Ellen Nierenberg

• Nierenberg, Ellen (2026). Higher Education Curricula, Standards, and Guidelines. In Kaufmann, Karen F. & Maybee, Clarence (Ed.), The Information Literacy Handbook: Charting the Discipline. Facet Publishing. ISSN 9781783306343. p. 389–395. doi: https:/bibsys-up.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resolveService&package_service_id=8135108030002214&institutionId=2214&customerId=2200&VE=true. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This chapter offers an in-depth exploration of various information literacy (IL) frameworks and their impact on learning outcomes and pedagogical approaches in undergraduate education. Readers will gain insights into the evolution of these frameworks, transitioning from first-generation, skill-based models to more reflective and metacognitive second-generation models. The entry also highlights the challenges and methods of teaching IL within time-constrained environments. This discussion contributes to the growing recognition of IL as a maturing discipline, with its frameworks influencing not only educational approaches but also the wider information landscape.

• Nierenberg, Ellen; Solberg, Mariann; Låg, Torstein & Dahl, Tove Irene (2024). A three-year mixed methods study of undergraduates’ information literacy development: Knowing, doing, and feeling. College & Research Libraries. ISSN 0010-0870. 85(6), p. 804–804. doi: 10.5860/crl.85.6.804. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article reports results of a mixed-methods study following the development of undergraduates’ information literacy over three years. Information literacy knowledge and skills in this sample (n = 116) increased with time, as did information literacy attitudes when measured by interest and information literacy’s perceived usefulness and importance. Correlations among students’ information literacy knowledge, skills, and attitudes also increased with time, implying a progressively stronger integration of the three. Complementary interviews with 13 students revealed that they became more interested in being information literate. Some experienced an identity change as a result of this development, indicating that transformative information literacy learning can occur.

• Brox, Hans & Nierenberg, Ellen (2024). Refleksjoner ved inngangen til en KI-revolusjon i høyere utdanning. In Bjørgen, Anne Mette; Fritze, Yvonne & Haugsbakk, Geir Olav (Ed.), Mediepedagogikk. Kritiske refleksjoner om medier i undervisning og samfunn. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245046335. p. 237–259. doi: 10.55669/oa400411. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mediene griper sterkere inn på de fleste livsområder enn for bare noen år tilbake. Denne antologien utforsker den økende betydningen av medier i ulike aspekter av livet, spesielt i en tid preget av globalisering, digitalisering og raske endringer. Bidragene tar for seg hvordan mediene påvirker oppvekst og utdanning, med fokus på temaer som uroligheter, digital krigføring, pandemi, kunstig intelligens, adaptiv læring og utfordringer knyttet til autentisitet og tillit. Boken er relevant for studenter, lærere, forskere og andre som er interessert i mediepedagogiske perspektiver, inkludert mediesosialisering og undervisning om og med medier. Den passer godt som pensum for bachelor- og masterstudier innen pedagogikk, lærerutdanninger, medieutdanninger og andre utdanninger som tar for seg bruk av medier og deres betydning for samfunn og utdanning.

• Nierenberg, Ellen; Solberg, Mariann; Låg, Torstein & Dahl, Tove Irene (2022). A three-year mixed methods study of undergraduates’ information literacy development: Knowing, doing, and feeling, Understanding the development of information literacy in higher education: Knowing, doing, and feeling. UiT Norges arktiske universitet. doi: 10.5860/crl.85.6.804. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article reports results of a mixed-methods study following the development of undergraduates’ information literacy over three years. Information literacy knowledge and skills in this sample (n = 116) increased with time, as did information literacy attitudes when measured by interest and information literacy’s perceived usefulness and importance. Correlations among students’ information literacy knowledge, skills, and attitudes also increased with time, implying a progressively stronger integration of the three. Complementary interviews with 13 students revealed that they became more interested in being information literate. Some experienced an identity change as a result of this development, indicating that transformative information literacy learning can occur.

