Creating effective - PowerPoint Presentation

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Creating effective Research assignments

Megan Lowe, Coordinator of Public ServicesSlide2

Session Overview

Gripe Session

Assumptions & MisconceptionsTeaching Students to Assess

Elements of Ineffective Assignments

Elements of Effective Assignments

Benefits of Effective Assignments

Q & A TimeSlide3

Gripe Session - Prompts

What excuses do your students give you for late or sub-par work?How often do you deal with plagiarism?How often do your students tell you “The Library didn’t have anything on my topic”?

Do you find yourself extending deadlines frequently?Are you shocked by how much of the students’ research comes from the Internet?Does it bewilder you that they would use the Internet so much for serious/professional research, versus the Library?Slide4

Gripe Session – Get It All Out!Slide5

Assumptions & Misconceptions…

…about students…about assignments…about library resources

…about librariansSlide6

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Students

Students know how to researchIf they don’t, they’ll learn independentlyThey understand the importance of research

They know how to use the libraryThey wrote research papers in high schoolThey learn about writing research papers in the English comps classesStudents are technology-savvy

Students plagiarize on purposeSlide7

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Students

They’ll ask questions if they don’t understand somethingThe students have the syllabus; they know when assignments are due

They will ask the librarians for help if they have problems doing researchThey’ll use the library’s resources if I forbid them to use the InternetStudents will go to the Write Place for helpStudents possess critical thinking skillsSlide8

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Students

Unfortunately, research debunks many of these assumptions

Numerous and continuing studies on library anxiety in undergraduates indicate that they haven’t overcome itUndergraduates

are afraid to ask for help

, either from librarians or teaching faculty

Standardized testing in K-12 has

reduced the amount of college preparation

students are receiving

Students are tech-savvy about certain things, namely social media, but

not necessarily about tech in general

Plagiarism is rampant because students truly

don’t understand what it is and how to avoid itSlide9

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Students

Debunking assumptions, continuedStudents in general

do not time-manage wellThey’re not so good about reading and reviewing syllabi, or

adhering to deadlines

Writing is

NOT

the same as researching –

English comps teach students to write, NOT to research

Students

will still go to the Internet for research

, even if they’re forbidden

Students

do not necessarily make contact with the Library and its resources

, and usually won’t unless they HAVE to – they don’t seek them out independentlySlide10

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Students

Debunking assumptions, continued

Ultimately, students DO NOT understandWhat research is and how important it is

The concept of

authority

What scholarly communication is

What the process of research accomplishes

Information-seeking strategies

Differences between resources

How to articulate ideasSlide11

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Assignments

The requirements of the assignment are clearThe assignment is appropriate for the classThe resource requirements for the assignment are clear

The resource requirements for the assignment are reasonableStudents won’t use the Internet for this assignment if they are forbidden to in the requirementsThe students have enough time to complete the assignmentSlide12

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Assignments

The students are prepared for the assignmentAll the students’ questions about the assignment have been asked and answeredThe students have access to a copy of the assignment and examples of completed/acceptable versions of the assignment

The assignment is up-to-date and has been tested recently for appropriateness (i.e., I’ve completed the assignment myself recently)Slide13

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Assignments

Debunking assumptionsIt never hurts to check an assignment carefully and make sure it doesn’t fall into any of these assumptions/misconceptions

Students often do not understand assignments but are

afraid to ask for clarification

Students complain that professors

won’t answer emails about assignments

Students don’t understand

“what the professor wants!”

in an assignmentSlide14

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Assignments

Debunking assumptions, continuedStudents

want to provide the “right” answer and simply complete the assignment; the process doesn’t interest them – they want to fulfill the requirements of the assignment and get it done

Sometimes an assignment

seems

clear

to us, but we are, of course, more sophisticated and prepared

Sometimes an assignment is more advanced than the class is – make sure

the assignment is reasonable for your students’ levelSlide15

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Resources

The Library has the resources students needThe Library has the journals students needThe Library has the books students needStudents are familiar with the Library’s resources

Students know how to navigate librariesResources change very little, and, when they do, notifications are sent outResources don’t go awaySlide16

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Resources

Students always have access to resources when they need themStudents will ask for help with resources they find difficult to navigate

Students understand the differences between different kinds of resourcesStudents understand how to use resources to complete assignmentsStudents understand the roles resources play in their assignments, research and otherwiseSlide17

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Resources

Again, research suggests that all of these are not the case in the least.Our millennials

are called “digital natives,” meaning they’ve grown up with technology…but this does not guarantee skill

with technology

, only that it’s familiar and somewhat omnipresent

Access to technology

does not guarantee improved academic performance

, nor

necessarily increased access to

quality

informationSlide18

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Resources

With regard to the resources themselves…Resources

*do* change, and sometimes without warning – the Library doesn’t always get a warningResources *do* unfortunately go away

The Board of Regents withdrew its support of the LOUIS consortium – consequently,

we lost a few resources

; however, they have restored some funding, so some resources have likewise been restored, but not all

In the current economic climate, publishers are struggling, too, and

periodicals and databases are sometimes discontinued

for cost-saving reasonsSlide19

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Resources

Debunking resource assumptions, continuedResources – both electronic and print –

are not as intuitive as most librarians and scholars would prefer; consequently, students struggle to understand what

resources can do and

how

to use them, as well as

when

to use them

And despite the decreasing prices of basic computers and laptops, a lot of students

must still rely on the University for accessSlide20

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians

All librarians do is shelve booksAlternately: what do librarians *do* anyway?Librarians can’t help me with my research

The librarians look mean/bored/busyThe librarians don’t understand what I’m looking forThe librarians aren’t helpfulThey’re always busy when I go to the desk

I asked for help before, but the librarian didn’t find me good informationSlide21

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians

Librarians know everything (or, at least, think they do)Librarians can read mindsLibrarians don’t want to collaborate

Librarians don’t want to teachThey usurp teaching faculty as subject specialistsLibrarians aren’t really facultyThey don’t appreciate the needs of my discipline

They don’t appreciate the needs of my students

They don’t appreciate my research needsSlide22

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians

Again, research comes to the fore, with regards to these perceptions.

