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Challenges & Benefits of Teaching Graduate Music Research

This article discusses the issues, challenges, and benefits faced by librarians when teaching the graduate music research course. It covers topics such as class format, engagement methods, international students, and impact on librarianship.

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Challenges & Benefits of Teaching Graduate Music Research

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  1. The Librarian as Instructor: Issues, Challenges & Benefits of Teaching the Graduate Music Research Course Michael J. Duffy, Western Michigan University Anne Shelley, Illinois State University Joe Clark, Kent State University Midwest Chapter Meeting of the Music Library Association October 14, 2016

  2. Introduction • How this panel came about • What we’ll be covering • Intro to our roles as course instructors • Class format and tools  • Methods of engagement • International students • Impact on our approach to librarianship/takeways for audience

  3. The Librarian as Instructor: Issues, Challenges & Benefits of Teaching the Graduate Music Research Course Joe Clark Kent State University

  4. Background & Logistics Why me? Contract & finances Who takes this class? Course offering, and how it fits into student curriculum Grading

  5. Course Objectives That you become independent in research and writing, and understand the nature of music literature. That you understand the library and its resources. That a link is drawn between musicological research and practical music making through the study of historical performance practices.

  6. Class Format & Tools Hybrid course – 8 class meetings over 16 weeks Heavy use of Blackboard Use Sampsel’sMusic Research: A Handbook, 2nd ed.; Turabian is recommended

  7. Engaging the Students • As practical as possible • Students select their topics of study • Creation of bios & CVs • Benefits and difficulties of the hybrid format • Assignment due weekly, with email reminders • Student presentations in class • Some work is done in class; “flipped” • Peer feedback on discussion board posts

  8. Assignments & Point Breakdown Quizzes (5; 40 pts each) - 200 points Journal Review - 100 points Review or Program Notes - 100 points Final Exam - 100 points Annotated Bibliography (includes several assignments) - 400 points Discussion Board posts (5; 20 pts each) - 100 points Total 1000 points; now using plus and minus letter grades

  9. Rise of the International Student 2012 – 29% 2013 – 36% 2014 – 38% 2015 – 48% 2016 – 50%

  10. International Students Language issues, especially with terminology Plagiarism Reluctance to ask questions Battles with applied faculty over assignments & library hours Written final exam; everything else is “open book” and outside of class Solutions? Currently working on a glossary

  11. Impact on My Day Job Informing students about what librarians can offer Burns and Harper found that some students do not understand the role of a librarian, associating them with only “hard-copy materials and stack locations” (2007, 11).

  12. How Students View Librarians: D’Couto and Rosenhan : “out of touch, or focused on search processes over the subject matter” (2015, 571). “students were much more likely to ask faculty for assistance in finding resources before asking a librarian” (2015, 571). “Students seemed relatively unaware of most resources and the availability of assistance within the library” (2015, 572).

  13. Miller and Murillo “students will seek help from those with whom they have established relationships” (2012, 69). “…students did not necessarily know what librarians could do” (2012, 53). “A number of students indicated that they were unsure which members of staff even where librarians” (2012, 53).

  14. Positive Impacts Personal relationships A better understanding of students’ actual abilities vs their perceived abilities Improved sense of where student research interests lie Learn about common research problems

  15. References Burns, Vicki and KennHarper. “Asking Students about Their Research.” In Studying Students: The Undergraduate Research Project at the University of Rochester,” edited by Nancy Fried Foster and Susan Gibbons, 7-15. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2007. D’Couto Michelle and Serena H. Rosenhan.“How Students Research: Implications for the Library and Faculty.” Journal of Library Administration 55 (2015): 562-576. Miller, Susan and Nancy Murillo. “Why Don’t Students Ask Librarians for Help? Undergraduate Help-Seeking Behavior in Three Academic Libraries.” In College Libraries and Student Culture: What We Now Know, edited by Lynda M. Duke and Andrew D. Asher, 49-70. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012.

  16. More References Sampsel, Laurie. Music Research: A Handbook. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 8th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013.

