Developing Library Assignments EGW Education is the harmonious

Developing Library Assignments

EGW Education is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual power” (White, Education, 1903, p. 17)

EDUCATOR’S ROLE CONTENT VS STUDENT’S PERSONAL GROWTH (Education and Become Useful & Respectful Citizens) Teachers perform several educational functions and purposes, such as: • Transmit info, knowledge • Teach professional skills • Be a mentor (spiritual, intellectual, integrity, personal. Care for students’ academic, spiritual, personal growth) • Prepare students to become scholars • Prepare students to become holistic Citizens COMPARE WITH IL • Prepare students to become Subject experts in their field SKILLS • Critical thinkers WHAT IS IL ABOUT? • Research skills • Spiritual guidance • Investigative/inquisitive mind (Evaluate information’s and sources’ validity and reliability)

THE FORGETTING CURVE Hermann Ebbinghaus (1850 -1909) was a German psychologist who founded the experimental psychology of memory.

AUXILIARY SKILLS PROBLEM SOLVING FOREIGN LANGUAGE IT INFORMATION LITERACY PROFESSIONALS FACULTY LIBRARIAN

Information Literacy Definition "Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning. " Faculty and teaching librarians need to work together to ensure that students develop the skills needed to successfully achieve their university and life long goals.

WHY? PURPOSE? So Students may: v Improve scholarship v Create knowledge v Achieve educational goals v Become lifelong learners v Become critical thinkers v Assess and determine value of information v Determine the reliability of a source v Use information ethically v Establish the authority of a source

Information Literacy Skills and Concepts STANDARDS, 2002 SKILLS Identify Find Evaluate Apply Acknowledge ACRL FRAMEWORKS, 2015 CONCEPTS Research as Inquiry Information Has Value Searching As Strategic Exploration Information Creation as a Process Scholarship as Conversation Authority is Constructed and Contextual

TIPS TO CREATE GOOD ASSIGNMENTS Tell your students why they are doing the assignment, what purpose it serves, and why it requires specific research materials from the library (books, peer-reviewed articles, primary sources, qualitative studies, etc. ). Provide specific directions and guidelines for your students about the sources you expect them to use. Without specific guidelines, students will rely solely on the Internet for their information. Work through the research component of the assignment ahead of time to make sure there is a reasonable amount of information available on the topic.

TIPS TO CREATE GOOD ASSIGNMENTS Encourage your students to consult a librarian and remind them to bring along a copy of the syllabus or assignment. The information you provide on your syllabus can often clarify the type of information required in the event the student has difficulty articulating his/her needs to the librarian. Ask students to evaluate or justify the resources they use for an assignment in a brief evaluation or annotation. Ask students for feedback on the assignment; their comments will give you the opportunity to improve the effectiveness of the assignment. Schedule a course-related library instruction session that will direct your students to the appropriate resources and teach them how to use those sources effectively.

AVOIDING PITFALLS Assumptions Many students are unfamiliar with even the basic components of a library. Encourage your students to seek the assistance of a librarian. You may also request a library instruction session customized to meet the needs of your students. The majority of students are not familiar with the language associated with library materials. They do not understand the difference between the library's catalog and electronic article databases, and most have never heard of a "peer-reviewed, " "scholarly, " or "refereed" journal. Take the time to explain terms that may be new to students (e. g. , monograph, magazine vs. journal, periodical, editorial, peer-reviewed, qualitative study, citation, primary source, bibliography, annotation). Verify that specific reading materials/resources required by all students are available from the University Library. Check the availability of a title with the library before assigning it as required reading. Materials that need to be consulted by all students should be placed on Reserve.

AVOIDING PITFALLS Empty Library Syndrome Avoid assigning the same topic (or article, book, play, video) to the entire class. Generally, two or three students will check out all of the materials related to that topic and the remainder of the students become frustrated by the lack of available resources. Materials that are needed by all students should be placed on Reserve. If you provide a list of "approved" journals or magazines that students may use for research, check to make sure the library has subscriptions for them (either print or electronic). You can check the library's print subscriptions by performing a journal title search in Library Catalog; the library's electronic journal subscriptions can be checked by performing a title search in our Electronic Journals link.

