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Lowering students' anxiety during information skills training with active learning - Aurelie Gandour
This document summarizes techniques for reducing computer anxiety in students when teaching electronic resources. It recommends creating a positive learning environment where questions are encouraged. Suggested activities include mapping resources without computers, explaining purposes and mechanisms, and having students gradually practice on computers with support. Reflection activities help students apply lessons, and ongoing support like guidance videos further reduce anxiety. The goal is to lessen anxiety within sessions and make students comfortable accessing electronic resources.
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Lowering students' anxiety during information skills training with active learning - Aurelie Gandour
- 1. Teaching electronic resourcesto students with computer anxiety Aurelie Gandour Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
- 2. Meet Jane… Jane isa typical (imaginary) student from theTavistock and Portman. She’s 40, a psychologist, and back at theTavi for a part-time course. Jane doesn’t like computers too much… She can doWord and email, but if asked to use software outside her comfort zone, she feels… uncomfortable. She would rather avoid using it than ask for help. She thinks she’s no good at it anyway, so when she tries, fails, and doesn’t ask for help, it only strengthens her negative belief.
- 3. Jane suffers fromcomputer anxiety. Computer anxiety exists in various degrees throughout the population, ranging from being mildly uncomfortable in a specific situation to total panic. You’ve probably met people like Jane in your library too!
- 4. The catch is,computer anxiety has been linked to library anxiety. It prevents students from using many of the library’s electronic resources.And their negative thoughts (“I’m stupid, everybody knows this…”) will prevent them to ask for help. It’s a real problem during information skills sessions.Those students just nod along but don’t engage with the tool.
- 5. Let’s break the cycle! I’mgoing to show you my attempts at breaking this negative cycle… Note that we can’t « cure » the students’ anxiety (you would need some behavioural therapy). We’re just trying to lessen the symptoms or make the anxiety more manageable within the context of the specific resources we teach.
- 6. To do so,I’m going to mix through this presentation general advice found in the literature with active learning activities. I’ve tested those on my students and found it helped. Active learning means being involved in the learning process rather than passively listening to the teacher. It can involve simple activities, more complex games, and working in groups.
- 7. A positive learning environment The mostimportant part, in my opinion, is to create a positive learning environment, and for the teacher to have a positive attitude. It’s great if you can ask one of your colleagues to come and help but… they need empathy.
- 8. A positive learning environment “Workshops absolutelycan not and should not be staffed by people who insensitiviely think that those who lack basic computer knowledge are unintelligent or have learning disabilities, which will only worsen the users’ apprehension.” (Sivakumaran and Lux, 2011)
- 9. Encouraging questions The goal isto foster an environment that feels safe enough for the students to be able to ask their questions without feeling stupid.There are no stupid questions, only questions easy to answer! Remind them often that you want them to ask. And then… actually answer them. And be kind while doing so.
- 10. Now we’re goingto talk about several activities that can happen away from the computer. It’s great to focus on the principleswithout the stress of the tool. I always try to have at least 1 computer-less activity in my sessions (but often end up with more).
- 11. Mapping out theresources Some students find it very reassuring to be able to make some sense out of the forest of resources proposed by the library. Mapping those resources out can be a great thing to do during an induction session.
- 12. Mapping out theresources For this poster activity, I give each little group a pack of information printed off the library’s website and ask them to map them out on a poster. Each group can have different resources. Then we go around and I correct anything that’s not completely right.
- 13. Purpose and benefits Layingout the purpose and benefits from a tool at the beginning of a session can be a great way to get students on board. Examples: * Discovery will search everything at once so you don’t have to learn to use every tool. * Short EndNote demonstration where I just make a bibliography appear out of nowhere….
- 14. The mechanisms behind Thenwe can start having a look at the mechanisms behind the tool before having to put them in application. Examples: how a thesaurus work, what’s an in-text citation, creating search equations…
- 15. The mechanisms behind Thisis a simple colouring exercise that helps you check, in about 30 seconds, if the students have understood how Boolean operators work.
