Abstract
Information literacy in higher education is crucial because it enhances students’ critical thinking skills. This encompasses their ability to identify, gather, comprehend, analyze, synthesize, and utilize information, as well as their confidence in managing information throughout their academic journey. This study investigates the impact of ChemLab-based interactive media in online learning on improving students’ information literacy. A one-group pretest-posttest experimental design was employed, involving 75 students enrolled in a basic chemistry course focusing on electrochemistry. A validated and reliable 30-item multiple-choice instrument was used to measure outcomes. The results indicated an N-Gain value of 0.33, which falls into the medium category. This suggests that students’ information literacy improved following instruction with ChemLab-based interactive media. Furthermore, students’ evaluations of the ChemLab platform indicated a greater inclination to engage in learning through ChemLab compared to non-ChemLab or traditional educational platforms. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of ChemLab-based interactive media in chemistry education enhances students’ cognitive abilities and supports a deeper understanding of chemistry concepts through virtual activities.