AVOIDING PITFALLS Learned Helplessness Scavenger hunts are generally ineffective as library assignments. Scavenger hunts do not teach students how to conduct meaningful library research, and they promote learned helplessness. If you want to give your students practice in the kind of research they will need, librarians can help put that together. Contact your liaison librarian or the instruction coordinator, Tim Held (664 -6555, theld@csustan. edu). Vague Directions or Information Please include complete citations on your syllabi for the books or articles your require students to use. Quite often students will come to the Reference Desk with only an author or title, or an incorrect volume number, and it is time consuming for the student and the librarian to track down the desired document. Use full journal titles and avoid abbreviations. Do not hesitate to contact a librarian if you need a complete citation. Explain to students how they can successfully narrow a search topic. Students often come to the Reference Desk with only vague notions of what topic they plan to research ("I just need ANY information on women in the twentieth century").

SKILLS IDENTIFY www. youtube. com/watch? v=1 romp 6 lue 9 w Nature and extent of needed information • Writing a thesis & dissertation statement; • Differentiating between primary and secondary sources; • Devising a search strategy; • Identifying the difference between a review paper and the actual paper; • Deciding what is the best information.

SKILLS FIND www. youtube. com/watch? v=1 romp 6 lue 9 w Ability to find sources of information effectively and efficiently • Using Boolean terms; • Locate a book or source in the library; • Choose best key-words and search string (Databases, etc. ).

SKILLS Evaluate www. youtube. com/watch? v=1 romp 6 lue 9 w Ability to evaluate the information and sources you find • Critically review information you find (fake, bias…) • Search different sources to explore topic (Books, DB, periodicals, internet, videos, etc. ); • Ability to explore different opinions, context, and aspects of the topic; • Analyze the stricture and logic presented in lectures & speeches.

SKILLS APPLY www. youtube. com/watch? v=1 romp 6 lue 9 w Apply information effectively to accomplish specific purposes • Paraphrase an expert to support a position or statement; • Incorporate a direct quotation from an article into a research paper; • Download an image and incorporate into a visual presentation.

SKILLS Acknowledge www. youtube. com/watch? v=1 romp 6 lue 9 w Acknowledge sources you use • Understand the ethical, legal, socio-economic issues surrounding the information; • Show understanding by creating a work cited bibliography or reference list; • Demonstrate understanding of what constitutes plagiarism; • Utilize copyright public domain and fair use guidelines.

CONCEPTS Research as Inquiry An investigation = asking questions • • • Start with what you know Learn as you go It’s like building legos Seek experts Be persistent

CONCEPTS Authority is Constructed an Contextual Recognition that information resources are drawn from their creator’s expertise and context • What is the context? • How a source is used determines its authority • Who’s voice is being left out of this conversation? • What are you bringing to this conversation?

CONCEPTS Scholarship as Conversation Integration with scholarly community • Understand insights and discoveries • Understand competing perspectives and interpretations • Find it’s purpose: Does the source refute, support, or contribute to new knowledge? • Learn the jargon and structure of the discipline • Make your mark: How can you contribute to the field?

CONCEPTS Info Creation as a Process Researching – Creating – Revising Sharing • Begins with a range of formats or modes; • Need to accept ambiguity • Understand that different methods of info dissemination • Realize thati. Information have different purposes

CONCEPTS Information has Value Recognize that information educates and influences our understanding of the world • Free vs intellectual property; • Respect original ideas of others; • Value skills, time and effort needed to produce knowledge; • See themselves as contributors to the information market place.

