. The data

will be deleted after one year of completion of the proposed project in June of 2020. No student

names will be used in the final report.

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SECTION IV

RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS

Results

This study was conducted in order to create video tutorials to help students at Concordia

University improve their research skills. I collected data using archival research, interviews, and

a survey of students who viewed the videos in a pilot study.

I collected archival data through gathering background information about the English 100

course and interviewing an English 100 instructor. I found that the current English 100

curriculum does not include instruction on types of sources, literature searches, or scholarly

articles in the English 100 curriculum.

The pilot study group was comprised of a survey of two graduate students and three

undergraduate students. The two graduate students viewed the video tutorial in a research

methods course. The three undergraduate students viewed the video while working on research

in the library for various courses in April, 2019. All of the participants viewed the video and then

attempted to independently complete a search on CUAA databases. After using the databases,

the participants then completed the survey in person on paper.

The data in Table 1 show the results of the survey of the pilot study regarding the

understanding and application of the video tutorials.

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Table 1

Results of the survey of the pilot study regarding understanding and application of the video
tutorials

Statement 1 Statement 2 Statement 3 Statement 4 Statement 5

Student 1 5 5 5 4 1
Student 2 5 5 4 5 4
Student 3 5 5 5 5 2
Student 4 5 5 5 5 2
Student 5 5 5 5 4 3

Note. Statement 1. I can access resources from the CUAA library off campus. Statement 2. I was able to find resources related to my keywords
after watching the video tutorial. Statement 3. I know how to save my resources and access them from home or off campus. Statement 4. I know
where to go for help after watching the video tutorial. Statement 5. I have more questions about how to find resources after watching the video
tutorial.

Note. Scale 1. Strongly Disagree. 2. Disagree. 3. Neutral. 4. Agree. 5. Strongly Agree

The data from the pilot study survey show that 100% of participants strongly agree that

after watching the video tutorial they could access materials from off campus and find resources

related to their keywords. The data also indicates that all students still have questions and

technical issues regarding accessing materials.

The survey included two open ended questions. The first question asked, “What aspects

of using CUAA databases do you still have questions about?” Two participants had no further

questions. One participant asked how to remove resources from the favorites list. One

participant asked about resources that were not accessible after signing in. One participant asked

about both removing resources from the favorites list and accessing unavailable resources.

The second open ended question asked, “What topic related to research would you like

covered in a video tutorial?” Two participants did not suggest another topic. One participant

suggested how to understand the material within an article. One participant suggested finding

scholarly sources in particular. One participant said any additional topic would be helpful.
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Implications

The results of the pilot study demonstrate the value of the video tutorials and value of the

plan of implementation of using the video tutorials in the English 100 curriculum. The pilot

study demonstrates that after viewing the video tutorial students were able to find resources

related to their search terms. Students were able to access the resources from off-campus.

Students were able to save resources. After watching the video tutorial, students also knew where

to go for help if needed. The result of the pilot study also demonstrate that students could benefit

from more video tutorials on different topics related to research.

Video Tutorials

I have created three video tutorials. The videos are between 10 and 15 minutes in length

and can be viewed on YouTube. The first video, which was used in the pilot study, covers how

to access and use Concordia University library databases and resources through Primo. The

videos include audio explanation with step-by-step instructions through a screen capture of the

search process. The second video discusses how to identify a scholarly peer-reviewed source and

the parts of a scholarly article. The third video demonstrates identifying three types of sources:

newspaper articles, trade journal articles, and scholarly articles. The third video discusses who

the audiences and authors are and when to use each type of source.

First Video: Searching for Resources at CUAA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwQ_oW0imw8&feature=youtu.be

Second Video: Scholarly Articles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcWkdnJw04A

Third Video: Types of Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5kKkLRvN5A
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Summary and Plan of Implementation

The data suggest that students are able to access resources after viewing the research

video tutorials. The pilot study results indicate that students still had specific questions about

scholarly sources and understanding material within an article after watching the video tutorials.

I will present the video tutorials to the English department at Concordia University for use in

class or to be embedded into BlackBoard course sites. I propose including a pre- and post-test to

evaluate the efficacy of the video tutorials.

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SECTION V

CONCLUSTION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusion

This study was conducted in order to help students at Concordia University improve their

research and information literacy skills through demonstrating how to research with CUAA

databases using a step-by-step video tutorial format.

Gross and Latham (2011) found that the majority of first year college students have

below proficient information literacy skills and overestimate their skills before and after taking a

skills test. First year college students have a need for more information literacy instruction, but

they might not know they need help until they are at home trying to research on their own. They

also might need supplemental help when working individually. Buzzetto-Hollywood, Wang,

Elobeid and Elobeid (2018) found that when addressing information literacy in higher education

there is also a digital divide among advantaged and disadvantaged students. Students with more

resources have more technology skills. Providing resources that are easily available to

supplement in-class instruction would be beneficial for all CUAA students.

