Instructions for this Report	Introduction	ACS Classification for Feelings, Thoughts and Actions	Three Levels	Nine Zones
Conclusion	Icons Folder	Dr. Leon James's Home Page	Questions Asked in Class	Suggestions for Future Generations

Library professionals require more detailed knowledge about the behavior of users in order to provide user friendly environments.  New concept ?information counseling? involves activities such as orienting, advising, and reassuring novice learners.  Information on users comes from self-witnessing reports.  These reports are broken down to 3 levels of internalization, affective, cognitive and sensorimotor levels.  With info library professionals hope to promote information self-counseling skills, help learners overcome technophobia, and create better point-of-use instructions for novices.  I agree that by using information from self-witnessing reports librarians will be better equipped to deal with questions and answers from novices.

Carol Kuhlthou proposed that library professional have a new mission in this new age of information.
?There is a critical need for professional counseling in seeking meaning and in understanding information.?  Kuhlthou says that reference and instruction librarians acting as information counselors would conduct interviews, that could allow them to diagnose users? needs appropriately.  The problem that arises then is how much information about users do librarians need to have-and-how do we keep our services at the information consultation level rather than at the psychological counseling level?  Basically Kuhlthou is suggesting some empirical methods that can be used to transform user self-reports into information behaviors that librarians can expect to deal with when novices are learning the internet.  This was librarians may be able to interview at the appropriate level to facilitate and promote the users? needs and goal.

I agree that some information is needed to better assist new learners of the Internet, but that a fine line exists between what is education and what is personal.

The analysis of the behavior of users in information environments led to the development of a matrix system called ACS Classification for Feelings, Thoughts and Actions
3 Domains of Internalization ? columns of the matrix system

Affective (A): Behavioral acts that relate to feelings, i.e.-(interests, values, motivation, purposes, and goals.)
 -Intentions or information needs

Cognitive (C): Includes behavioral acts that relate to cognitions, i.e.-(knowledge comprehension, problem solving, and critical interpretation.)
 -Thought and solutions

Sensorimotor (S): Includes behavioral acts that are externally observable, ie-(visual perception, speaking, and navigating.)
 -Overt actions

Level 1 is the adjustment level.  This level includes that users? initial needs to orient and adapt to               information situations.
-Level 1 information behavior in the cognitive domain takes place when a user attempts to identify some element in the environment .

An exert  from a self-witnessing report at this level:
 I was unaware that the introduction to Mosaic was a type of menu that one is able to highlight certain words and ultimately get into that particular topic.  Through this discovery, I found that my frustration when I first attempted to use Mosaic soon turned into feelings of confidence and especially accomplishment.

This segment reveals that the user is:
- becoming aware of a new element in the information environment
- finding out and discovering a relation between a screen menu and a link
- feels a sense of accomplishment and greater self-esteem by progressing in small steps toward mastery of that process
 
 

Level 2 is the interaction level.  This level includes behaviors that go beyond orientation and adaptation to include some form of interaction with the information environment.

?I also discovered that a computer mouse may work differently in different programs.  Most of the time I could only get the mouse to highlight some of the words I wanted highlighted.  I felt very frustrated as I had to use the mouse to travel from menu to menu.  My clumsiness and slowness with the mouse made the extensive menu lists seem endless.?

In this quote the user described having a human-computer interaction.  In this case however learning is impeded because of the various types of negative affect the user experiences.  Negative affects such as (frustration, clumsiness, boredom, confusion endlessness, hopelessness, etc.) can interfere with the desired positive outcomes of information behaviors.
 
 

Level 3 is the internalization level.  In this level behaviors are related to personalizing or internalizing information activities. In the beginning stages new learners don?t see themselves as users.

Learners recognize and learn some of the mechanisms involved but it takes time before they actually see themselves as users.

The following quote shows an example of how a new learner becomes a user.
 ?I was surprised to find the topic Aviation right under subjects in the WWW.  This had so much helpful stuff in it, I was very ecstatic.  I began then to really love Lynx.  Wow, I came a long way from just being able to wordprocess to now being able to find info from home on just about any topic that I want.  I?m very pleased with my improvement on the computer and on the Internet.

There is no limit to the number of behaviors that could be classified in any one of the 9 zones.  The inventory can continue to form in completeness as new behaviors are discovered.  The inventory goes no further than identifying information behaviors that regularly occur in information-environments and organizing then according to their behavioral and developmental function.

Plus and minus signs respectively indicate positive and negative aspects of Internet learning experiences.
In general a plus sign represents skill while a minus sign indicates errors, misjudgments or incorrect assumptions that users need help with.
 

