Using the I-LEARN Model to Design Information Literacy Instruction

An experimental study examined whether information literacy skills instruction designed using the I-LEARN model increased student (N=112) understanding and application of information literacy concepts. While the analysis of the results of pre- and post-test scores and scores on a citation analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups, students in the experimental group used the I-LEARN-designed research guide more often that students in the control group. This warrants further study, and the author is currently working with others to use I-LEARN as a framework to design research guides

Equivalent diffusion coefficient and equivalent diffusion accessible porosity of a stratified porous medium

Diffusion is an important transport process in low permeability media, which play an important role in contamination and remediation of natural environments. The calculation of equivalent diffusion parameters has however not been extensively explored. In this paper, expressions of the equivalent diffusion coefficient and the equivalent diffusion accessible porosity normal to the layering in a layered porous medium are derived based on analytical solutions of the diffusion equation. The expressions show that the equivalent diffusion coefficient changes with time. It is equal to the power average with p = -0.5 for small times and converges to the harmonic average for large times. The equivalent diffusion accessible porosity is the harmonic average of the porosities of the individual layers for all times. The expressions are verified numerically for several test cases