Leeds University Library Plugging the gap: making mathematics students information literate Sarah...
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Transcript of Leeds University Library Plugging the gap: making mathematics students information literate Sarah...
Leeds University Library
Plugging the gap: making mathematics students
information literate
Sarah Taylor Faculty Team Librarian: Mathematics and Physical Sciences Leeds University Library
Leeds University Library
I’m going to talk about… The introduction of a new information skills
module in the School of Mathematics in October 2005: – Why the module was introduced– How the module content, structure and teaching
materials were developed– How the module was assessed– What went right – What went wrong – How it will be better next time– A few tips I picked up along the way
Leeds University Library
The challenge
To provide Information Literacy training to all level 3 Mathematics students as part of a new compulsory, assessed skills module
The School had previously been very resistant to the introduction of IL
No prior IL training in the School
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The impetus School of Mathematics Periodic Review
suggested that:– more explicit integration of transferable skills into the
curriculum would benefit students– the School should make efforts to encourage independent
learning – all students should undertake a project or an equivalent
substantial piece of independent work Information Literacy has a high profile at
Leeds – Information Literacy Strategy was introduced in 03/04– transferable skills are integrated into the curriculum of many
degree programmes Nagging!
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Where to begin?!
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With questions, questions and more questions…
Who are these students? What other subjects are they taught? How are they taught by the School? Where are they taught by the School? How are modules normally assessed? Do they use the Library? When, how and why? What sort of IL skills do they already have? What sort of IL skills should they have? Do they use the VLE? What’s the best/most appropriate way to assess an IL
module? Are there any other similar modules being run at Leeds or
elsewhere? Is there any useful literature about this? Guidelines from
professional bodies?
Leeds University Library
Undergraduate Mathematics at Leeds
Large School - around 500 undergraduates Majority enrolled on BSc Mathematics or Mathematical
Studies – emphasis on pure mathematics Traditional teaching methods Modules are largely exam based with a minimum course work
requirement Little or no project work (and independent learning?) Very low users of the Library (print and electronic) Lack of studies skills/learning skills modules which are now
common in many Schools MMATH 4th year option with project requirement
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The solution?
MATH3000 Information skills in Mathematics Compulsory for Level 3 – 135 students 10 credit module To be taken over 2 semesters:
– Semester 1: IL skills training and mathematical word processing
– Semester 2: Project work to further put into practice IL skills and mathematical report writing
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Module objectives Develop a systematic search strategy to
find high quality material on a given topic Use the Library Catalogue to find books Use a bibliographical database to find
journal articles Use the web to search for quality academic
information Evaluate the material found in terms of
quality and reliability Use a systematic referencing convention
IL workshops and assignment 25% of module mark
Word processed mathematical text: an optional demo class – 15% of module mark
Project (mini literature review): tutor lead – 60% of module mark
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Teaching sessions
Introductory lecture – Introduction to research skills, module outline and
assessment requirements – Delivered in conjunction with the Director of
Undergraduate Studies
Computer cluster hands-on workshops– Workshop 1 : Literature searching – Workshop 2: Finding quality information on the
web and plagiarism/referencing
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Workshops and teaching material
Students were split into 3 workshop groups Each session began with a short PowerPoint
introduction and demos/class exercises Followed by hands-on training using:
– Task-based workbooks with strong subject specific focus – Combination of paper-based exercises and online tutorials – Answer sheets provided at the end of each session
Material was made available on the Library website A colleague attended to assist with class support
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The assignment A research log documenting the search, evaluation
and referencing of material on a particular topic Students were asked to demonstrate they could:
– construct an effective search strategy– understand how to use Boolean logic to combine
search terms– evaluate the material found – cite the resources they found in a consistent way
using the Numeric Style of referencing A list of 30 possible topics were provided by the
School and students were free to select a subject of interest to them from this list
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Assignment outline
Find 2 books, 3 journals articles and 4 web resources:
1. Define your information need2. Use the Library Catalogue to find books3. Use Web of Science to find journal articles 4. Find and evaluate web resources5. Write your bibliography
1,200 word limit excluding references 2 weeks to submit
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Marking and feedback
Marking scheme– Each component of the research log was weighted with an
appropriate mark – Marks also awarded for overall level of understanding,
clarity and presentation
Marking split 50/50 with the Director of Undergraduate studies
– Model answer provided– Moderated marking on a small sample of assignments
Summative and formative feedback given to students
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How did they do? Results were fairly encouraging the majority of marks
were in the 70% to 80% range Most had been able to apply the techniques taught in
class to their own work (to varying degrees) Boolean logic is easy for Mathematicians A more thorough evaluation of the books and journal
articles selected was needed in most cases They did better evaluating web resources Students were clearly unpractised in academic
writing International students really struggled
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Getting feedback from students
Feedback forms were sent via email to all students after assignments were submitted
They were asked to comment on: – Teaching materials– Class exercises– Delivery of teaching– Clarity of the assignment outline – Whether the skills they had developed were
adequate for preparation of the assignment Still waiting for the results…………………….