Accepting vs. Rejecting ? (3A+ vs. 3A-)
 3 = level 3=internalization
 A= Affective Domain

(3A+)  ?I?m becoming more at ease with the Internet system, and I?m able to recognize some of the computer?s mannerisms.  For example. Noise on the telephone line causes my screen to become garbled.  When the screen does become garbled I quit what I?m doing and try to move to various other areas.?

(3A-) ?Why does society have to be so in love with technology?  It never works anyway, and it?s too expensive.  I don?t have time to waste learning something that?s junk.?

The positive comment reveals the users? coping skills and their ability to overcome barriers.  We even see a continued desire to learn more Internet skills.

Exposure to positive comment at the beginning of a new learner?s education could facilitate their internalization of Internet skills.

I agree that by sharing positive personal experiences of new learners can serve as encouragement.  People feel like ?If they can do it so can I.?
 

Self Confidence vs. Learned Helplessness ? (2A+ vs. 2A-)
 2 = level 2 = Interaction level
 A = Affective Domain

(2A+) ?What an increase in time saving from my first several sessions.  I have learned that I am a person that is very time efficient.  I like time management so this really gave me an adrenaline rush.  I seemed to have no problem in choosing which menu to get into in order to find subject topic that I need.  What an improvement!  My self-esteem when dealing with computers has grown tremendously.  I did not realize how much a negative attitude hindered you from completing a task proficiently.?

(2A-) ?I was angry and frustrated at my failed attempts.  I just couldn?t believe it!  I mean I would get so fired up and pissed that I just wanted to destroy the entire system.  I don?t know what it is.  I?m just getting very used to not being about to accomplish a task on the computer.  I don?t feel in control and don?t have a desire to continue trying.?

2A+ showed new found self confidence as a searcher as compared to 2A- showed complaints about a variety of failures, no sense of control over the system, and intense negative emotions.
 
 

Persisting and Caring about Accuracy vs. Giving up and not Caring ? (1A+ vs. 1A-)
 1 = level 1 = Adjustment Level
 A = Affective Domain

(1A+) ? I plan to spend more time on the computer trying to learn more about Mosaic as well as how to operate it.  There are so many avenues of looking up information through Mosaic that I believe I may spend countless hours just navigating my way through Mosaic without anything specific in mind.?

(1A-) Initially I attempted to find the homework assignment of searching for Immanuel Kant?s book, The Science of Right, through the Lynx program.  I was very frustrated with this program.  The UNIX system is very slow and I did not have the patience to work through this slow process.  It also seemed very confusing to me.  I exited Lynx and decided to check my e-mail.?

These comments represent how Internet learners deal with the resistance they felt when confronted with various types of Internet complexities.  Some were satisfied with trying and not succeeding while others did not give up trying until they accomplished success.
 
 

Conceptualizing & Personalizing vs. Not creating a Personal Context ?(3C+ vs. 3C-)
 3 = Level 3 = Internalization
 C = Cognitive Domain

(3C+) ?I showed my friend that we could access the surf report and the movie listing with no problem, he was amazed.  I?m kind of sorry about showing him this, because he calls me all the time to get the surf forecast.  I don?t really mind though because I usually access that everyday so I can plan my work for school accordingly.  So finding the surf forecast on the Internet has been a great tool for me and many of my friends.?

(3C-) ?I?ve had many problems besides school these last two weeks.  These problems have definitely affected my motivation.  If I did succeed in motivating myself, my attention span for the work was very short lived.  Part of my problem is that I don?t find much that interests me.  All that stuff on Lynx?I don?t know who it?s for really.?

These comments show the degree to which novices made the Internet a part of their personal life as a result of the course.  Positive comments show genuine interest in searching for a topic on the Internet as well as an interest for keeping up with current developments.
The positive comment is an example of someone on their way to internalization of the Internet.
 

Predicting and Interference Making vs. Not Figuring Things Out - (2C+ vs. 2C-)
 2 = Level 2 = Interaction Level
 C = Cognitive Domain

(2C+) ?I thought that since this searches databases for information I would have a good chance.  When I came up empty under health, Wellness, Health Lifestyle, Health Food, etc., I decided to try good old Gopher Jewels.  This server had gotten me out of a couple of ruts so far.  When I found an abundance of information on Health, Medicine, and Disability, but none on Wellness, I decided the WWW was the best place for this.  If I could find one link to Wellness I would be home free.?

(2C-) ?While navigating the past two weeks I have caught myself time and time again just staring at the monitor, no movement, no thinking.  Since there was no cognition evident and I was accomplishing absolutely nothing during these phase-outs, I decided that the instant I was aware of the onset of a phase out I would turn my vision elsewhere.  It?s kind of creepy the way computers can do this to you.?

These comments reveal the problem solving strategies students used to learn things not taught directly in the course.   Positive comment show how students successfully develop an interference strategy when presented with an obstacle ? (i.e. Switching to a different system as in the quote.

