CourseGuide StyleGuide : Getting Started

The question of how well students can independently navigate and use an online research guide cannot be neatly separated fro the question of how much they are able to learn from it. This is because the design of an e-learning interface structures the learning environment in ways that impact cognitive effectiveness and efficiency, shaping students' behaviors in that environment.

The need for careful attention to design is doubly important with LibGuides because they are intended to support students in the complex and demanding activity of conducting academic research. In particular, they are geared toward two of the research steps that students find most challenging, according to research conducted by Project Information Literacy: getting started with their research and finding appropriate sources. 

Thorngate, S., & Hoden, A. (2017). Exploratory Usability Testing of User Interface Options in LibGuides 2. College & Research Libraries, 78(6), 844. doi:https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.6.844