"Learning About Charts": A Learning Module to Teach Information Literacy

Abstract

Information literacy, including statistical literacy, is a fundamental goal of education. Knowing how to critically assess numerical data and the presentation of that data in charts is an important skill. What is the best way to teach statistical skills when most students do not take a statistics class and other classes lack the time to cover skills that only a portion of the students do not have. Online learning activities can meet the specific student needs without taking class time away from the course. This study developed and analyzed the effectiveness and appeal of a self-paced Internet-based learning module devoted to teaching learners bar charts, pie charts, and line charts. The module combined video and text with PHP-based web pages that allowed student to be tracked. Pre- and post-module surveys were completed to measure the learner's confidence in understanding charts and a final survey was completed where the student evaluated the learning module itself. The results measured the effectiveness of the module in changing the students' belief in their ability to understand and critically interpret charts. Feedback on the module was also analyzed to determine the best ways to improve the module's design.