Informational Literacy in Virtual Higher Education: Achievements and Challenges

Abstract

Virtual education has become an alternative for students to access the higher education system. In Colombia, there has been an increase in the number of undergraduate programs in this form of education. However, information about the pedagogical work undertaken in those programs is scarce, and it is needed to examine their quality. This research project examined the education community’s perception of undergraduate virtual education programs in Colombian higher education institutions. One of the key elements in the analysis was the development of students’ information literacy to find out about possible ruptures, transformations, advantages, problems and solutions that emerge from this form of education. The study used a quantitative and qualitative approach to gather information from teachers, coordinators, tutors and students from 9 higher education institutions. Results show that efforts to improve students’ information literacy have been undertaken; however a greater collective effort is needed to improve the search for, evaluation and ethical use of information. Implicit here is the need for expert training and the need to reflect upon strategies to combat plagiarism.