SIFT Through the Internet!

At the end of my first course in the certificate program, I developed a full project proposal defining its scope, audience, learning objectives, design approach, and learning context. This is shown below:

Project Scope:

SIFT Through the Internet is a game- and scenario-based eLearning course introducing the SIFT (Stop → Investigate → Find Coverage → Trace Claims) method and process to college students or other young adults.

The course is structured with four "chapters" representing the four letters of the SIFT process, creating a scenario that builds on each previous step and simulates a real-world research environment.

Background:

• Gap: Many college students are unfamiliar with research practices before library instruction occurs, and therefore feel overwhelmed by the research process when working on their first academic papers. This module will help familiarize students with methods for evaluating online information, and a range of digital resources available to them in and outside of library settings.

• Audience: College students or college-aged young adults, with a specific focus on first-year and transfer students.

• Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the steps of the SIFT method.

  • Practice effective online search strategies using SIFT principles.

  • Execute each step of the SIFT method when faced with an information problem.

  • Apply SIFT principles to everyday internet searching.

• Assessments: 

  • Four formative assessments of each individual step associated with the four letters of SIFT.

  • A summative assessment occurs at the end of the four "chapters," asking learners to apply SIFT processes to other everyday Internet searching contexts through multiple-choice and scenario-based questions.

All examples in the assessment and narrative are fictionalized.

Design Approach

Asynchronous Learning Format: SIFT Through the Internet is intended to be delivered online through either the LMS Canvas or a standalone website managed in-house by the library, such as a LibGuide or WordPress site.

Format Choice: Flexibility is one of the most important parts of adult learning, and because college students and young adults have busy schedules and multiple responsibilities, it is best to deliver it in a self-paced model. The course can be used as either a standalone educational resource online or to supplement in-person instruction.

Licensing: This course is an open educational resource (OER) licensed under Creative Commons-BY-NC, the same license that the original SIFT method and its related resources was created under. This means that it can only be used for non-commercial purposes.

Course Sequence:

• Introduction

• Module 1: Stop

• Module 2: Investigate the Source

• Module 3: Find Better Coverage

• Module 4: Trace Claims, Quotes & Media

• Final Quiz and Resources

Technologies:

• Prototyping: Figma.

• eLearning Authoring: Articulate Storyline.

• Graphics & Media: Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom.

• Web Hosting: flexible - could be Canvas LMS, a Springshare LibGuide, or a WordPress site.

User Personas

To empathize better with potential users, I created two eLearning personas who would represent potential users. They were made on Canva, with stock photos from Pixabay.

Savvy Start Report

The SIFT method is meant to help college students gain a sense of agency over the research process, situating their feelings and prior knowledge as the most important parts when searching for digital content. The modules in this eLearning course will familiarize them with SIFT processes and allow them to apply it to everyday Internet searching.

This training can be a standalone online course or offered as a part of the campus's course-integrated information literacy curriculum. Faculty can also offer the tutorial as a resource . It is online and fully asynchronous, taking around 40 minutes to 1 hour. Learners practice the SIFT method's four steps through realistic scenarios, and the end of the module features resources for further learning in the form of a linktree and QR code.

Kirkpatrick Levels

• Level 1: Reaction focuses on learners' satisfaction and engagement with the educational artifact. Learner feedback, fulfilling Level 1, will be connected through a feedback survey at the end of the online course. 

• Level 2: Learning emphasizes what knowledge and skills learners acquired from their education. Level 2 will be evaluated through the formative and summative assessments on their ability to use SIFT processes to aid in their everyday navigation of the Internet, and the immediate feedback on assessments will reinforce learning.

• Level 3: Behavior evaluates how learners will apply new skills to their out-of-class environment. This level will be assessed by tracking completion rates on the website or LMS that the training is implemented in, and by gathering feedback from faculty members assessing changes in learners' behavior.

• Level 4: Results is all about the broader organizational impact of learning. This is somewhat intangible given the nature of the course and where it will be integrated, but a variable like a high amount of page views, or high use of the tutorial in academic courses (which can possibly be tracked through emails or feedback), ensures that this level can be met.