CONCEPTS Searching as Strategic Exploration Searching is non-linear and iterative • Requires a broad range of info sources; • Requires mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding is developed; • Asks questions: who- what – when- where- how • Requires thinking outside the box • Realize that the perfect article doesn’t exist

RESPONSIBILITLY FACULTY/LIBRARIAN Ø Transmit Information Ø Prepare students to Ø Transmit Knowledge become scholars Ø Transmit Professional Ø Research Mindset Skills Ø Research Skills Ø Personal Mentor Ø Critical Thinkers (spiritual, intellectual, Ø Investigative/Inquisitive integrity, personal) mind Care for students’ Ø Information Literacy academic, spiritual, Skills personal growth Ø Information Literacy Ø Prepare holistic citizens Concepts Ø Subject Expert

INFORMATION FORMATS Napa Valley College. (2015, March). Information formats. Retrieved from http: //www. napavalley. edu/Library/Pages/Information. Formats. aspx

Library Assignments Examples

CONCEPTUAL SKILLS Library Assignments Examples Authority is Constructed and Contextual Ø Give students articles on the same topic to find at the library. Have them examine how the author affects the content. Include scholarly papers, magazine, Wikipedia, newspapers, Encyclopedia, etc. Ø Kinds of Information Activity – (IL Archive) (https: //libguides. palni. edu/ld. php? content_id=49305086) Ø Ask students to watch Instruct videos from the library and explain why it is important to contextually recognize the different types of authority.

CONCEPTUAL SKILLS Research as Inquiry Library Assignments Examples Ø Students work within groups to read and discuss newspaper articles they found on a specific topic using the library. Ask them to brainstorm potential topics for further inquiry. Students can display their ideas for further discussion with the class. (Questions should be based on previous knowledge, cited works, personal experience, etc. Ø Ask students to watch Instruct videos from the library and explain the concept “Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field” ad how this is should be applied in their research and paper.

CONCEPTUAL SKILLS Scholarship as Conversation Library Assignments Examples Ø Give students a case study to read. Ask them to find 3 sources in the library. Ask them to develop the solution for the case based on the material presented in those sources. Ø Ask students to watch Instruct videos from the library and explain how using varied perspectives and interpretations of the same subject, can enrich the content of a paper.

CONCEPTUAL SKILLS Information Creation as a Process • Students will understand the variety of information formats and can conduct searches for various formats. • Articulate the purposes of various types of information as well as their distinguishing characteristics • Distinguish between format and method of access, understanding that these are separate entities Library Assignments Examples Ø Define a topic. Locate 4 different source formats: (a) Internet; (b) Peer-reviewed article; c) A magazine; d) A reference book. Evaluate the information with a set of criteria: purpose/intent of sources; authorship/authority; publication process; peer review; citations; bias/objectivity; currency, audience/language. Ø Ask students to watch Instruct videos from the library and explain what role each type of document plays in creating their own knowledge base within a specific discipline.

CONCEPTUAL SKILLS Information Has Value Library Assignments Examples Ø Divide class into groups. Provide elements of a citation to each group to organize it in a specific style (e. g. APA). Students should locate the Style Guide at the library. Ask a representative of each group to write it in the blackboard. Make it a contest. Ask students to explain the importance of citing correctly. Ø Ask students to watch Instruct videos from the library and explain the difference between plagiarism and copyright.

CONCEPTUAL SKILLS Searching as Strategic Exploration Library Assignments Examples Ø Have students chose a topic. Ask them to develop keywords that will contribute to find relevant materials. Students will search a database relevant to that topic to find 1 article. From that article, identify another keyword. Repeat the process until 5 articles are found using a different string of keywords every time. Ø Ask students to watch Instruct videos from the library and explain how pursuing alternate avenues through different approaches can create mental flexibility as understanding of a topic develops.

Info Lit SKILLS IDENTIFY Assignments Library Assignments Examples The nature and extent of the information needed; Writing thesis statement; Differentiate between primary and secondary sources of information; Identify the difference between, for example, a court decision vs an article about that court decision; Ø Decide what are the best sources for the information needed. Ø Ø v Identify 3 peer reviewed articles on a specific topic; v Identify the main keywords of a given topic; v Given three statements, ask students to identify which one is a thesis statement.

