Post on 04-Jan-2016
description
Creative Solutions through Collaboration
Information Literacy for a Large First-Year Biology Class
Wendy Rodgers & Pamela JacobsUniversity of Guelph Library
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
About the Course
“A lecture and laboratory course which introduces the concepts and controversies in contemporary biology and their implications.”
History: July 1998
Faculty members approach library
Faculty and library plan 1 hour lecture and 1 hour ‘library lab’ with assignment
Fall 1998 Challenges Logistics of managing a large
number of students Very labour intensive for library
staff! Overloaded databases Course term paper somewhat
unrealistic Computer workstations tied up
Fall 1999, Fall 2000 Challenges
Refined term paper to require fewer articles
Reduced content covered in library lectures
Still very labour intensive Lectures/demonstrations not too
effective
An Online Tutorial is Born
Inspired by “Using the Web to Teach Library Research Skills in Introductory Biology: A Collaboration Between Faculty and Librarians”
There must be a better way. . .
Methodology
Determined course needs Explored existing tutorials Learned course software Developed & tested modules Started small
Winter 2001 108 students 3 module tutorial, quiz and survey
What they liked: “…when links were provided so we
could go and try out what we had just learned”
What they Liked
“…diagrams of what the computer screens would look like when we were doing our searches. It is much easier than having to imagine it while we are being taught.”
What they Liked
Targeted content Finding a topic Understanding primary literature
What they Liked “Please comment on the least
helpful aspects of the tutorial” Nearly one third said that
everything was useful.
Positive reinforcement: Added more interactive
opportunities
What We Changed Too long:We reduced wording on each screen. Repetitive:We reduced repetition between modules.We made examples more diverse. Book retrieval:We eliminated it and added a live tour
instead. Quiz limitations
Fall 2001: The First Big Run
1400 students 3 module tutorial, quiz and survey
PLUS 30 minute live tour with Library
T.A.
What We Changed Section on finding a topic We added hierarchy & made the section
optional. Section on printing, saving, e-mailingWe eliminated it & referred to database help. Call number sectionWe eliminated it & gave link to Library Ed. No feedback from quizWe added feedback for each answer.
Coordinator’s Feedback Doing a search with the right termsWe made our examples more complex,
therefore more realistic.
Primary & secondary literatureWe inserted a piece into the lab manual
FAQ, showing diagram from tutorial.
Compromise with Coordinator
“…very helpful to go through a trial run and actually look up items. Otherwise I probably would have forgotten how to do it if I had to wait until the time when it actually became necessary.”
Address the point of need Add direct links to Virtual Reference service -
YES Break up the timeline of the tutorial & tour -
NO
Fall 2002: The Second Big Run 1375 students What they liked:
Term-long availability of tutorial Very few references to length: “There wasn’t
really anything there that you could stand to do away with.”
Creating a search strategy worksheet
Next Steps
Add self-test prior to each module Add more step-by-step numbered sections Add printable summaries at end of
sections Add quiz question asking for hands-on
identification of primary and secondary e-journal articles
Offer optional live tour of our Vet Science library (housed in a different building)
Overall Value Quite consistent over 5 semesters:
85% Excellent or Good 13% Fair 2% Poor
Quiz Results
82.6% to 86.3%
Length of Tutorial
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
W2001 F2001 W2002 F2002 W2003
too short
about right
too long
Time to Complete
2% > 2 hours 52.3% between 30-60 minutes 24.5% took < 30 minutes
Usefulness of Worksheet
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
F2001 W2002 F2002 W2003
very helpful
somewhat helpful
not helpful
didn't use it
Reference Desk Challenges
Still many questions generated by students in the course
Some students still appear not to have absorbed any of the material
Workload is manageable
Facilities Challenges
Library provided space for T.A. consultations
Fall 2002: long disruptive lineups Workstation availability
Tutorial “Omissions” Things mentioned on the tour Things mentioned in tutorial Things associated with course Subjects other than biology Other needs: citations, plagiarism
Broad Challenges Communicating our expectations Understanding their expectations Finding the elusive middle ground
Too much / not enough detail Too basic / too advanced E.g.: Changing to one screenful of text E.g.: Moving from linear to hierarchical
Recurring Theme
Knowledge begets confidence: “It gave me the confidence to use the library
services and meet the reference desk clan.”