Instruction in a Virtual Environment: Assessing the Needs for an Online Tutorial

Wendy Holliday, Utah State University
Sharolyn Erickson, Utah State University
Britt A. Fagerheim, Utah State University
Rob Morrison, Utah State University
Flora Shrode, Utah State University

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Originally published by Taylor & Francis. Publisher's PDF available through remote link.

Abstract

In 2002, librarians at the Utah State University (USU) Libraries were awarded a grant to develop online tutorials. The major design challenge was to create tutorials specific to USU resources and students, including distance learners, while also making them flexible so that other Utah colleges and universities can adapt them for their own needs. The tutorials also needed to address the information behavior of a new generation of students accustomed to using computers and the Internet. While recent studies have begun to address some gaps in our knowledge of the information behavior of the Web Generation, we conducted a needs assessment to help us create a tutorial that more accurately addresses the existing knowledge and behavior of undergraduates at USU. We used multiple methods to determine the learning needs of our audience and to provide guidance for the design process.