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Creative Solutions through Collaboration

Creative Solutions through Collaboration. Information Literacy for a Large First-Year Biology Class. Wendy Rodgers & Pamela Jacobs University of Guelph Library Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

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Creative Solutions through Collaboration

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  1. Creative Solutions through Collaboration Information Literacy for a Large First-Year Biology Class Wendy Rodgers & Pamela Jacobs University of Guelph Library Guelph, Ontario, Canada

  2. “A lecture and laboratory course which introduces the concepts and controversies in contemporary biology and their implications.” About the Course

  3. History: July 1998 • Faculty members approach library • Faculty and library plan 1 hour lecture and 1 hour ‘library lab’ with assignment

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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. . .

  7. Methodology • Determined course needs • Explored existing tutorials • Learned course software • Developed & tested modules • Started small

  8. 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”

  9. 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.”

  10. What they Liked • Targeted content • Finding a topic • Understanding primary literature

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. Fall 2001: The First Big Run • 1400 students • 3 module tutorial, quiz and survey PLUS • 30 minute live tour with Library T.A.

  14. What We Changed • Section on finding a topic We added hierarchy & made the section optional. • Section on printing, saving, e-mailing We eliminated it & referred to database help. • Call number section We eliminated it & gave link to Library Ed. • No feedback from quiz We added feedback for each answer.

  15. Coordinator’s Feedback • Doing a search with the right terms We made our examples more complex, therefore more realistic. • Primary & secondary literature We inserted a piece into the lab manual FAQ, showing diagram from tutorial.

  16. 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

  17. 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

  18. 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)

  19. Overall Value • Quite consistent over 5 semesters: • 85% Excellent or Good • 13% Fair • 2% Poor

  20. Quiz Results • 82.6% to 86.3%

  21. Time to Complete • 2% > 2 hours • 52.3% between 30-60 minutes • 24.5% took < 30 minutes

  22. 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

  23. Facilities Challenges • Library provided space for T.A. consultations • Fall 2002: long disruptive lineups • Workstation availability

  24. Tutorial “Omissions” • Things mentioned on the tour • Things mentioned in tutorial • Things associated with course • Subjects other than biology • Other needs: citations, plagiarism

  25. 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

  26. Recurring Theme • Knowledge begets confidence: • “It gave me the confidence to use the library services and meet the reference desk clan.”

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