Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Building A Unified Data And Information Literacy Program: A Collaborative Approach To Instruction, Megan Bresnahan, Andrew Johnson

Library Instruction West 2014

As information literacy needs of graduate students change and expand, library initiatives should respond with approaches that align holistically with users’ perspectives by incorporating areas like research data into existing information literacy instruction programs. This presentation will provide a model for subject and instruction librarians to use to promote their skills and expertise within their organizations’ existing or yet to be developed research data efforts. For institutions that already have positions dedicated to research data, subject and instruction librarians can learn how to market their value in enhancing research data instruction. At libraries where research data services are nascent or …

Flashlight: Using Bizup's Beam To Illuminate The Rhetoric Of Research, Kate Rubick

Library Instruction West 2014

Have you noticed that the way we typically describe information sources has more to do with what the sources are than on what writers might do with them? In Fall 2013, an instruction librarian at Lewis & Clark College partnered with a professor teaching Rhetorical Criticism to depart from the traditional, search-oriented library instruction session. Instead the librarian guided students as they critically appraised the works cited in a peer reviewed journal article using the rhetorical vocabulary of BEAM.

Join us as we explore BEAM as one tool for framing processes of academic research and writing. And be a part …

More Than Words: Survey Software For Active Learning, Flipped Instruction And Formative Assessment, Meredith Farkas

Library Instruction West 2014

Survey software is used in many libraries for creating needs assessments, in-class quizzes, and more. Tools like Google Forms, Survey Monkey, and Qualtrics are not only useful for collecting information from students, but can also be powerful tools for learning. Most survey software these days allow you to insert text, images, video and links, enabling you to provide instruction within the context of an online worksheet. In this session, you will hear from a librarian -- who has used survey software to create pre-assignments, flipped instruction, full tutorials, and, yes, surveys -- how to capitalize on the sophisticated features of …

Instructional Diversity: A Blended Model For Sustainable Il Programming, Joan Morrison, Jody Nelson

Library Instruction West 2014

Faced with the challenge to reduce face-to-face instruction hours, the MacEwan University Library instruction team initiated a redesign of our IL program for first-year undergraduates. Our goal: to create a sustainable IL instruction model that could be managed by our instruction team, reduce duplication of content and effort, incorporate both online and in-person instruction and promote self-directed learning opportunities through a new Learning Commons. We successfully piloted the new model in Fall 2013, with full implementation planned for Fall 2014. In this session we will share details of our blended instruction model, which incorporates: timely face-to-face classroom visits, online learning …

Borrow Globally, Recycle Locally: Repurposing Genius Ideas To Meet Your Goals At Your Institution, Mark Lenker, Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol

Library Instruction West 2014

As soon as we saw it, we fell in love with the North Carolina State University Libraries’ amazing “Mobile Scavenger Hunt.” It represents the perfect application of mobile technology (iPod Touch devices networked with the Evernote content sharing system) to engage students while they learn about NCSU’s wealth of library resources. But NCSU is a very large institution (34,000+ students) with a reputation for cutting-edge library initiatives. How could we make their program work at a smaller institution like ours (< 5,000 students)? By working really hard, refusing to take ourselves too seriously, and being willing to try things out before they were completely perfected, we were able to treat our first-year seminar students to “Library vs. Wild,” a fast-paced, active-learning game in which students work together to explore the far reaches of the information wilderness. We’ll share how we adapted NCSU’s game to work for our library, our learning outcomes, and our personality.

