Using a Murder Mystery to Teach Evaluation Skills: A Case Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Evaluation of sources and information is an important part of information literacy and the research process. Evaluation skills and their application to daily life might be reduced to a checklist in a one-shot lesson or a semester-long information literacy class. To demonstrate the transferability of evaluation skills, one teaching librarian created an active-learning, online murder mystery to engage students. Instructors have established using games as an active-learning lesson in the face-to-face classroom. A murder mystery game challenges students to evaluate information from the course, verify the information using online searches, and demonstrate critical thinking skills in the context of a game. This case study explains the rationale of using such a game in an online, semester-long class, the process of creating the mystery, and its benefits in the virtual classroom.