- 16. The mechanisms behind Inblue you can see actual results that can be found in a database. Above them is a search equation. Which results will you find if you use this equation? Great to check both on Boolean operators AND the importance of choosing good keywords.
- 17. The mechanisms behind Studentsare given a card with a slightly complex topic + puzzle tiles (field codes, Booleans, brackets, and keywords tiles).They’re asked to create simple, then more complex equations. This is best suited for more advanced groups.
- 18. Dipping their toes… Atsome point, you have to go back to the computer… But you want your anxious students to get there gradually, and to experience a first success so that they can gain confidence.
- 19. Dipping their toes… Stillon paper, this a screencap from a real search done with the tool we’re studying.The search returned no results.The students (in pairs) are asked: why is this a bad search? How could you make it better? This ensures that they will know what to do if getting no results and won’t get discouraged…
- 20. Dipping their toes… Beforethey start on the tool on their own, I give the students worksheets going step-by-step through everything we’ve seen before. It’s important to go around and answer all their questions.The students can also write their process down and give the worksheet back at the end of class for further comments.
- 21. Reflecting on what waslearned… At the end of the session, I always have at least one reflecting activity.
- 22. Reflecting on what waslearned… After a session on the literature search, I love doing this “chimera” activity. I give each group some animal cards with a « search behaviour » (the panda relies on only one source of information, the spider only goes on the web…) + a template.
- 23. Reflecting on what waslearned… And the students are asked to use scissors and glue to create a chimera that would have the best “search behaviour” possible. It helps them think through the way they search and how they could change for the better. So far, it’s always been a success!
- 24. Reflecting on what waslearned… More traditionally, you can ask the following questions: - What was the most important thing you learned today? - What do you want to keep in mind while applying what we’ve learned? - Tell me about one problem you’re still worrying about.
- 25. Reflecting on what waslearned… If your session ties in with a specific assignment the students have to complete, you can ask them to come up with a plan for what they’re going to do to finish their assignment. This can include: specific steps; the tools or techniques they will use; deadlines for each step.
- 26. Reflecting on what waslearned… Same thing but a tad more simple: just ask the students to come up with 3 to 5 ways they are going to apply what they’ve learnt + deadlines for each of them. I get those forms back and send them back to the students a few weeks later with more help. That’s great to keep up with them and they often come back to me with more questions.
- 27. Reflecting on what waslearned… Finally, this is the best way I’ve found to get quick feedback (only takes 1 minute). Ask for: - One thing you liked about the session; - One thing you disliked; - One thing you would like to know more about.
- 28. Providing support and help Oncethe session is over, you need to keep providing support and help… but most importantly you need to make sure that the students know it’s there and how to access it! If they are computer anxious, online help might not be the way to go.
- 29. Providing support and help Duringthe session I always give printed handouts with step-by-step screencaps showing everything they need to do to repeat the content of the session. I’ve had great feedback on them!
- 30. Providing support and help Theone exception to the “nothing online” rule: videos. I make little videos going over the content of the session, or demonstrating the tools again. It’s best to send students a direct link – they probably won’t look them up on theVLE.
- 31. Direct support If youcan offer direct support after class, that’s great! If you’ve shown during the session that you’re open and approachable, they’ll come to you more easily afterwards.