  17. Michael Duffy Performing Arts Librarian, Western Michigan University michael.duffy@wmich.edu

  18. Role as Instructor • Two institutions • Northern Illinois University • Fall 2003 • Spring 2007 • Western Michigan University • Spring 2015 • Fall 2015 • Spring 2016

  19. Class Format and Tools • NIU • In person, 3 days a week for 50 minutes • Used Blackboard for course management • WMU, different each time • Spring 2015, 2 days a week for 75 minutes • Fall 2015, 2 days a week for 50 minutes, supplemented by online activities • Spring 2016, 1 day a week for 75 minutes, supplemented by online activities • Used Desire2Learn for course management and asynchronous instruction

  20. Class format and tools • Different letter grading systems at each institution • NIU A = 90-100 B = 80-89 C = 70-79 D = 60-69 F = 59 or below • WMU A = 93-100 BA = 88-92 B = 83-87 CB = 78-82 C = 73-77 DC = 68-72 D = 60-67 E = 59 or below

  21. Methods of Engagement • Resource Evaluation • Individuals assigned reference resources, synchronous instruction • Group assigned reference resources, asynchronous instruction • Discussion • Focused Questioning • Assignments • Annotated Bibliography • Term Paper • Supplementary Assignments – academic life skills

  22. International Students • Present in every section I have taught at both institutions • Language Barrier • Campus Support Services • Writing Center • Other services for international students • Individual Meetings • Ethics of Research and Writing

  23. Impact on Approach to Librarianship • Intentional Interactions with Students • Information Literacy Instruction • Opportunities to interact with students • Attend Performances • Participate in Collegium Musicum • Involved Participant in the Education of our Students

  24. Resources Columb, Gregory G., and Joseph M. Williams. “Instructor’s Guide: A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, by Kate L. Turabian. http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_instructor_guide.pdf. Sampsel, Laurie. Music Research: A Handbook. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Scott, Allen. Sourcebook for Research in Music. 3rd ed. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2015. Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 8th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013.

  25. Librarian as Instructor: Teaching Graduate Music Research Methods Anne Shelley Illinois State University

  26. Role As Instructor • Regular Job • Full-time NTT librarian • Liaison, selector • Acting department head • Course Instructor • Separate NTT contract

  27. Class Format And Tools • Traditional face-to-face, < 25students • Fall semester only • Twice weekly, 75-minute class • Sakai, branded ReggieNet • for class communication, readings, assignments, handouts, etc. • Music Research, 2nded. by Laurie Sampsel • Supplemental readings

  28. Assessment • Four research assignments • Dictionaries and encyclopedias  • Library catalogs and periodical indexes  • Other reference tools (thematic catalogs, bio-bibs, etc.)  • Scores and score indexes • Quiz after each assignment

  29. Assessment, continued • Seven writing assignments, some scaffold to a research paper • Artist bio  • 3 Topic proposals* • Program notes  • Annotated bibliography* • Outline* • Draft paper* • Final paper*

  30. Assessment, continued more • Exam  • Presentation  • Participation  • Informal assessment from class sessions  • Review worksheets completed in class • Groups report to rest of class • Discussion

  31. Engaging Students • Lecture • Discussion • Activities • Topic development • Writing styles • Academic integrity/citation • Resource evaluation

  32. Engaging Students - Activities • Writing Styles (Group) • Congratulations! You clicked on the uniform title for The Rite of Spring and discovered a recording titled Ritus des Frühlings, an arrangement for German polka band. Tell the world about your finding in… • A tweet • A conversation with your best friend from high school • A scholarly journal article

  33. Engaging Students - Surveys • Beginning of semester • Anonymous (spectrum) • Some of my happiest hours have been spent in libraries • Declared • About them, goals for the course, things I should know • Shorter surveys later in semester  • One thing I will remember in five years is...  • One thing we covered in class that I don't understand well is...

  34. International Students • Confidence/comfort varies depending on year in program (1st year vs. 2nd)  • Language challenges  • Writing—meanings of words, sentence structure  • Confidence speaking in front of class • Academic integrity  • Writing Center

  35. Impact on Librarianship • Instruction • Think more about session outcomes • More clear in conveying my expectations/providing direction to students • Reference • Increase in number of questions • Wider variety of questions • Topic development  • Forming a thesis statement • Source evaluation • Stronger Relationship with Students • More interactions from students not in my class • Attend more performances (ensembles/recitals)

  36. Thank you!Questions & discussion Joe Clark: jclark88@kent.edu Michael Duffy: michael.duffy@wmich.edu Anne Shelley: anne.shelley@ilstu.edu

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