Using courseware to deliver library instruction via the Web: four examples

Librarians at four academic institutions present their experiences using four courseware products (Web Course in a Box, Blackboard, eCollege.com, and WebCT) to teach information literacy skills. Objectives, methods, content, and student populations vary from place to place. In all four cases, with some reservations, librarians deem courseware a valuable tool for delivery of library instruction. They agree on the following primary advantages: support for interactivity; support for assessment grade management; support for distance education; relatively quick development time; relatively low technical skill requirement; and raise the following concerns: inability to integrate quiz questions into the text of lessons; and diminution of interpersonal contact.