Info Lit SKILLS FIND ASSIGNMENTS Ø Ø Library Assignments Examples Can find the sources needed effectively and efficiently; Use Boolean terms correctly; Locate the needed types of materials; Choose the best keywords and search strategy. v Find two databases, 2 reference works and 1 newspaper which brings information on a given topic; v Demonstrate a search in a database using the Boolean operators And, Or and Not; v Demonstrate 3 alternatives to finding in a database or at the library’s page, keywords that will limit or expand a search.

Info Lit SKILLS Library Assignments Examples EVALUATE Ø The information found and its sources critically; Ø Review multiple points of view; Ø Explore different sources of information to understand more clearly the topic; Ø Explore the different opinions and aspects of the topic; Ø Analyze the structure and logic presented in lectures and speeches; ASSIGNMENTS Ask students to find two websites on a specific topic. One through the library’s portal and another directly from Google. Provide them with the CRAPP worksheet and have them evaluate both websites’ reliability.

Info Lit SKILLS APPLY ASSIGNMENTS Library Assignments Examples Ø Apply effectively the information accessed to accomplish specific purposes; Ø Paraphrase an expert to support a position within a persuasive speech or text; Ø Integrate a direct quotation from a source into a research paper; Ø Download an image and incorporate it into a visual presentation. v Define the citation style you require. Provide students with three different direct citations from a book or article. Ask students to paraphrase them using the correct in-text citation. v Ask students to apply the correct in-text citation for a direct quotation.

Info Lit SKILLS ACKNOWLEDGE Library Assignments Examples Ø Track sources used in the research paper; Ø Understand ethical, legal, socio-economic issues surrounding he information; Ø Create a work with bibliography and reference list; Ø Understand what constitutes plagiarism; Ø Utilize copyright correctly and fair use guidelines. Ø Ask students to create an annotated bibliography using the required citation style on a specific topic. The sources should be retrieved from the databases owned by the library; Ø Ask students to summarize the content of a video on plagiarism accessed through Credo Instruct at the library’s website.

Why do we need library’s for? Different uses one can make of the library Find sources (materials) Literature review Locate materials Guide for citations Keep up-to-date Understand trends & innovations Identify history of issues Understand legislations Apprehend different & opposing points of views Know how something works

Align Skills with assignments Like any assignment, match it with the learning objective of the unit. Simply find a way to include one more element to it – library use

More examples. . . (http: //infodome. sdsu. edu/about/depts/instruction/altresch. shtm) 1. Examine the treatment of a controversial issue in several sources. For example, a newspaper editorial, scholarly journal, periodicals from different disciplines, or association websites. 2. Locate a topic in an online news website, database or newspaper index. The topic can be current or controversial or on a specific event. Then, search a periodical database and identify two scholarly journal articles on that topic in roughly the same time period as the news to read and compare. 3. Search for a recent scholarly article on a given topic. Compare the article content to that of a textbook. 4. What does "the literature" of a particular discipline look like? What comprises it? Investigate the production and dissemination of information in a given discipline. How and by whom is the knowledge produced? How and in which media or format is it presented or communicated? What is the publishing cycle? How important is informal communication in the field? How important is grey literature? How do people keep abreast of new information in this field? 5. Identify an article on a given topic using a periodical database. Read the article and write an abstract of it. Compare it to the published/provided abstract.