• Dahl, Tove I. & Nierenberg, Ellen (2021). Here’s the TRIQ: The Tromsø Interest Development Questionnaire Based on the Four-Phase Model of Interest Development. Frontiers in Education. 6. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2021.716543. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The Tromsø Interest Questionnaire (TRIQ) is the first suite of self-report subscales designed for focused investigations on how interest is experienced in relation to Hidi and Renninger’s four-phase model of interest development. In response to the plethora of varied interest measures that already exist in terms of theoretical grounding, form, and tested quality, the TRIQ subscales were designed with a consistent form to measure general interest, situation dependence, positive affect, competence level, competence aspirations, meaningfulness, and self-regulation answered in relation to some object of interest. Two studies testing the subscales’ performance using different objects of interest (self-chosen “object-general,” and prespecified “object-specific”) provide evidence of the subscales’ internal consistency, temporal reliability, and phase-distinguishing validity. Patterns across the two studies demonstrate that the TRIQ is a sufficiently reliable and valid domain-tailorable tool that is particularly effective at distinguishing phase 1 (triggered situational) from phase 4 (well-developed individual) interest. The findings raise interesting questions for further investigation about the distinction and distance between all interest phases, the push-pull factors that influence how interests evolve and additional subscales to add to the suite.

• Nierenberg, Ellen; Låg, Torstein & Dahl, Tove I. (2021). Knowing and doing: The development of information literacy measures to assess knowledge and practice. Journal of Information Literacy. 15(2), p. 78–123. doi: 10.11645/15.2.2795. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study touches upon three major themes in the field of information literacy (IL): the assessment of IL, the association between IL knowledge and skills, and the dimensionality of the IL construct. Three quantitative measures were developed and tested with several samples of university students to assess knowledge and skills for core facets of IL. These measures are freely available, applicable across disciplines, and easy to administer. Results indicate they are likely to be reliable and support valid interpretations. By measuring both knowledge and practice, the tools indicated low to moderate correlations between what students know about IL, and what they actually do when evaluating and using sources in authentic, graded assignments. The study is unique in using actual coursework to compare knowing and doing regarding students’ evaluation and use of sources. It provides one of the most thorough documentations of the development and testing of IL assessment measures to date. Results also urge us to ask whether the source-focused components of IL – information seeking, source evaluation and source use – can be considered unidimensional constructs or sets of disparate and more loosely related components, and findings support their heterogeneity.

• Nierenberg, Ellen & Dahl, Tove I. (2021). Is information literacy ability, and metacognition of that ability, related to interest, gender or education level? A cross-sectional study of higher education students. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. ISSN 0961-0006. p. 1–13. doi: 10.1177/09610006211058907. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  How information literate are students in higher education, and how accurate is their metacognition related to that ability? Are students’ perceived needs to learn more and their level of interest in becoming information literate related to their pursuit of information literacy (IL) skill development? First-year undergraduates, master’s, and PhD students (N = 760) took an objective IL test and estimated their scores both before and after the test. IL ability, as well as students’ estimation of their IL ability, increased with higher education experience and IL test experience, though also varied notably within groups. Low-performers tended to overestimate their abilities, while high-performers tended to underestimate them—both evidence of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Furthermore, gender comparisons revealed that men tended to estimate higher, and more accurate, scores than women. Finally, PhD students reported greater interest in becoming information literate than undergraduates. Although undergraduates felt a greater need to learn more, PhD students were more inclined to pursue IL growth. For both groups, interest in becoming information literate correlated far more with their likelihood to invest effort into developing IL competencies than their perceived need to know more. What implications might these findings have for how we conceptualize the teaching of IL?

• Nierenberg, Ellen (2017). A comparison of nursing and teacher education students' information literacy learning: Results from Norway, 2016. College & Research Libraries. ISSN 0010-0870. 78(5), p. 628–651. doi: 10.5860/crl.78.5.628. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study measures first-year undergraduate students’ self-assessments and learning outcomes in information literacy skills in their first months of higher education in Norway. Comparisons are made between nursing students and teacher education students. Surveys were conducted before the library’s information literacy course and after both library instruction and the submission of an academic paper in which citations were required. Survey questions were specifically related to evaluating sources, avoiding plagiarism, and citing sources. Results show significant improvement, especially in students’ ability to cite sources. There were small differences between student groups.