Data Literacy: Something For Everyone, Heather Whipple

Library Instruction West 2014

Have you ever wanted to infuse your teaching with one of your passions that is not commonly associated with information literacy? More specifically, have you ever been curious about including hip-hop themes, metaphors, or other hip-hop-related content in your IL instruction? In this panel discussion grounded in critical pedagogy, social justice discourse, and the politics of including hip-hop in the college classroom, attendees will hear the strategies and experiences of four instruction librarians with varied hip-hop familiarity, from novice to fan to emcee. Panelists will describe teaching research concepts through hip-hop metaphors, teaching library databases through interpreting/annotating rap lyrics, and …

Reuse And Recycle: Award Winning Info Lit Tutorial, Sarah Fay Philips

Library Instruction West 2014

Humboldt State University has modified the award-winning “Begin Research” online tutorial developed by the University of California, Irvine Library into a flash-free interface on Drupal. The open-source tutorial is now accessible on mobile devices and has additional options for embedded assessment. This presentation will demonstrate how the tutorial has been adapted and used at universities across the country, and how your Library can modify it to use on your campus for interactive and engaging online information literacy instruction. I will also discuss the challenges faced during the adaptation and how they were resolved through collaboration with partnerships across campus.

Code-Switching Learning Outcomes Using Digital Badges: Opening Our Learning Outcomes To Our Learners, Nicholas Schiller

Library Instruction West 2014

Many of us want our library instruction programs to be centered on our students. Many of the best practices for student centered instruction involve outcomes assessment methods. There is an unfortunate disconnect between the specialized language generated by outcomes assessment methods and the everyday language used by students. All too often the outcomes we want our students to reach are not written in language our students can read.

This session will examine how digital badges are an ideal tool for code-switching (or switching between more and less formal dialects) dense academic language into language targeted for beginning scholars. Using the …

Give A Flip: Making Library Instruction Scalable And Sustainable Through Inversion, Alan Aldrich, Carol A. Leibiger

Library Instruction West 2014

Instructional librarians are challenged to address issues of scalability and sustainability in ways that foster instructional creativity. As a result of a South Dakota Board of Regents mandate, IL instruction is required in four general- education courses at the University of South Dakota (USD). The resulting heavy volume of instruction poses problems of scalability and quality for the library faculty. This presentation by the University Libraries' instructional design team (IDT) demonstrates how inverted or flipped instruction can be used to provide scalable sustainable and effective information literacy (IL) instruction. We include a discussion of the affordances and constraints of inverted …

How Librarians Are Winning The West: Development Of A Scalable Digital Learning Badges Program For Information And Research Proficiency, Bee Gallegos, Kevin Pardon

Library Instruction West 2014

Digital learning badges offer an innovative approach to foster student success within the higher education learning environment. At Arizona State University, the need to reach transfer students was the impetus for creation of a digital learning badges project that offers librarians a mechanism to sequence and assess instruction within the University’s New College curriculum, provides faculty with a menu of choices to match skills with course goals, and is sustainable across disciplines, instructional formats and campuses. A team of librarians representing multiple disciplines, in collaboration with faculty and online staff, developed this pilot program for students to learn and demonstrate …

Evaluation Of Sources: A New Sustainable Approach Using Argument Analysis And Critical Thinking, Sharon Radcliff, Elise (Yi Ling) Wong

Library Instruction West 2014

An area of information literacy instruction that has increasingly gained attention is evaluation of sources. Moving away from the checklist approach (timeliness, relevancy, bias, credibility, authority), this session describes a new approach incorporating critical thinking questions and training for students on analyzing arguments using the Toulmin method, which students apply to evaluating articles and to detecting “myside” (confirmation) bias in their own writing.

This approach was used at two institutions, a 2-unit information literacy course at CSU East Bay and several sections of an English Composition course Saint Mary’s College and incorporated a “flipped classroom” design with much of the …

Leveraging Adult Learning Theory With Online Tutorials, Rebecca Halpern, Chimene Tucker

Library Instruction West 2014

Adult learners are a quickly growing population on university campuses. While there is a fair amount of research on the differences in adult learning pedagogies, most information literacy literature focuses on undergraduate skills and competencies. At the same time, more and more adult learners are harnessing the flexibility of online programs to get their degrees. How can we best leverage what we know about adult learning theories with sustainable, scalable, and engaging online learning modules?
Rebecca Halpern is the librarian for the online Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern California. One of her biggest projects is …

