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Mobile Information Literacy Project

The Mobile Information Literacy (MIL) Project is a mobile technology user-friendly literacy interface for use by university students to hone their information literacy skills during coursework and future employment opportunities. The objectives are to develop strategies for enhancing student information literacy skills through mobile technology (m-learning). This project will support the design and development of the MIL Tool and explore the best strategies for delivering and accessing learning content on mobile devices. We anticipate that university and its community based partners will benefit from student’s enhanced abilities in accessing web-based information to complete academic assignments, research projects and field placements.

What is Information Literacy

Information Literacy (IS): recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information

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Why use Mobile Devices?

For Learner:

  • already have mobile devices
  • access from remote locations, anywhere & practice anytime
  • make use of the multimedia & interactive features
  • learner-centered, requires no teacher presence

For Faculty & Librarians:

  • gap between the IS skills that faculty want their students to have and those that they actively support and develop
  • reach more students
  • free up time to teach more complex topics

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Project Outcome so far

Intended outcomes

  • Increased student learning of information literacy skills‌‌
  • Improved usability of the MIL tool
  • Increased access for post-secondary faculty to the MIL tool so that they can support students’ academic learning and improve their teaching pedagogy

Sources of evidence

  • Students should demonstrate an increase of number correct answers in the post-test versus the pretest after completing the 10 online lessons
  • Students will be asked provide written comments on the usability of the tool identify -both strengths and limitations of the tool
  • Collect narrative feedback from faculty about their use of the MIL tool through a self-report questionnaire

Plan for analyzing

  • Statistical analysis of pre and post-test data
  • This qualitative data will be coded and analyzed for trends and themes.
  • Review narrative feedback from faculty after their participation in the project

Publications and Presentations

Renison University College (Nov. 2017). This Month at Renison. [Presentation]. An International Handbook.

Yu, S., Ally M., Tsinakos A. (Oct 2017). Mobile and Ubiquitous Learning. [e-Book]. An International Handbook. Springer Publication.

Schmidt Hanbidge, A., Tin, T. & Sanderson, N. (forthcoming Oct 2017). Student learner characteristics and adoption of m-learning: Are we effectively supporting students? Power, R., Ally, M., Cristol, D., & Palalas, A. (Eds). (in-press). IAmLearning: Mobilizing and Supporting Educator Practice. [e-Book]. International Association for Mobile Learning. Springer Publication.

Sanderson, N., Schmidt Hanbidge, A., & Tin, T. (2016, August). Information literacy skills on the go: Mobile learning innovation. Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing (CEMC) Summer Institute for Computer Science Educators Summer Conference at the University of Waterloo. Waterloo, ON. [Professional Development Resource]

Schmidt Hanbidge, A. & Sanderson, N. Tin, T. & Liu, Binjie (Charlie). (June 2017). Information Literacy on the Go! Adding Mobile to Engage Students. The Teaching Professor Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. [Poster Presentation]

Sanderson, N. & Schmidt Hanbidge, A. (May 2017). Educators Adopting M-Learning: Is it Sustainable in Higher Education? MLearning Conference, Budapest, Hungary. [Paper Presentation]

Sanderson, N. & Schmidt Hanbidge, A. (April 2017). Educators Adopting M-Learning: Is it Sustainable in Higher Education? The Technology Acceptance of Mobile Applications in Education. In Sánchez, I.A. & Isaias, P. (Eds.) 13th International Conference on Mobile Learning (Budapest). Proceedings, pp., International Association for Development of the Information Society.

Schmidt Hanbidge, A., Sanderson, N., & Tin T. (2016). Information Literacy on the go! Adding Mobile to an age old challenge. Conference Proceedings on Mobile Learning, 12, 103-107.

Ireland, T., Doherty, P., Schmidt Hanbidge, A., Sanderson, N. & Tin, T. (May 2016). Information Literacy Skills on the Go: Mobile Learning Innovation. Canadian Network for Innovation in Education (CNIE) Annual Conference, Waterloo, ON. [Paper Presentation]

Schmidt Hanbidge, A., Sanderson, N, & Tin, T. (April 2016). Information Literacy on the Go! Adding Mobile to an Age Old Challenge. 12th IADIS Mobile Learning Conference. Vilamoura, Portugal. [Paper Presentation]

Schmidt Hanbidge, A., Sanderson, N., & Tin T. (2015). Using mobile technology to enhance undergraduate student information literacy skills: A Canadian case study. IAFOR Journal of Education, Technology and Education Special Edition, pp. 108 -118.

Schmidt Hanbidge, A., Tin, T., & Sanderson, N. (Oct 2015). Mobile Learning Innovation in Information Literacy Skills Training. The Teaching Professor Technology Conference, New Orleans, USA. [Poster Presentation]

Tin, T., Schmidt Hanbidge, A., & Sanderson, N. (May 2015). Using Mobile Technology in Information Literacy Skills Training to Enhance Students Learning. The Asian Conference on Technology in the Classroom (ACTC), Osaka, Japan. [Poster Presentation]

Tin, T. (April 2015). Using mobile technology in information literacy skills training to enhance students' learning experience. ACLL/ACTTC Conference. Kobe, Japan. [Key feature speaker presentation]

Grants Received

2016. University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence - LITE Seed Grant. Information Literacy Skills on the Go: Mobile Learning Innovation. Schmidt Hanbidge, A.,Sanderson, N. & Tin, T. ($3,600)

2016. Renison Research Grant. Information Literacy Skills on the Go: Mobile Learning Innovation. Schmidt Hanbidge, A. ($400)

2015. Renison Research Grant. The effectiveness of using mobile technology to enhance undergraduate student digital information literacy skills. Schmidt Hanbidge, A., Tin, T., & Sanderson, N. ($750)

Testimonals

MIL Revised

MIL Students Review

Team

Dr Alice Schmidt Hanbidge

Assistant Professor

Email: ashanbidge@uwaterloo.ca

Dr Alice Schmidt Hanbidge, Assistant Professor in the Bachelor and Masters degree programs in the School of Social Work at Renison University College, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada combines the applied practices of community mental health within an academic setting to effectively contribute to the advancement of knowledge, research and program delivery Key research areas of interest include advancing technology in the teaching of social work, community mental health children’s programming and evaluation, evidence-based group work methodology, and furthering field education in social work. Alice’s 20-year extensive social work practice experience includes a specialization in community mental health that contributes to her clinical, teaching and research social work interests.

Dr Nicole Sanderson

Lecturer

Email: nbsander@uwaterloo.ca

Dr Nicole Sanderson is a lecturer at Renison University College. She teaches courses in Sociology of Education, Sociology of Adolescences, History of Education and Gender Relations within Educational Institutions for the department of Social Development Studies. Her research interests include teacher education, curriculum development, teaching and learning in higher education, feminist theory, and equity issues. She is also a certified elementary and secondary schoolteacher with the Ontario College of Teachers.

Tony Tin

Director of Library and Information Services

Email: tony.tin@uwaterloo.ca

Tony Tin is the Director of Library and Information Services at University of Waterloo’s Renison University College Library. Tony was a featured speaker at The Asian Conference on Language Learning and The Asian Conference on Technology in the Classroom, 2015. Tony had coordinated many mobile learning projects which won the International E-Learning Association’s E-learning Award 2012. His Mobile Library project received the Canadian Library Association Library Research and Develop Grant Award in 2006. His Mobile ESL project received an honorable mention for Excellence and Innovation in Use of Learning Technology from the Canadian Network for Innovation in Education in 2008. He has published articles and book chapters and presented at conferences on topics such as library technology, digital libraries, mobile libraries and information literacy.