Engaging Engineering Students with Mobile Learning Technologies

New theories of education matched with new technologies have been rapidly transforming the way instructors teach and students learn. This paper documents one model an engineering librarian has created to incorporate the ideas expressed in "connected learning pedagogy" and the theory of constructivism (active, collaborative learning with the instructor as a guide and facilitator) into instructional "one-shot" sessions designed to teach information literacy skills to college students at various stages of their careers. The sessions utilize electronic devices students already bring to class (laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) and the Nearpod or Top Hat learning applications to provide instruction that can be delivered in-person or online, both synchronously and asynchronously. Examples include multiple different activities that encourage active learning and student engagement. The sessions are scaffolded so that students learn more advanced concepts as they go from First-Year Seminars to Capstone Design Projects, all while maintaining the learning outcomes set forth by the Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Successes, failures, and modifications to the model are discussed.