Leveraging Adult Learning Theory With Online Learning Modules, Rebecca Halpern, Chimene Tucker

Library Instruction West 2014

Adult learners are a quickly growing population on university campuses. While there is a fair amount of research on the differences in adult learning pedagogies, most information literacy literature focuses on undergraduate skills and competencies. At the same time, more and more adult learners are harnessing the flexibility of online programs to get their degrees. How can we best leverage what we know about adult learning theories with sustainable, scalable, and engaging online learning modules?
Rebecca Halpern is the librarian for the online Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern California. One of her biggest projects is …

Badge It! Using Digital Badges To Certify Information Literacy Skills Within Disciplinary Curriculum, Emily Ford, Betty T. Izumi, Jost Lottes, Dawn Richardson

Library Instruction West 2014

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to discuss the collaborative learning outcomes-based approach taken by a librarian and disciplinary faculty members to improve information literacy (IL) curriculum within disciplinary courses. To this end, the team aimed to award badges to certify IL skills.

Design/methodology/approach – This article considers relevant literature on competency-based curriculum, technological innovation in higher education, collaboration between library and disciplinary faculty and badges. This literature is used to frame the approach to plan a successful and sustainable project to embed IL in disciplinary curriculum using digital badges. The approach includes mapping learning outcomes and engaging …

How It Got Here: Teaching 'Format As Process' In An Era Of Web-Scale Discovery, Kevin Seeber

Library Instruction West 2014

What has the growth in web-scale discovery services meant for information literacy instruction? And what kind of threshold concepts do students need to grasp before they can use these tools effectively? This presentation addresses the concept of “format as process,” which emphasizes that evaluating information should focus on how it was produced, rather than how it is accessed. As students navigate discovery tools which combine a wide variety of source types into a single results list, their understanding of this concept is vital to evaluating resources and selecting those which are the most relevant. Learn about how “format as process” …

Step Away From The Computer! Successful Information Literacy Instruction And Improved Student Learning Without Technology, Nancy Noe

Library Instruction West 2014

Too often, librarians equate information literacy instruction with technology. Newer teaching spaces equipped with the latest technologies and online instruction modules have almost become synonymous with student learning. While it is true that many of today's students use any number of emerging and digital technologies, their use alone does not automatically guarantee success, while few libraries may have the resources to "keep up." Current neuroscience and cognition research actually suggest that the use of technologies may actually be a barrier to student learning, particularly when it comes to higher order thinking. This session provides an overview of present brain research …

Badge It! Using Digital Badges To Certify Information Literacy Skills Within Disciplinary Curriculum, Emily Ford, Jost Lottes, Betty T. Izumi, Dawn Richardson

Library Instruction West 2014

As technology in higher education rapidly changes, new pedagogical tools are being tested, developed, and implemented. Digital badges systems are one such tool that can be used to certify student skills and competencies, including information literacy skills. Despite new teaching technologies and pedagogical approaches, it remains difficult for instruction librarians to lead experimentation. As a result, librarians depend on collaborative relationships with disciplinary faculty to experiment with pedagogies and tools like badging. At Portland State University, however, librarians are leading a collaborative digital badges project with Community Health Faculty to develop, deliver, assess, and track student achievements in information literacy. …

Teaching “Format As A Process” In An Era Of Web-Scale Discovery, Kevin Seeber

Library Instruction West 2014

Purpose- Advancements in online discovery require academic librarians to develop new means of teaching and assessing information literacy, with an emphasis on having students employ critical thinking to evaluate sources.

Design/methodology/approach- This conceptual paper analyzes how the threshold concept “format as a process” could be incorporated into information literacy instruction sessions which address web-scale discovery services and other online search tools. General guidelines for applying this concept are included, along with potential classroom activities and assessments.