• Nierenberg, Ellen & Fjeldbu, Øyvind Gjems (2015). How much do first-year undergraduate students in Norway know about information literacy? Journal of Information Literacy. 9(1), p. 15–33. doi: 10.11645/9.1.1983. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study aims to document first-year undergraduate students’ information literacy (IL) skills at a typical university college in Norway. This research is the first of its kind in Norway as previous studies on new students have focused mainly on the literature search. Prior to library instruction a selection of these students completed a survey with questions on the critical evaluation of sources, on plagiarism and on citing sources. Survey questions were designed to reflect the content of the library course in IL. Although most students were confident that they could avoid plagiarism when writing, many had large gaps in their knowledge, and lacked essential skills. Results also show that new students are better at evaluating sources than they are at citing them. Ethical aspects of plagiarism are discussed and comparisons drawn between students coming directly from upper secondary school and those who have some previous higher education.

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• Nierenberg, Ellen (2008). Anti-terror legislation and public libraries : a comparison of librarians' concerns in the USA and Denmark. VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG. ISBN 9783639074048. 129 p. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In the aftermath of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, several countries adopted anti-terror legislation as part of a global War on Terror. The US set the stage with its Patriot Act, and Denmark, amongst others, followed suit with its Anti-terror Package. This book examines how these laws affect libraries. What are librarians¿ concerns? Does the legislation infringe upon library patrons¿ right to privacy? Does it restrict freedom of expression and access to information? Are the core values of public libraries sacrificed? Why do American librarians voice strong opposition, while Danish librarians are silent? This book provides insight into these issues, and is based on research performed by an American librarian living in Scandinavia. The anti-terror legislation is presented and various theories of professional ethics are discussed. Results from the two countries are compared and possible explanations analyzed.

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• Nierenberg, Ellen (2026). Sidetall: Et enkelt grep mot KI-fusk. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I en tid der KI kan produsere overbevisende, men ofte overfladiske og til dels feilaktige tekster på sekunder, blir kravet til dokumentasjon viktigere enn før. Nøyaktige henvisninger, med sidetall, kan fungere som et viktig verktøy. Mitt forslag er enkelt. Vi bør kreve sidetall i henvisninger, ikke bare ved direkte sitat, men også når vi parafraserer konkrete deler av andres tekster.

• Nierenberg, Ellen & Sundsback, Kariin (2025). Chatbots and information literacy: Comparing two groups of teacher education students. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Objectives This study investigates the usage and perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots among students in the Faculty of Teacher Education at the University of Inland Norway (INN). The research focuses on differences between preschool teacher education students (PREs) and primary and secondary school teacher education students (STEs). Results provide insight into differences in the student groups’ technological competence, pedagogical methods and motivation in their roles as both college students and as future teachers for different age groups. Existing literature highlights the potential benefits and challenges of chatbots in higher education. However, specific studies on how teacher education students engage with these technologies are limited. This study seeks to fill this gap. Methodology Our online survey, targeting all bachelor’s and master’s teacher education students at INN, was distributed in October 2024. The survey ensured anonymity and required informed consent. It included Likert-scale items and closed-ended questions regarding the extent to which students use chatbots in their studies, how they use them, ethical issues related to their use, and how they may affect students’ learning, critical thinking, and future careers. Several questions related to information literacy, such as the degree to which chatbots may reduce critical thinking skills, whether they are used to find information sources, and the extent to which students consider AI-generated texts reliable. Outcomes The survey received 492 responses, with nearly equal numbers of PREs (n=184) and STEs (n=182). Most respondents were first-year students, and a large majority were female. Analyses revealed several significant differences between PREs and STEs in terms of chatbot use and perceptions. STEs reported higher knowledge levels of chatbots than PREs. In terms of usage, while 75% of STEs had employed chatbots in their studies, only 34% of PREs had done so. Compared to PREs, more STEs believe that there is widespread use of chatbots among their fellow students. A larger proportion of STEs report feeling an increased addiction to chatbots than PREs. Additionally, more STEs believe that the use of chatbots should not be forbidden in higher education, and that its use should be permitted in graded assignments and home exams. PREs reported increased interest in their studies due to the use of chatbots to a greater extent than STEs, while STEs anticipated a greater impact of chatbots on their learning and future careers than PREs. For questions related to information literacy, there were two notable differences between the student groups. Firstly, PREs believe to a greater extent than STEs that their critical thinking abilities will be reduced by chatbot use. Secondly, more STEs use chatbots to find relevant information sources than PREs. Similarities between the two groups include their beliefs about the reliability of information generated by chatbots; the extent to which copy/paste from chatbots represents plagiarism; and how worried they would be about being accused of plagiarizing if they used AI-generated texts.

