Institution:
“Mario Rostoni” Library  – Università Carlo Cattaneo (LIUC)
Castellanza (Varese)

Address: 
Biblioteca "Mario Rostoni"
Corso Matteotti, 22
21053 Castellanza (VA)
tel. 0331-572.282 
fax 0331-572.238

Contact person:
Laura Ballestra
Università Carlo Cattaneo LIUC
Biblioteca Mario Rostoni
tel. 0331572282

How to search disciplinary information on the Internet
Information literacy: e-learning paths for high school students (2^nd edition)

Main goals
The project aims at developing e-learning tools (e-books) in order to integrate high quality information on the Internet (including databases, Opacs and publishers' online catalogues) into disciplinary didactics.
Disciplinary e-books will be used in the classrooms through the blended learning mode – in presence lessons, which include use of electronic didactic supports, and distance sessions.
Students will be guided to focus their need for information and to develop coherent search strategies in order to improve their information literacy level.
The information literacy will cover electronic resources and traditional print materials.
Teachers will be assisted in selecting, describing and managing the most relevant web sources with regard to the subject area, so that the online documentation can be used to deepen, integrate and contextualise their own lessons.
The use of e-learning tools and hypertexts is an useful element in the didactics in presence, because it is an effective solution for organising web contents and making them accessible in an easy and dynamic way.
Consulting via web the produced e-book, students will:
·   navigate the web together with teachers in the classroom, 
·   interact with the class in presence and at distance through the forum and 
·   deepen contents at distance from home.
The e-book simplifies teachers’ update of didactic materials, which activity is necessary because of the volatility of information on the web.

Participants

·        Carlo Cattaneo University LIUC - “Mario Rostoni” Library 

·        Carlo Cattaneo University (LIUC) – CARED (The University Centre for Education Research and Training)

·        Regional School Department of Lombardia-Italy – Head Office 

·        High schools

Target group: high school teachers
Level: basic and advanced

Methodological approach: case based instruction, learning process activation, action–oriented learning/teaching, problem solving.

Competencies acquired
The following competencies will be developed and certified:
·   Using an e-learning software in didactics;
·  Creating hypertexts, self evaluation exercises in xml, web tutorials;
·  Analysing the main characteristics of information on the Internet; evaluating the quality of disciplinary information on the net;
·  Analysing disciplinary sites; description and indexing techniques;
·   Deepening semantic search techniques (OPACs and bibliographic databases).

 Main phases

1. Teachers training - stage (15 hours ) at LIUC – October-November 2005
Teachers will learn how to use the e-learning software and e-learning tools in didactics.
The “Mario Rostoni” Library’s experience  (more than 400 LIUC students have participated in the courses and 4 e-books relative to bibliographic, economic, legal and statistical information searching were realized) will be available.
Its model, oriented to disciplinary information searching and problem solving, will be used in order to create new e-books for high schools students with regard to the subject area.
The selected sites will be described and linked within the hypertext of the e-book.

This phase includes:
 ·  The creation of didactic paths, partly exemplifying, in which to organise contents;
 ·  Self-evaluation exercises;
 ·  Web tutorial on using the main resources;
 ·  Glossaries;
 ·  The development of case studies.

It will consist of 2 modules:
1.      theoretical approach (9 hours)
2.      practical application (6 hours).

2.       2. Development of e-learning tools (at least 20 hours, at distance) – December 2005-January 2006
Using the software, teachers will develop their disciplinary e-books, at distance, through an easy to use web interface, with the tutoring of the Library’s staff.

3.       3. Students training: in-class courses – April-May 2006
The e-books will be used in the high schools: in laboratories equipped with computers and Internet access, teachers will teach the classes how to search for disciplinary information and will deepen the teaching contents using the online documentation.
They will be supported in monitoring and evaluating this experience.

Keywords: information literacy – blended learning – e-learning in didactics – e-learning tools – e-learning software – disciplinary information on the Internet – training for high school students – information searching – disciplinary information resources – online documentation – evaluation of information – search strategies – search techniques – description and indexing techniques – disciplinary e-books – use of hypertexts – case based instruction –  learning process activation –  action–oriented learning/teaching –  problem solving