Information Literacy and Gaming

by Judith Falzon
Faculty, Library Science

I was one of three researchers and co-authored a journal article published July 2022 in the International Journal of Librarianship on using games to teach information literacy to undergraduates. Puzzles, riddles, and other detection games were created to match information literacy curriculum at a local university (IUSB). The course, required for graduation, had lower than desired engagement levels with course material. Games were designed for pre-learning self-discovery, and as practice and reinforcement/mastery of information literacy concepts. In analyzing the use of escape room type games over three semesters,80% of students indicated the gamified sessions helped them understand the course material better. Comparisons with final grades between games-added classes and classes without gamification showed that students received more A’s and fewer D’s and F’s in the games-added classes. Directions for further study include the effectiveness of flipping game design to student groups and a deeper analysis of correlations between concepts learned through traditional teaching and those learned through games.