This is probably one of the best things that can happen in an Internet literacy course like this one.  Where concepts are introduced by the instructor but strategies are developed on their own by the students through hands on learning.
 

Identifying and Observing vs. Misidentifying and Not Observing (1C+ vs. 1C-)
 1 = Level 1 =Adjustment Level
 C = Cognitive Domain

(1C+) ?The other day I was in Lynx and probably because I was more relaxed than at the beginning of the semester, I began experimenting with the printing options, which gave me good results.  Afterwards I switched to Gopher and tried the same technique with the same positive results.?

(1C-) ?Once I figured how to print the information I would certainly like to print the information that my friend wants.  I ran into retrieval problems and I discovered that printing from this area was not a simple procedure.  I spent over 1 hour figuring why I could not get the information to print.  I tried all options with no success.  No doubt it was my fault.  I didn?t feel like asking anyone.?

These comments show how students struggled to acquire relevant distinctions in the Internet environment.  We often experience repetitive errors and believe that we?ve done everything correctly only to suddenly realize that a critical piece of info was overlooked.  Once that was fixed problem solved.

?Information counseling? is about identifying the users? skills and errors and use the information to make changes in instruction.
What 1 student experiences another may also experience the same thing.
By identifying common skills and errors librarians can design services that respond directly to student?s need.

All of this is done to assist novice learners in internalizing their Internet learning.
Positive self-witnessing statements mention before can be used to help new learners acquire positive attitudes that will help them learn new systems.
?Information counseling? is important because the information environment is complex and always changing, making all of us lifelong novice users who can benefit from information that is added to the matrix.

1.    What types of experiences have you had that fit into the ACS Classification System?

Whenever I attempt to learn anything new, whether it be a concept covered in class of a computer program I start from the first level, the Adjustment Level and work my way up.  Every action and behavior after that takes me through the three domains, the Affective, Cognitive and Sensorimotor.  It is usually true that if there is a need to learn something new we will reach the second level, the Interaction Level at least.  The top level three, the Internalization Level is not always reached however.  Reaching this level depends on whether of not one had a desire to make this newly learned skill a part of their lives.  One experience I had cane about when we had to learn how to use a program for a statistics class.  I started out at level one in the Affective domain and progressively moved through the zones.  I did not reach Level 3, however, because I didn't fell the necessity to internalize this new program.  This is an example of how a personal experience fit into the ACS Classification Matrix.
 

2.    Is the "cyberspace environment" that much different from any new environment that we must make a new matrix to describe the behaviors that occur?  It seems as though human go through that same behavior processes whenever they encounter a new environment.

The "cyberspace environment", better thought of as the "information environment" is not as different from any new environment as you might have thought.  You are correct in making similar comparisons to the "information environment" and new experiences.  The reason I had to focus on the "information environment" was because that was the topic of the article.  People will proceed through defined behaviors and actions when confronted with any necessary situtation.  Since this article was written by a librarian who was attempting to define a new concept called "information counseling" it ws appropriate to focus on internet litteracy.  I believe that this classification system can be an effect tool for educators to better assist new learners in a variety of environments.
 

3.    Do you think this method of classification will be beneficial to novice users?

The ACS Classification Matrix was designed to to help librarians to better assist novice user of the internet in their research attempts using the internet as a reference source.  Therefore the method itself of compiling self witnessing reports and incorporating the data in the ACS Classification Matrix is not directly beneficial to the novice user.  The matrix was designed to be used by librarians, who would in turn use it to assist novice user of the internet.  The outcome is a positive one for the user, making the ACS Classification Matrix a tremendous overall benefit.
 

4.    How can a person who has negative feelings about the internet change them into positive ones?

A person who is reluctant to use the internet as a reference resource may be suffering from technophobia, a fear of new technology.  Technology is constantly changing at such furious speeds it is difficult for some to keep up with what is current.  At this time it is still possible for a person to never have had the opportunity to use the internet as a reference resource.  the very thought might bring about some negative feelings.  This is where the ACS Classification Matrix can help.  The Matrix not only assist librarians and other information sciences educators, it also contains many positive self witnessing reports.  These positive reports are success stories by novice users who may have conquered their technophobia and have even managed to internalize the idea and use of the internet.  These positive reports can bring comfort to novice users that may be harboring negative feelings by making them aware of people just like themselves who have managed to turn their initial fear into knowledge that helps to better themselves.

It is important takes notes on the topics that you might want to clarrify at the end of your presentation in class or in the oral report you upload onto the internet.  The questions that are received from your class mates are best answered that day or as soon as possible, because the topic and the answers to the questions are still present in your frame of mind.  It is also important to keep it intereesting and to include personal experiences that can benefit future generations.  This way you can better ensure some enjoyment for your audience as well as yourself.
 

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