Changing the Face of Instruction: Is Online or In-class More Effective?

The Web-based tutorial is an attractive mode of delivery for information literacy instruction, but do we know that it is effective? A pre- and posttest study compared student learning from use of an online tutorial with learning from a traditional lecture/demonstration for basic information literacy instruction in freshman English composition classes. Measures of both student learning and student satisfaction were comparable for online tutorial and in-class instruction. The authors have implemented the tutorial for these classes and continue to improve it based on student and faculty feedback.