The document describes an academic librarian's attempts to implement a flipped classroom model for information literacy sessions. In their initial sessions with undergraduate science students, the librarian asked students to complete pre-work before the session which seemed successful. However, later attempts with business students were less successful when instructors did not communicate the pre-work expectations. Additional attempts saw mixed results, with attendance generally better than pre-work completion. The librarian's most successful session used digital badges and an online pre-work module as incentives, suggesting incentives may be key to getting students to engage with pre-work in a flipped model.

1. INTRODUCTION
Nov 6, 2015: New in post, in a business / sciences subject role, my line manager asks me to ‘shake the tree’ and come up with some flipped-model
workshops in upcoming (spring semester) embedded information literacy sessions.
My basic idea: Hardly revolutionary! Get students to watch video clips, whether in-house or vendor-produced, before a face-to-face, hands-on
session, and do a short activity as a bridge.
The big question: Will they do their homework and watch the clips / do the activity? If not, how can I incentivize (or more broadly, motivate) them
to do so?
Attempt (Semester Week 1): UG Science
What: Asked class (via instructor) to watch four videos, then do a
search using the catalogue, Google, and a database about
‘astrobiology’.
Result: Pretty good! A discussion about what they found! Several
students spoke up about their experience.
Reflection: I’m amazing! Students are amazing! Their instructors are
amazing and fastidious communicators!
Attempt (still Week 1): PG Business
What: As above, with search prompt related to CSR and branding; two
different modules, two different instructors.
Result a: Disaster! Instructor failed to notify students of their homework
Result b: Very good. Instructor communicated the homework, students
responded well to initial workshop questions.
Reflection: Would I be better off communicating with students myself?
Would they take me seriously, do the homework, attend the face-to-face
session?
Attempt (Weeks 1-2: UG Science, class divided into four
sections)
What: Clips plus elaborate search exercise.
Result a: Disaster! Comms divided between self and instructors (via
Blackboard), wires got crossed – few showed to the face-to-face,
none did the homework.
Result b-d: Tepid. Excellent attendance; not many did the
homework.
Reflection: Week 1 went so well. But is it because they didn’t yet
have anything else to do?
Attempt (Weeks 3-4): UG Business, four sections
What: Similar, but I was excited about this one as it was
attached to a specific assignment that I was going to be able to
play a part in the grade. Surely that would be an incentive to
take things seriously!
Result: Disappointment! I very rigorously asked the students
whether they did the homework; nearly none had.
Reflection: Were the results in week 1 as good as I thought they
were? In retrospect, I had only asked a few students.
Attempt (Week 5): PG, Business
What: Clips + exercise.
Result: Similarly dim!
Reflection: Thought PG would be better, but you
know what happens when we ‘assume’!
Attempt (Week 9): UG Engineering
What: Instructor interested in a session including LARK, an online information skills module
we’ve had as an asset for some time now, coupled with a face-to-face session. Liaising with
the Centre for Teaching and Learning at NUI Galway, I got it hosted in the module Blackboard,
then designed a short MCQ to test students’ knowledge. Also created a Digital Badge,
awarded for achieving a certain grade on the MCQ and participation in the face-to-face
session.
Result: Excellent! High rates of participation in both online and face-to-face components.
Reflection: Great, so what was incentivizing? The Badge? The MCQ? The sense that we could
keep track of what they were doing within Blackboard?
CONCLUSION / QUESTIONS MOVING FORWARD
Week 1 went well, but with fewer competing commitments, students needed less incentivization. This doesn’t point to a sustainable way forward.
Instructor support is essential (‘yes, it’s mandatory’), but not a guarantee of success
Small course grade allotments not as incentivizing as I’d though (more investigation required)
How incentivizing are Digital Badges? MCQs? (will students do a low-stakes MCQ cause they’re fun?)
Tree image credit: Rachel Smith / Clickr, 2012
Pinecone image credit: Clipart Panda, 2014
Incentivisation and Collaboration: Playing with the flipped model in
embedded information literacy sessions
Kris Meen, Academic Skills Librarian, James Hardiman Library