Course Enhancement Funds @ HKBU

• Students use too many non-authoritative websites (e.g. Wikipedia) as their references when writing papers 
• Students’ familiarity with search engines such as Google and/or Baidu does not automatically translate into an ability to effectively find academic/scholarly information
• Students’ frequent access to information on the Internet does not automatically give them the ability to evaluate whether such information is credible/reliable or not 
• Students’ familiarity with various information technologies does not automatically give them the skills needed to search academic databases effectively  

 Image on the right made available via aCC BY-NC 2.0 license from flickr

Here are just some possibilities for collaborations: 

• Create tailor-made online learning objects (e.g. interactive tutorials, quizzes) for specific skill sets 
• Design competitions and/or games (e.g. 3D virtual world, augmented reality) to encourage better student efforts in their course assignment/project 
• Make use of specialized tools/software/platforms (e.g. data visualization tools, new presentation tools, wikis) to enhance the creation and/or consumption of information by students
• Organize special events and/or trips to have hands-on application of skill sets outside of the traditional classroom
• Provide a series of tailor-made workshops designed to actively engage students in skill development
• And much more...

Image made available via aCC BY 2.0 license from flickr

Instructors

• An opportunity to share your findings/outcomes from this enhanced teaching experience, including at a symposium to be organized across the eight UGC-funded libraries in 2018
• A solid addition to your teaching portfolio

Students

• Enhancing students’ information literacy skills ties directly to one of HKBU’s Graduate Attributes: “Have the necessary information literacy and IT skills, as well as numerical and problem-solving skills, to function effectively in work and everyday life” (http://chtl.hkbu.edu.hk/main/hkbu-ga/)
• Helping our students to be information literate enhances their learning, which in term leads to better academic performance. (Outcomes may include research papers of better quality, with references to a substantial amount of academic journal articles, books, dissertations, etc.)

Top image made available via a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license from flickr. Bottom image made available via a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license from flickr. 

• All first-year undergraduate students have to attend a mandatory Library orientation in which they get a general introduction of the Library’s services and resources, with an emphasis on electronic resources (e.g. e-books, e-journals, databases)
• In a General Education course on Information Management Technology that is required for all first-year undergraduate students, there is a mandatory Library guest lecture. In this section, specific information literacy skills are covered: constructing effective keywords, distinguishing different types of information sources, and smart searching on the Library’s OneSearch.
• Throughout the academic year, librarians conduct course-integrated Library sessions on request from faculty members.