Critical Political ThinkingUsing YouTube as a Platform for Information Evaluation and Synthesis

Our Campus: UT Arlington

• Over 25K enrollment

• Diverse Campus– Black, White, Hispanic,

Asian and International students each make up over 10% of campus population

• Average age: 26

• 40% of students are full-time, day students

Learning Outcomes

• Use video and mixed media in instruction to foster higher-order thinking

• Identify shared goals with faculty and University initiatives

Identifying Shared Goals

• Library Goals

• Faculty Goals

• University Goals

University Goals

• Ongoing Active Learning Initiative

• Goal: Find out what active learning strategies improve critical thinking skills

Faculty Goals

• Dr. Rebecca Deen’s POLS 2311 Class– Required US Gov’t

Class– Over 100 students

• QEP in place– Final was an essay

or presentation

POLS 2311 QEP Learning Outcomes• Creates campaign visual/presentation in order to:

– Evaluate the effectiveness of campaign techniques.– Assess the role of the media in elections.– Judge the viability of the campaign.

• Synthesize their understanding of course concepts with their research on candidates’ campaigns in order to apply democratic theory in the context of real life politics.

• Generate hypotheses on and judge the electoral viability of a candidates’ campaign in order to apply democratic theory.

Library Goals

• Info Lit Standards– Determine what kind of info needed– Accesses info they need– Evaluates info and sources critically– Uses info to accomplish a specific

purpose– Ethical use of information

What are some goals you can think of that would overlap?(Be concrete and specific)

POLS 2311 QEP Learning Outcomes• Creates campaign visual/presentation in order to:

– Evaluate the effectiveness of campaign techniques.– Assess the role of the media in elections.– Judge the viability of the campaign.

• Synthesize their understanding of course concepts with their research on candidates’ campaigns in order to apply democratic theory in the context of real life politics.

• Generate hypotheses on and judge the electoral viability of a candidates’ campaign in order to apply democratic theory.

What are some goals you can think of that would overlap?(Be concrete and specific)

Faculty Goals Mapped to Library Goals

Faculty Goal Library Goal

Creates campaign visual/presentation in order to:

Evaluate the effectiveness of campaign techniques.Assess the role of the media in elections.Judge the viability of the campaign.

Uses info to accomplish a specific purpose

Synthesize their understanding of course concepts with their research on candidates’ campaigns in order to apply democratic theory in the context of real life politics.

Determine what kind of info neededAccesses info they needEvaluates info and sources critically

What really makes this work…• Not only LIBRARY superstar, but an

instruction superstar as well

• Orienting goals of project to FACULTY goals

• Actually getting along together– Facebook friends – you can’t dump me!

Campaign 08

• Active Learning Project (creation of a YouTube video, group work)

• Enhances knowledge and understanding of the political campaign

• Requires heavy use of varied information types from varied sources for a specific purpose

Student Workflow

Wash. PostNewsBankNewseum

DemographicsVoting History

Etc.

Library Instruction 1

• Finding Local Media and Campaign Commercials

• Site

Library Instruction II

• Windows Movie Maker– Readily Available– Easy to Learn– Tutorials from our

Digital Library Services group

– Also covered:• Storyboarding• Clipping effectively• Uploading to

YouTube

Resulting Videos

• Site– Excellent example:

Group 18

• Assessment of Student Work– QEP Rubric– Data

Assessing Our ProjectLearning Goal Unacceptable Work Average Work Good to very good work

Creates campaign visual/presentation in order to: - Evaluate the effectiveness of campaign techniques- Assess the role of the media in elections- Judge the viability of the campaign

Simply inserts material from lecture, text information from research without showing an understanding of it.No evidence of assessment of the role of the media.No evidence of assessment of electoral viability.

Use of evidence to reach conclusions on candidate’s support is selective.Appropriate evidence of assessment of campaign advertisements though exploration appears to have been routine (lacking in complexity).Appropriate evidence of assessment of electoral viability though exploration appears to have been routine (lacking in complexity).

Examines evidence and its source, questions its accuracy and completeness.Clear evidence of evaluation of the role of media, demonstrating a complete understanding of and ability to apply course material.Clear evidence of assessment of electoral viability,demonstrating a complete understanding of and ability to apply course material.

Synthesize their understanding of course concepts with their research on candidates’ campaigns in order to apply democratic theory in the context of real life politics.

Does not recognize course concepts in the context of real life politics.

Provides some recognition of course concepts in the context of real life politics.

Identifies influence of context, clearly recognizes concepts in context and questions assumptions.

Generate hypotheses on and judge the electoral viability of a candidates’ campaign in order to apply democratic theory.

Hypothesis is clearly borrowed with little original consideration.Fails to present or justify hypothesis.

Position includes some original thinking that acknowledges or synthesizes other assertions, though some aspects have not been included.Presents or justifies hypothesis superficially, without addressing other views.

Hypothesis demonstrates ownership, integrating objective analysis and data.Clearly presents and justifies hypothesis while integrating contrary views or interpretations.

Assessing Our Project

Campaig

n Techniques

Media

Influence

Viabilit

y

Synth

esis

Hypoth

esis1

1.4

1.8

2.2

2.6

3

Rubric Score

Rubric Score

Assessing Our Project

1.Student interaction with media content

2.Conceptual

3.Media Literacy Skills

4.Technical Skills

5.Information Literacy Skills

Source:http://www.educause.edu/Resources/LightsCameraActionAnalysisandC/163665

Assessing Our Project

• What worked:– Technology– Resources– Meaningful

Conversations• How do we help?

• What didn’t:– Classroom– High Achievers /

Groups

Our Project: Next Time

• Copyright / Fair Use • Which candidates?

©

Other Iterations

• First-year Writing Program – the VALIDOMETER!– Site

• OneBook Video Project

Validity Spear

Lies!

Summary

• Identifying Goals

• Communicating Shared Goals

• Developing Curriculum Together

• Assessing the Results

• Expanding the Ideas

Expanding the Ideas

• Can you identify campus or faculty goals that would enhanced with library involvement?

• How can you communicate that enhancement effectively?