Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (Dec 2016)
Situated Cognition Principles Increase Students’ Likelihood of Knowledge Transfer in an Online Information Literacy Course
Abstract
A Review of: Catalano, A. (2015). The effect of a situated learning environment in a distance education information literacy course. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 41(5), 653-659. http://dx.doi:org/10.1016/j.acalib.2015.06.008 Objective – To assess the efficacy of the application of situated cognition principles in education students’ transfer of knowledge to practice in an online information literacy course. “Situation cognition” refers to a theory in which expert behaviour-modeling, authentic activity and apprenticeship, and learning environment are integral in learning. Design – A randomized controlled trial. Setting – A small private university in New York State. Subjects – 85 education college students in 7 sections of a 1-credit online course titled Introduction to Library Research and Technology. Methods – Each course section was randomly assigned via cluster sampling to “situated cognition” treatment (n = 48) or control conditions (n = 37). The treatment sections provided students with expert modeling, scaffolding, authentic activity, and problem-based assessments according to the principles of situated learning and teaching for transfer; while the control sections provided students with traditional instruction of lectures and handouts.