Findings- Format as a process provides a valuable framework for evaluating information, though librarians need to be mindful of how they present the concept …

Situating Information Literacy In The Disciplines: New Opportunities For Sustainable Instruction, William Badke, Robert Farrell

Library Instruction West 2014

Information literacy educators continue to struggle to get significant instruction into the curriculum through the use of “one-shot” sessions that focus on inculcating generic IL skills. In response, librarians have turned to "embedding" or "situating" discipline-specific IL learning opportunities within disciplinary curricula. But given the limited resources and staff time of most academic libraries, how can we develop and ensure sustainable relationships with the many disciplines on our campuses? Presenters William Badke (Trinity Western University, British Columbia) and Robert Farrell (Lehman College, City University of New York) will highlight systematic theoretical and practical approaches to developing sustainable collaborative relationships with …

Upcycling Instruction: Developing Efficient Approaches To Working With Experienced Researchers, April Aultman Becker, Veronica Arellano Douglas

Library Instruction West 2014

Our classrooms aren’t always filled with wide-eyed freshman and novice researchers. Many of the students we teach are thesis writers, experienced researchers, and professional practitioners. Through teaching this population, instruction librarians quickly learn that possession of subject expertise and research experience is not necessarily a guarantee that students will have mastered efficient, productive information seeking behavior. Addressing these gaps in research and information literacy knowledge takes some finesse. Through a combination of discussion and activities, we’ll investigate the unique challenges and pedagogical opportunities that accompany teaching advanced students and researchers. Attendees will leave with practical ideas that they can incorporate …

The Value Of Narrative Methods For Library Instruction, Joseph Holterman, Jennifer Turner

Library Instruction West 2014

While serving as a guide to students who are seeking information, an instruction librarian might present a research process as an unfolding ‘story.’ This session will explore several ways that such stories can enliven our instructional presentations and serve a creative and engaging purpose. Although the presentation will introduce flexible ideas that could be applied to a variety of goals and objectives, we will focus on library instruction with undergraduate students, typically within their academic major. The presentation will suggest concrete ways to develop inquiry-based instruction and lead toward the integration of library instruction with an information literacy program.

Let Wikipedia Through The Gates!: A Trojan Horse Approach To Information Literacy, John Thomas Oliver

Library Instruction West 2014

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate which learning targets can be achieved by using Wikipedia as a tool for teaching information literacy within the context of brief one-shot library instruction sessions.

Design/methodology/approach – In this case study, a Wikipedia-editing activity was incorporated into 2-hour one-shot instruction sessions. A variety of qualitative data were collected during these sessions: Student reflections during a facilitated discussion, student responses to exit-survey questions and instructor observations about the extent to which students completed Wikipedia-editing tasks.

Findings – Students found Wikipedia-editing activities and Wikipedia-related discussions engaging, and as a result they seemed …

Piloting A Blended Model For Sustainable Il Programming, Jody Nelson, Joan Morrison, Lindsey Whitson

Library Instruction West 2014

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the MacEwan University Library’s successful pilot of a fully blended information literacy (IL) instruction program for first-year English courses. Development, implementation and assessment of the pilot prior to full implementation are discussed.

Design/methodology/approach – The new sustainable blended model for the English Library Instruction Program reduced duplication of content and effort, incorporated online and in-person instruction and promoted self-directed learning opportunities through a new Learning Commons. This model places essential instruction online while maintaining personal relationships for students with the English Librarian and the Library through multiple points of interaction. Face-to-face instruction efforts …

How Can We Make Library Research A Little Wild? Make It Natural!, Jared Burton

Library Instruction West 2014

Incorporating a nature tour into a Library Research Strategies course at Mt. San Antonio College (Walnut, California), my class took a guided tour of local ecosystems at the campus Wildlife Sanctuary as part of a larger lesson plan. The lesson plan consisted of four main parts: 1) Students formed five groups based on the ecological zones represented in the Wildlife Sanctuary; 2) Each group conducted research on their ecological zone, utilizing a variety of print and electronic library resources; 3) Based on their research, each group crafted informational questions which they were instructed to ask the tour guide (the “expert”) …

