INFORMATION SKILLS, SEARCHING BEHAVIOR AND COGNITIVE STYLES FOR STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING - A COMPUTER-ASSISTED-LEARNING APPROACH

Undergraduates were tested to establish how they searched databases, t he effectiveness of their searches and their satisfaction with them, T he students' cognitive and learning styles were determined by the Lanc aster Approaches to Studying Inventory and Riding's Cognitive Styles A nalysis tests,There were significant differences in the searching beha viour and the effectiveness of the searches carried out by students wi th different learning and cognitive styles. Computer-assisted learning [GAL) packages were developed for three departments, The effectivenes s of the packages was evaluated. Significant differences were found in the ways students with different learning styles used the packages, B ased on the experience gained, guidelines for the teaching of informat ion skills and the production and use of packages were prepared. About two-thirds of the searches had serious weaknesses, indicating a need for effective training, It appears that choice of searching strategies , search effectiveness and use of CAL packages are all affected by the cognitive and learning styles of the searcher, Therefore, students sh ould be made aware of their own styles and, if appropriate, how to ado pt more effective strategies, Information skills training and, in part icular, CAL packages for this purpose should be designed to accommodat e different cognitive and learning styles.