The document summarizes the development of an online information literacy resource called "Online Information Literacy with Percy the Penguin" aimed at sixth form students. It provides background on growing demand for information literacy sessions. It describes the thinking behind creating an online resource using a lighthearted comic approach. It outlines the collaborative process used to design, develop, evaluate and improve the website which includes interactive games and activities to teach important skills like evaluating sources, plagiarism, and referencing. Feedback was gathered from teachers, students, and a web designer. Future additions are planned based on user feedback.

1. Online Information Literacy with
Percy the Penguin
Sara Bird
Gillian Johnston

2. Our Presentation
• Background
• Our thinking…
• How we created it
• What we created
• Evaluation
• Lessons learnt
• What next?

3. Background
• Started doing IL sessions in 2007/2008 in response to an
enquiry from a school
• 2007/2008 – 230 sixth form students did IL session at
library.
• 2013/2014 – risen to 959.
• From Sep 2014-present 830
• From Sep 2013 – June 2014
over 300 independent
sixth form visits
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
2007-8 2013-14
Total number of sixth form visits

4. Background
• Vast majority of visits are sixth form and for
EPQ, History and English
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Film/ Media English History EPQ Economics Geog IB
Sixth Form Visits to Library 2013-2014
8
106
267
538
3
18 19

5. Background
• We manage visits using a traffic light system to
ensure needs of all students and visitors are
met
• We are at capacity
• Need for extra level of support
– online information literacy

6. Why bother?
• At capacity – outreach or online
• Reach wider audience
• Requests from schools: EPQ, History, English, etc.
• Growth of EPQ
• Widening participation
• Use some of the resources in our taught sessions
• Some overlap with first year undergraduate
teaching
• Lack of online student led activities aimed
specifically at sixth form students

7. Our thinking….
• ‘Subject’ not taught in schools. Focus upon transferable
skills and why need it to pass exams
• Light touch – retro comic feel
• Web pages aimed at teachers but activities for students
to do
• Information literacy journey and stand alone activities
• Variety of activities: kinaesthetic, visual, etc.
• Co-produced with teachers, school librarians and
students
Video –Why schools were happy to be involved

8. How did we do it?
Research
Resources
Mock up
Website
Evaluation
• Spoke to teachers and school librarians (main initial audience)
• Used our evaluations from teaching and outreach work
• Fed back to University Library working group
• Spoke to two local schools (private and LEA) working with (1
teacher, 1 school librarian, 1 head of sixth form)
• Conducted market research (this time with teachers and A level
students as they will be using the website, 6 local schools)
• Will feed back to University Library working group
• Will feed back to two local schools
• Had conversations with schools
• Will use resources in teaching
• Will use Google analytics

9. Web Design
• Collaborative process with education outreach
and web development team -decided where
need to ‘pay’ for a professional e.g. cartoons
Video – collaborative process
• Two way conversation – some factors
education officers didn’t think about, but
web-designer did e.g. colour blindness, font
size, mobile phone compatible, analytics, etc.
Video – factors to consider

10. Design of website
Version 1 Version 2
Video - What A-level students thought about the design of
the website

11. What we created
• http://sixthformstudyskills.ncl.ac.uk/
– Libraries
– Finding resources
– Evaluating resources
– Plagiarism
– Referencing
– Having a go!
– Activities

12. An example: Libraries

13. Interactive Elements
High Score Wins
Plagiarism Quiz
Videos
Drag and Drop
Teaching tools
Diamond Rank
Games
Jigsaws

14. Time to play….
High Score Wins

15. Time to play….
Plagiarism quiz

16. Evaluation
• Google stats – too early to share
• Oral feedback
• Teaching evaluation of those resources we use
in our teaching e.g. High Score Wins

17. What next?
• Teacher/school librarian led again:
– Note taking
– Writing at academic level
Video - What the schools want
• Plans to work with head of writing
development centre in full consultation with
local schools

18. Lessons learnt
• Importance of market research
• Have a go!
• You need to create something for people to be able to evaluate
• Make it fun
• Must be relevant for teacher/sixth form buy in e.g. closely linked to
EPQ
• People are happy to help and offer constructive criticism
• Do not be precious!
• Website needs to be professional looking – if we value it they value it,
e.g. cartoons
• Web address
Video - Web Designer’s advice

19. Contact details
http://sixthformstudyskills.ncl.ac.uk/
gillian.johnston@ncl.ac.uk
sara.bird@ncl.ac.uk