• Nierenberg, Ellen (2025). Innspill og informasjon om KI fra biblioteket. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen & Sundsback, Kariin (2025). LUP-studenters bruk av samtaleroboter. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2023). Informasjonskompetanse og interesse. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2023). Utviklingen av informasjonskompetanse i høyere utdanning. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2023). Opplæring i kildebruk: Hvem er den nye studenten? Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2023). Information literacy development. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2023). Understanding the development of information literacy in higher education. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2023). Keynote: Barriers and enablers to information literacy development: What practices are recommended for librarians and other instructors? Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen & Dahl, Tove I. (2022). The development of students as information literate individuals: Results from an 86% complete PhD in Information Literacy. Full text in Research Archive
• Dahl, Tove I. & Nierenberg, Ellen (2021). Interest: We know it when we feel it, but do we recognize it when we measure it? That’s a TRIQ question. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen; Låg, Torstein & Dahl, Tove I. (2021). New tools for assessing information literacy: Knowing and doing. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2021). Kildebruk: Et blikk fra nord (keynote). Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2020). Does actual ability in information literacy, and metacomprehension of that ability, ​ improve with experience ​ in higher education?​. Full text in Research Archive
• Dahl, Tove Irene; Lappegård, Ingvild; Nilsen, Karine Thorheim & Nierenberg, Ellen (2019). Developing a measure of interest: Where to next from this fork in the road? Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2019). PhD pitch: Information literacy. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2019). Stipendiat i informasjonskompetanse. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2018). En nasjonal standard for APA-stil er på vei! Bob : Bok og bibliotek. ISSN 0006-5811. 85(3), p. 72–73. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen (2017). Informasjonskompetanse og førsteårs sykepleier- og lærerstudenter. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Informasjonskompetanse (IK) er en viktig del av akademisk dannelse og livslang læring. Ved tidligere Høgskolen i Hedmark undersøkte jeg bachelorstudenters IK-ferdigheter da de begynte i første semesteret, før undervisning fra biblioteket. En etterundersøkelse fokuserte på læringsutbyttet til sykepleie- og lærerstudenter senere i semesteret, etter bibliotekkursene og innlevering av en oppgave der de brukte kilder. Alle nye studenter deltar på to kurs fra biblioteket: et søkekurs og et kildekurs der studentene lærer å kritisk vurdere kilder, unngå plagiering og bruke kilder på korrekt måte. Forskningsspørsmålene reflekterte innholdet i kildekurset, og adresserte ikke søkeferdigheter. Resultater fra før- og etterundersøkelsene ble analysert for å se læringsutbyttet. Formålet var ikke å måle kortsiktig hukommelse fra kursene, men kunnskapen studentene beholdt etter å ha skrevet en oppgave som krevde at de evaluerte og brukte kilder, samt unngikk plagiat. Studentenes egenvurderinger og faktiske IK-ferdigheter ble sammenlignet for å avdekke eventuelle forskjeller mellom studenter i de to profesjonsutdanningene. Forundersøkelsen viser at nye studentene kunne en del om kildekritikk og plagiat, men lite om korrekt bruk av kilder. Etterundersøkelsen viser en betydelig økning i IK-ferdigheter i alle tre temaer. Selv om det kun var små forskjeller mellom de ulike studentgruppenes ferdigheter, hadde sykepleierstudentene større tillit til sine evner enn lærerstudentene. I tillegg trodde sykepleierstudenter oftere enn lærerstudenter at kildene til lettfunnet fakta måtte siteres i skriftlig arbeid, selv når dette ikke var nødvendig.