- 32. - A teacherwith a positive attitude - Stepping away from the computer - Understanding the mechanisms behind - Going there progressively - Reflecting on what they’ve learned - Providing support Here is everything we’ve been talking about…
- 33. Ben-Jacob, M.G. andLiebman,J.T. (2009) ‘Technophobia and the effective use of libraryresources at the college/universitylevel’, Journal of EducationalTechnologySystems, 38(1),pp. 35–38. Eastwood, L.,Coates,J., Dixon, L., Harvey,J., Ormondroyd,C. andWilliamson,S. (2009) AToolkit for CreativeTeaching in Post-CompulsoryEducation. Maidenhead:OpenUniversity Press. Jerabek,J.A., Meyer, L. S. and Kordinak, S.T. (2001) ‘“Libraryanxiety” and “computer anxiety:” Measures,validity,and research implications’, Library and InformationScience Research, 23(3), pp. 277–289. Jiao,Q. G. andOnwuegbuzie,A. J. (2004) ‘The Impact of InformationTechnology on LibraryAnxiety: The Role of ComputerAttitudes’,InformationTechnology & Libraries, 23(4),pp. 138–145. Rosen, L. D. and Maguire,P. (1990) ‘Myths and realitiesof computerphobia:A meta-analysis’,Anxiety Research, 3(3), pp. 175–191. Rosen, L. D., Sears, D. C. andWeil, M. M. (1993) ‘Treating technophobia:A longitudinal evaluationof the computerphobia reduction program’, Computers in Human Behavior, 9(1), pp. 27–50. Van Scoyoc, A. M. (2003) ‘Reducing LibraryAnxiety in First-YearStudents’,Reference &UserServices Quarterly, 42(4), pp. 329–341. Sivakumaran,T. and Lux,A.C. (2011) ‘OvercomingComputerAnxiety:AThree-Step Process for Adult Learners.’, US-China Education Review B, 1, pp. 155–161. Walsh,A. and Inala, P. (2010) Active LearningTechniques for Librarians: Practical Examples, Chandos Information ProfessionalSeries. Editedby R. Rikowski.Oxford:Chandos Publishing. More information… The Bible! Great paper!
- 34. Slide 1: Photoby Mike Peel - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License Slide 2: Photo by Brittney Bush Bollay - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike License Slide 3: Photo by Sharon Sinclair - Creative Commons Attribution License Slide 5: Photo by Oleg Sklyanchuk - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License Slide 6: Photo by clement127 - Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike License Slide 7: Photo by -Snugg- - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License Slide 9: Photo by jinterwas - Creative Commons Attribution License Slide 10: Photo by kjetikor - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License Slide 11: Photo by Bradley Wells - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License Slide 13: Photo by Anonymous Account - Creative Commons Attribution License Slide 14: Photo by Ame Otoko - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License Slide 18: Photo by Alisa - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License Slide 21: Photo by Freddie Alequin - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License Slide 28: Photo by r. nial bradshaw - Creative Commons Attribution License Slide 31: Photo by John Earl - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License Slide 32: Photo by Kristian Niemi - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike License Slide 35: Photo by 55Laney69 - Creative Commons Attribution License Attributions for the pictures used in this presentation
- 35. Thank You andGood Luck!
Editor's Notes
- #3 Meet Jane… Typical Tavi student, 40, psychologist, back for a part-time course. Jane doesn’t like computers too much… Avoid it rather than ask for help Self-critical internal dialogue Each additional computer experience strengthens her negative reaction … this is computer anxiety!
- #4 Exist in various degrees, all over the population. You’ve probably met people like Jane in your library too!
- #5 The catch is… It’s been proven to be a problem to access resources >> library anxiety “Library anxiety is an uncomfortable feeling or emotional disposition, experienced in a library setting, which has cognitive, affective, physiological, and behavioral ramifications. It is characterized by ruminations, tension, fear, feelings of uncertainty and helplessness, negative self-defeating thoughts, and mental disorganization, which debilitate information literacy” (Jiao & Onwuegbuzie) Prevents students from using many of the library’s electronic resources Impediment during information skills sessions, preventing students from learning how to use those resources.
- #6 Break the cycle! Note: my propositions won’t cure the students’ anxiety, but lessen it or make it more manageable in the context of the specific resources we teach. Program: mixing general advice and active learning activities for information skills sessions with anxious students
- #7 What is active learning? Being involved in the learning process, rather than passively listening to the teacher. Doing Discussing Questioning Applying Little groups vs on your own Simple activities, games Mixing things up! >> Mostly activities I have tested myself and that I use with my students
- #8 Creating a positive learning environment = positive attitude of the teacher “Workshops absolutely can not and should not be staffed by people who insensitiviely think that those who lack basic computer knowledge are unintelligent or have learning disabilities, which will only worsen the users’ apprehension.” (Sivakumaran) = anticipating their level, having a 2nd librarian there to help
- #9 = acknowledging the anxiety present (>> bag of fear) Write down your biggest fear about the subject we’re about to cover At the end of the session, review each ‘fear’ and ask if it has been addressed >> Really make sure that everything has been addressed!