More examples. . . 6. Create an annotated bibliography (descriptive or evaluative) of a specified number of sources. 7. Update and annotate a bibliography from a chapter of a book that is 10 -50 years old individually or in small groups. Perhaps identify new terms or subjects which appear connected with the topic. 8. Working in groups or alone, prepare a print or web-based guide to introduces others to the various information sources in a discipline or on a specific topic. 9. Find out more about the people and issues involved in a significant event or a classic publication in a given discipline. 10. Locate two articles in a periodical database presenting differing viewpoints, such as scholarly vs. popular or conservative vs. liberal. 11. Analyze the content, tone, style and audience of three journals and/or websites central to your discipline. Examine the instructions for authors for each journal. [Instructions for authors are frequently available on the Web. ] 12. Compare how a topic is treated in several various print and electronic reference sources. Note any apparent standards in layout of the various sources, including textbook chapters, research articles, newspaper articles, news releases, factsheets, handbooks, and/or government reports.

More examples. . . 13. Working through the research cycle for a term paper, do everything except write it. At various stages, submit the following: * clearly defined topic * annotated bibliography of useful sources * outline of paper * thesis statement * opening paragraph and summary 14. Research a topic and present it as a poster or webpage. 15. Maintain a research log by recording the methodology, sources consulted, and keywords or subject headings searched. Note both successes and failures. How did the results affect their thinking on the topic? [Forms may assist students understand how to structure their approach. ] 16. Provide a precise statement of the search topic and an outline of the search logic to search the Internet. Run the search on two or three different search engines. Compare the results. 17. Provide a precise statement of a search topic, a list of keywords and synonyms and comparable thesaurus terms as appropriate, and an outline of search logic to search a periodicals database. Justify the choice of database. Perform the search. Analyze the results, revise search strategy and perform the more effective search. 18. Compare Internet search engine and periodical database searches using identical search statements. Print or email the initial search results and compare the findings. Revise and appropriately search each source again. Compare the final results.

More examples. . . 19. Read and update an older review article. 20. Using book reviews, biographical information, and citation indexes, explore how and why a work becomes a "classic. " What effect can a classical work have on a discipline? 21. Trace an important paper through a citation index such as Science Citation Index. What does it mean to be "cited"? How important is it that a scholar be cited? 22. Explore a scholar or researcher's career and ideas by locating biographical information, preparing a bibliography of writings, and analyzing the reaction of the scholarly community to the researcher's work. 23. Compare primary and secondary sources on the same topic. When are either used in a given discipline? 24. Identify and examine the assumptions implicit in an article. Identify the author's thesis and outline theoretical framework used to account for the results. [Specific questions may assist the students in focusing on various aspects of the article. ]

More examples. . . 25. Examine the experimental design, data, and interpretation of the data in a research paper for adequacy and consistency. [Again, selected questions may assist students to focus on specific aspects. ] 26. Read several articles which appear to address the same question but reach different conclusions. Account for the differences by examining methodology, experimental design, and the interpretation of results. 27. Working in groups or alone, examine a small number of items such as books, articles, or websites. Establish indicators of quality, where these indicators are found, and the appropriate use for each item. Report findings to the class. 28. Review a book or film. Discuss the author's credentials. Compare the book or film to similar works in the field. Evaluate the film to its source book or play. 29. Read selected articles from various sources and indicate who¹s voice is being represented in a particular passage or argument. Is it the author who is a reporter or researcher? Or is it a geography professor at SDSU, a pediatrician, the CEO of Home Depot, or a politician?

More examples. . . 30. Read the articles cited in a research paper. Explain how each is related to the paper. When is it appropriate to cite other papers? What different purposes do the citations serve? 31. Compare the reference lists of two published articles on the same topic. Evaluate the choice of materials cited by the authors. What clues do the citations indicate about the article? 32. Critique an article. Locate two webpages supporting your response to the topic. Cite the URLs in an appropriate format and highlight the points indicating this support. 33. Examine the format of various abstracts. Note that some abstracts do not reflect the article title or content. Write an abstract for a published paper. Compare your abstract to that provided at the beginning of the article and/or in a periodical database. 34. Find and evaluate a website. Cite the website in a specific citation format and write a brief evaluation (2 -3 paragraphs). Note reasons why these pages are, or are not appropriate for university level student research or for in-class use. Due to the evolving nature of the WWW, attach a printout of the first page of the website.