Introduction
The ability to solve information problems is a critical skill that all students in higher education must possess, regardless of their field of study. While educators in higher education recognize the importance of this skill, they often struggle to allocate sufficient time for its development in their lectures. To address this challenge, we have developed a digital learning platform called Edubook, designed to help students develop information literacy skills through independent learning. The Edubook in its final form has been created by an experienced digital publisher and is made available to students at the cost of a traditional textbook.
Design
The structure of the Edubook follows the information problem-solving process, as outlined in for instance the Big Six Skills model (Berkowitz and Eisenberg, 1990). The platform includes chapters on task definition, information-seeking strategies, results selection, information analysis, information use, feedback processing and reflection. A key feature of the Edubook is its high degree of interactivity. Each chapter includes a combination of theory and explanations, as well as questions and assignments for students to complete, with immediate feedback provided by the system. Theory is presented in text as well as image and video formats, with the chapter on information-seeking strategies, for example, featuring screencasts that demonstrate key techniques for forward and backward chaining. Additionally, the Edubook aims to alleviate the workload of subject teachers while still providing students with the opportunity to learn how to effectively explore digital resources relevant to their studies. To achieve this, the platform incorporates a variety of exercises, such as drag-and-drop, labeling tasks, fill-in-the-blank questions and multiple-choice questions, all derived from various professional contexts, including nursing, human resource management, primary education, leisure management, and product design.
Results and Limitations
The Edubook on Information Problem Solving is currently scheduled for completion in May 2023 and will be available for use in the 2023-2024 academic year. A pilot study involving a group of students from the Bachelor of ICT at The Hague University of Applied Sciences will be conducted in April-May, with results presented at the ECIL 2023 conference. The target audience for the Edubook is Dutch and Flemish students in universities of applied sciences. The possibility of creating an English version of the platform has yet to be discussed with the publisher.
References
- Berkowitz, R., & Eisenberg, M. (1990). Information problem-solving: The big six skills approach to library & information skills instruction. Norwood, N. J.: Ablex Pub. Corp.
Peter Becker1, Jos van Helvoort2
1The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands; 2Self employed, Delft, Netherlands
English 
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