- #10 = encouraging students to ask questions (>> padlet? In feedback at the end) Remind them often. Make it funny. (“I’m going to be really bored…”) Answer them! Be kind! (The best compliment ever: “I was never made to feel like my question was stupid”)
- #11 Now, we’re going to talk about several activities that happen away from the computer! Good to focus on the principles without the stress of the tool. Also, there are things they should do away from the computer anyway (working on keywords) and I always underline them.
- #12 Mapping out the resources, understanding what they’re there for.
- #13 >> Posters in induction session >> If no time enough, explain yourself then short quiz: what am I going to use to find a thesis? A book? An article about receiving an autism diagnosis?
- #14 “Recognizing the purpose behind computer usage and the benefits of knowing how to use it in a competent manner” (Sivakumaran and Lux, 2011) >> Discovery will search everything at once, so you don’t need how to learn on the other but can focus on this one >> the magical EndNote demonstration (stars in the eye moment)
- #15 = understanding the mechanisms behind… before having to put them in application >> Boolean operators, search equations, thesaurus…
- #16 >> Simple colouring exercise Can also do it in front of class, but it’s good for them to try and have a crack at it first
- #17 >> Examples of things they might find in a database + a search equation = what are you going to find? Check that they know how to use Booleans Explains how they can miss things depending on the search terms they’ve choosen
- #18 >> Search equation puzzle With more advanced groups Mixes together Boolean operators, brackets, codes for fields, and search terms
- #19 Getting there gradually, dipping your toe, provoking a first success! … and checking that they got it and they’re doing okay.
- #20 >> Good Search Bad Search (going there gradually…) Still on paper, but with a real screencap! To do in pairs Why is it a bad search? / How can you make it better? Then class discussion
- #21 >> Guided search worksheet Taking their hands to do their own search, step-by-step Asking them to write things down so they can repeat Or getting the worksheets back at the end so that I can annotate and send them more help
- #22 Reflecting on what they’ve learned, on how they’re going to apply it
- #23 >> Chimeras (reflecting on their behaviour and how they could change it) Not directly on what they’ve learned Always fun! Involves glue and scissors! Great success! I ask them to imagine the best possible behaviour >> reflecting too on their own behaviour Class discussion at the end on who chose what and why
- #24 >> Chimeras (reflecting on their behaviour and how they could change it) Not directly on what they’ve learned Always fun! Involves glue and scissors! Great success! I ask them to imagine the best possible behaviour >> reflecting too on their own behaviour Class discussion at the end on who chose what and why
- #25 >> Planning for practice “What do you think was the most important thing you learned today?” “What do you absolutely want to keep in mind while applying what we’ve learned?” “Tell me about one problem you’re still worrying about.”
- #26 >> Planning for practice Design a plan for what’s going to happen next (example of the literature review) Different steps / technique / deadline (doesn’t work with everybody)
- #27 >> I will This one always works, more simple List a few things you will do to apply what you’ve learnt and give timescale I collect them at the end and send it a month later Then send it back with extra help on the things they’ve highlighted Great to keep contact after a last session – come back to me with more questions
- #28 The one thing I always always do: extra short feedback form. Can be longer: If it’s just a short induction and I need ammunition to convince their tutor that it would be good to have more sessions At the very end of a series of sessions: more detailed feedback Only take 30 seconds and always valuable.
- #29 Providing support after the session. But also making sure that they know it’s there and how to access it! If computer anxiety… maybe not online!
- #30 = printed handouts with step-by-step screencaps Great feedback on them! But adapt them to your public…
- #31 = online? Okay for videos, especially if send direct link by email
- #32 = can you do one-on-one sessions? Have peer support? At least say it’s okay to send emails = if you’ve shown that you’re open and approachable, they’ll come more easily
- #33 A short recap of what we’ve seen…
- #34 References!
- #35 Thank you + good luck! Any questions?
- #36 Attributions