• Nierenberg, Ellen (2016). How much do nursing and teacher education students in Norway learn about information literacy in their first year of college? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper presents the findings of recent research at Hedmark University of Applied Sciences (HUAS) in Norway. Information literacy (IL) skills of first-year nursing and teacher education students were documented twice during their first year: • early in the first semester, before the library’s IL-instruction • after both library instruction and the submission of a paper in which students had use for course material All new students at HUAS attend two IL-classes from the library. In the first class students learn to search for information. In the second, called “Sources of information and how to cite them,” students learn to: • critically evaluate sources • avoid plagiarism • cite sources Research questions in this study were designed to best reflect the content of the second library course, and did not address search skills. Questions in the original and follow-up surveys were nearly identical, making it possible to compare results and determine whether or not IL-skills had improved after the combination of library instruction and academic writing. The intention of the follow-up survey was not to measure short-term memory of library instruction, but rather to see what information students retained after writing a paper which required them to evaluate and cite sources and avoid plagiarism. The largest faculties at HUAS are nursing and teacher education, and this research focuses exclusively on students in these professional studies. Before-and-after results, measuring students’ self-assessments and their actual IL-skills, were analyzed for nursing students and teacher-education students to determine whether or not there are significant differences between student groups. Results show a substantial increase in IL-skills for both student groups in all three topics: evaluating sources, avoiding plagiarism, and citing sources. Although there were only small differences between nursing and teacher-education students’ skills, their self-assessments differed significantly, with nursing students showing more confidence in their abilities than teacher education students.

• Nierenberg, Ellen (2015). How much do first year undergraduate students in Norway know about information literacy? Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This PechaKucha will present the findings of our recent research which documents new students’ information literacy (IL) skills at a typical Norwegian university college. Before receiving the library's courses in IL, new bachelor students completed a survey which measured their levels of competence in three areas: citing sources; avoiding plagiarism; and critically evaluating sources. Our research questions were designed to best reflect the content of the library course "Sources of information and how to cite them". Respondents also assessed their own abilities in the three focus areas and we compared these self-assessments to their actual levels of knowledge. This study is the first of its kind in Norway, as previous research has mainly focused on how new students search for literature. Results provide an indication of the level of IL skills of new students not only at our institution, but perhaps also for other university colleges in Norway. We discuss the significance of the results, given the fact that Norwegian society in general, including its education system, is considered quite advanced. Our results document that new students are more skilled at evaluating information sources than at citing them correctly. Many lack essential skills and have little knowledge about plagiarism and how to avoid it, despite the fact that they assess their own abilities as quite good in this respect. We found, not surprisingly, that those students who have had some previous higher education have more knowledge and higher skill levels than those coming directly from upper secondary school, in all three focus areas.

• Nierenberg, Ellen (2010). En liten høyskole som tenker stort: Tiltak mot fusk og plagiat ved Høgskolen i Hedmark. Full text in Research Archive
• Nierenberg, Ellen & Dahl, Tove Irene (2022). Understanding the development of information literacy in higher education: Knowing, doing, and feeling. UiT Norges arktiske universitet. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Information literacy (IL) is the ability to recognize when information is needed and to find, evaluate, and effectively use this information. The aim of this doctoral research was to study the development of IL in undergraduates over three years, including their knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and the relationships among the three. Mixed methods were employed to better understand the totality of students’ IL development, and this research demonstrates the value of employing this methodology in the field of IL. Four psychometrically evaluated tools were developed to measure students’ IL knowledge, skills, and attitudes: a 21-item IL test (knowing); two authentic assignments to assess skills in evaluating and using information sources (doing); and a questionnaire to measure students’ interest in being or becoming information literate (feeling). These freely available IL-assessment tools contribute to both IL research and practice. The interest questionnaire can be employed to measure the development of other interests as well, and thereby represents a contribution also for those who study interest. This research fills gaps in the IL literature by studying interactions among several facets of IL over time. It follows IL development longer than most studies and introduces the measurement of interest – an important motivator for learning – into the field of IL. It is also the first study to explore transformative IL learning in students. Findings show that (1) IL is a multifaceted construct; (2) students’ IL knowledge and skills increase and intercorrelate more with time, as do their IL attitudes when measured by interest and IL’s usefulness and importance for them. Interviews revealed that (3) students gradually become more interested in being or becoming information literate people, and (4) some experience a change in identity as a result of becoming more information literate, which indicates that transformative IL learning can occur.

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