The video tutorials can supplement in-class instruction and help guide students in their

research from a technical standpoint of how to use the databases and provide information literacy

skills that will help them learn how to research on an academic level. The three video tutorials

are easily accessible through YouTube and can be embedded into BlackBoard, emails, or other

educational technology. The first video covers the nuts and bolts of how to log on to the CUAA

databases and complete a search. The step-by-step process includes choosing keywords, saving

results, and accessing articles. The second video covers identifying scholarly articles and the

structure of scholarly articles. Students can see how to identify scholarly articles and how to read
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scholarly articles. The third video covers types of sources; showing the differences between a

newspaper article, a trade journal article, and a scholarly article. Students will also learn when to

use each type of resource.

The results of the pilot study indicate that the video tutorial can help students with their

research to some extent. The video tutorials did help students off campus find relevant sources

and access the materials, which was the goal of the project. I found that students have more

questions about the specifics regarding their research and new videos should be created regularly

to help with multiple topics.

Recommendations

According to the results of the pilot study, I recommend that the three video tutorials be

embedded into the BlackBoard site for English 100 and graduate research methods courses.

English 100 instructors should assign the video tutorials before the research project for the

course. A pre- and post-test should be administered before and after assigning the video tutorials.

I recommend further evaluation of the efficacy of the video tutorials with regular updates to the

video tutorial content.

Due to the scheduling of the English 100 course, I was unable to implement the study for

the English 100 course. I recommend a year-long study to understand the efficacy of the video

tutorials for first year students.

Further, video tutorials should be created to cover a range of topics about research and

the CUAA databases. These video tutorials are a useful tool to provide assistance to students in

off hours or supplemental assistance to curriculum.

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Summary

This project has demonstrated the efficacy of the video tutorial format to supplement

information literacy and research instruction at Concordia University. There currently is no

standard curriculum for researching using CUAA databases. These video tutorials can be easily

included into BlackBoard course sites and shared on our website. The video tutorials can also

help students during off hours when a reference librarian is not available to assist with research.

Faculty can also benefit from using the tutorials as supplemental instruction tools. Further

regular evaluation of the needs of the students should be done to guide the creation of more

tutorials.
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REFERENCE LIST

Academic College and Research Libraries. (2015) Framework for Information Literacy for

Higher Education. Retrieved from

http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/Framework_ILHE.

pdf

Borrelli, S. & Johnson, C. (2013). Information Evaluation Instruction: A Three Term Project

with a First Year Experience Course. Communications in Information Literacy, 6(2),

173-190.

Buzzetto-Hollywood, N., Elobaid, E., Elobeid, M.,& Wang, H. (2018). Addressing Information

Literacy and the Digital Divide in Higher Education. Interdisciplinary Journal of

E-Skills and Lifelong Learning, 14, 077-093.

Gross, M., & Latham, D. (2012). What's skill got to do with it?: Information literacy skills and

self-views of ability among first-year college students. Journal of the American

Society for Information Science and Technology, 63(3), 574-583.

Latham, D., & Gross, M. (2013). Instructional Preferences of First-Year College Students

with Below-Proficient Information Literacy Skills: A Focus Group Study. College &

Research Libraries, 74(5), 430-449.

Squibb, S, & Mikkelsen, S. (2016). Assessing the Value of Course-Embedded Information

Literacy on Student Learning and Achievement. College & Research Libraries, 77(2),

164-183.

Yager, Z., Salisbury, F., & Kirkman, L. (2013). Assessment of information literacy skills

among first year students. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher

Education, 4(1), N/a.

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APPENDIX A
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APPENDIX B

Video Tutorials Survey

1. I can access resources from the CUAA library off campus.

Strongly Disagree----------- Disagree---------- Neutral------------ Agree--------Strongly Agree

2. I was able to find resources related to my keywords after watching the video tutorial.

Strongly Disagree----------- Disagree---------- Neutral------------ Agree--------Strongly Agree

3. I know how to save my resources and access them from home or off campus.

Strongly Disagree----------- Disagree---------- Neutral------------ Agree--------Strongly Agree

4. I know where to go for help after watching the video tutorial.

Strongly Disagree----------- Disagree---------- Neutral------------ Agree--------Strongly Agree

5. I have more questions about how to find resources after watching the video tutorial.

Strongly Disagree----------- Disagree---------- Neutral------------ Agree--------Strongly Agree

6. What aspects of using CUAA databases do you still have questions about?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

7. What topic related to research would you like covered in a video tutorial?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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APPENDIX C

Video Tutorials

1. Searching for Resources at CUAA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwQ_oW0imw8

2. Scholarly Articles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcWkdnJw04A

3. Types of Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5kKkLRvN5A