Live The Question, Love The Question: Embracing Inquiry-Based Learning In The One-Shot, Zoe Fisher

Library Instruction West 2014

Do you want your students to ask better research questions? As teachers, we know that the ability to ask authentic, meaningful questions is one of the most important qualities in a successful learner. Learning how to ask questions takes practice. In this session, participants will discover active learning strategies for encouraging inquiry in the library classroom. These flexible activities emphasize inquiry-based learning and can be adapted to fit any library instruction session. All of these activities have been successfully used by the presenter in a fast-paced community college setting.

Using Anonymous(Ish) Google Spreadsheets To Enhance Student Engagement, Elizabeth Mcmunn-Tetangco

Library Instruction West 2014

Google spreadsheets can add value and engagement to library instruction sessions – and since they are free, they don’t tax already-burdened pocketbooks. Hear about how the UC Merced Library uses semi-anonymous Google spreadsheets to allow students to experiment with search techniques and learn directly from each other. Creating semi-privacy for students allows them to take risks and learn from the ideas of others in a non-threatening classroom environment that allows for experimentation and easy, immediate feedback. Tips and ideas will be included, along with a demonstration of how to create a Google spreadsheet, how to use it in a class, …

Making Information Literacy Assessment Sustainable Through Collaboration At The University Of Idaho, Diane Prorak

Library Instruction West 2014

We collaborate on course-integrated instruction – why not on assessment? The University of Idaho Library was applying (successfully) for the ACRL Assessment in Action (AiA) Program at the same time that the UI General Education Program was beginning formal assessment of its recently adopted curriculum. We joined forces with General Education for a sustainable, collaborative assessment project in which first-year students in Integrated Seminar courses write two essays on the University “common read” book -- one essay at the beginning of the semester and one at the end (with library instruction in between). Students are required to find and cite …

Comics In Class: Assessing Metacognition In Graphical Research Narratives, Margot Hanson, Michelle Van Hoeck

Library Instruction West 2014

Instruction librarians often recommend assignments such as reflective essays and research diaries to encourage metacognition about the research process. In an effort to introduce students to the practice of metacognition in a fun and engaging way, two instruction librarians created a graphical narrative assignment for freshmen, using comics software called Comic Life. The presenters will share the metacognition rubric they developed to assess and compare student research comics with reflective essays assigned in previous semesters. Finally, presenters will share the results of their analysis comparing rubric scores for significant differences between the two instruction methods. While the graphical narrative assignment …

More Than A Citation Manager: Zotero For Scalable Embedded Librarianship And Instruction Assessment, Rebecca Kuglitsch

Library Instruction West 2014

Embedded librarianship via class attendance or course management system has been successful in extending the reach of library instruction beyond the single class session, yet it raises concerns about scalability and sustainability. However, librarians can effectively and sustainably extend their instructional reach into the classroom without requiring their actual presence or use of a course management system by using the group library feature of Zotero to communicate with students. Not only does using the group library make effective use of limited librarian time, it also leaves the students with citation management skills and the librarian with a new way to …

More = Better: A Rubric-Based Evaluation Of Librarian Course Collaborations At The First Year, Natalie Tagge, Sara Lowe, Char Booth, Sean Stone

Library Instruction West 2014

In the summer of 2013, the Claremont Colleges Library undertook a rubric-based assessment of Pitzer College First-Year Seminar papers to determine if librarian course interventions had an impact on information literacy (IL) performance in student writing. Findings indicate that progressive degrees of librarian collaboration in two distinct areas (research instruction and/or faculty syllabus consultation) had a marked and statistically significant impact on student IL skills. This presentation will discuss our findings and suggest strategies at the individual and program level that contribute to effective course collaboration frameworks in the first year and beyond. These include outcomes-focused teaching, ongoing professional development …