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What went right?
Excellent attendance despite problems
with timetable clashes Teaching material worked very well They took the sessions (and me) seriously! Most students were engaged, asked lots of
questions, paid attention and worked hard during workshops
Workshops were observed by a teaching mentor – her feedback was invaluable
Having colleagues willing to help out during sessions
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A few more successes... Having autonomy over the module syllabus, session
content and assignment requirements Building a relationship with the students over a number
of weeks All assignments were submitted and most were on time Despite having low level IL skills prior to the module
most students seemed to pick-up techniques easily and apply them to their research topics reasonably well
I now regularly see Maths students in the Library!
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What went wrong?
Preparation of teaching materials
and delivery of the workshops was
hugely time consuming Repeat workshop fatigue Timetabling and room booking nightmare! Attempts to make the lecture/workshop talks
interactive went down like a lead balloon! Little practical involvement from the School
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Other improvement opportunities…
Under estimated how much one-to-one support some students needed while completing the assignment – teaching wasn’t over once the workshops had finished
The assignment word limit was set too low – small mistakes can create a lot of extra work!
Inefficient marking methods and time consuming feedback – delayed the return of assignments to students
Low level academic writing skills need to be addressed by the School
Getting module feedback from the students was difficult
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How it will (hopefully) be better next time Get the School to timetable the sessions and book
teaching space Introduce group work activities into workshops Provide a better brief for colleagues assisting with
sessions Re-weight the marking scheme – being unable to give
half marks to individual components is frustrating Give the marking scheme to students Develop a statement bank for feedback and use
assignment feedback forms to speed up the marking process
Develop a better method for obtaining more timely feedback from students – online questionnaire?
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Embedding information literacy in the curriculum - a few tips I picked-up along
the way…
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Know the curriculum
Information Literacy can’t be embedded in the curriculum unless you know what else that curriculum covers:– Academic subjects? – Transferable skills? – Independent learning? – Methods of teaching? – Assessment methods and requirements?
Projects? Essays? Presentations? Posters? Exams?
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Be subject specific
Vital if you want IL training to be relevant, interesting and stimulating to students
Difficult if you don’t have the subject background, but worth the investment in time and brain power! – Look at the content of other modules for that level
or the key textbooks used– Ask for help from the School – do they have a list
of project titles, dissertation topics etc. that might be useful?
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Give justification
Tell students why Information Literacy skills are important– Set IL within the context of good academic
practice– Show how IL skills can be used to improve study
(and marks) at University– Explain how IL skills will be useful in their future
professional careers - and may even help them get a job in the first place!
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Location, location, location… and time
Don’t expect students to come to you - use their normal teaching space
Get your sessions timetabled as part of the overall programme – Ensures a better turnout– Physically and psychologically embeds IL in the
curriculum
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Get academics involved
Ask for input on session content and structure
Invite them to attend your sessions (and get them to help out)
Feedback – Show them student feedback – Give your own – Ask for theirs
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Get involved with assessment
It might be difficult to get directly involved with setting and marking assignments
Instead ask to see examples of good/bad assignments once they have been marked or ask for feedback from academics involved in the marking process: – Did students seem to struggle with a particular
area? – Can your teaching be improved the following year
to tackle this?
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Get support and feedback from colleagues
Peer or mentor teaching observation can be invaluable– Peer observation scheme in operation at Leeds– Has been useful for picking up tips, getting
constructive feedback, building confidence and improving teaching sessions
If you are teaching large groups or repeat sessions ask for help
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And in the future…
Information Skills in Mathematics is a big step forward, but not a fix all solution
Further issues need to be addressed:
– IL at Levels 1 and 2 – IL for postgraduate
students– The generally low levels
of other transferable skills esp. academic writing