In order to be an academic librarian, one must obtain an ALA-accredited Master’s degree

Most reference librarians spend a great deal of time

helping others do research as well as conducting their own research, and engaging in activities just like teaching faculty (teaching, publishing, committee work, etc.)Slide23

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians

Debunking assumptions, continuedSometimes, librarians

are busy when we’re at the desk – helping other patrons. It’s the nature of the job. But the

bored/busy thing is not a valid excuse

And it’s true – sometimes librarians don’t know what a patron is looking for, and sometimes librarians do give patrons bad information. But patrons must be willing to communicate with the librarians

. The assistance one receives from a librarian is greatly dependent on how well one communicates one’s needsSlide24

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians

Debunking misconceptions, continuedLibrarians

don’t know everything, and we don’t read minds, unfortunately (it certainly would make helping tongue-tied freshmen a whole lot easier)That’s not to say there aren’t know-it-all librarians.

There’s always a few bad apples in every bunch.

Librarians and faculty have historically had bad relations (like, going WAAAAY back), but there is a

genuine desire on the part of librarians to collaborate with and assist faculty

–

collaboration

makes EVERYTHING better (like a scholarly stew)Slide25

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians

Debunking misconceptions, continued

Librarians have no desire to usurp faculty as subject specialists, though that is the root of the historical enmity between the two groups. Librarians are often called subject specialists, it’s true – but

the librarian’s role in subject specialty is to guide students toward resources in that subject

, not to function as true specialists in the subject

Though a significant number of librarians often have other degrees in other fields and can be considered true subject specialists in those fieldsSlide26

Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians

Debunking assumptions, continued

Librarians – at least, in academic libraries – *are* real faculty. Most are tenure-track or tenured and adhere to the same – or at least similar – requirements that apply to teaching facultyAnd librarians may not intimately and specifically understand a field – after all, they are information science specialists, not true subject specialists – but

they can and want to help students and faculty alike

And only

by working with faculty

can librarians address the needs of students and faculty Slide27

Any Questions Thus Far?Slide28

Teaching Students to Assess

If research was simply the process of finding information, we wouldn’t have any problems allowing students to use WikipediaHowever, legitimate research utilizes legitimate resources

– and legitimate resources are considered quality resourcesSo part of the challenge of teaching students to research is teaching them to evaluate resources for legitimacy and qualitySlide29

Teaching Students to Assess

As students become more familiar with research in their chosen fields, they will more easily recognize legitimate publications and information sources

As experts, you automatically recognize those sources – but students lack that familiarity, and it’s a familiarity that grows only with experienceConsidering the width and breadth of most disciplines,

learning *ALL* the relevant and appropriate publications – periodical, monograph, organization, professional, trade, etc. – in a field is a feat indeedSlide30

Teaching Students to Assess

But before you start feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of teaching students ALL of the appropriate publications in a discipline – whether it’s for an introductory class or a graduate class – there are faster and more universally-applicable ways of evaluating resources

There are two frameworks that can be used to evaluate resources – these frameworks can be applied to any resource, regardless of discipline Slide31

Framework #1: Scholarly vs. Popular

This framework is most often applied to periodicals, but it

can be used for monographs and websites, tooIn this framework, resources are divided into two categories

, scholarly and popular

Scholarly resources

are deemed

acceptable for research

using a list of characteristics

Popular resources

are

NOT deemed acceptable for research

and use a similar list of characteristicsSlide32

Scholarly Resources: Characteristics

Students can use the characteristics as a checklist when assessing a resource for appropriateness

It’s not necessary for all characteristics to be met, and no doubt not all characteristics will be metA good analogy for scholarly resources is

vegetables

– you don’t always want to eat them, but you know you should

I often say: “Rule of thumb: if it sounds like something your professor would approve of (that is, maybe kind of boring), it’s probably scholarly”Slide33

written by experts do not contain ads

covers one subject/discipline very thoroughly intended for people in that discipline or field of study (including practitioners)

uses jargon related to the discipline 

peer-review process

may contain graphics, illustrations, etc.

publishes

real

research (case studies, experiments, etc.)

Scholarly Resources: CharacteristicsSlide34

Journal of the American Medical Association

Shakespeare QuarterlyJournal of NutritionJournal of ER Nursing

Library QuarterlyThe Renaissance QuarterlyTextbooks, books written by experts

Scholarly ExamplesSlide35

Popular Resources: Characteristics

Students can use the characteristics as a checklist when assessing a resource for appropriateness

It’s not necessary for all characteristics to be met, and no doubt not all characteristics will be metA good analogy for scholarly resources is

candy

– it’s not good for you, but it tastes good, and it’s easy to get

I often say: “Rule of thumb: if it sounds like something you’d read while on vacation or standing in line at the grocery store or Wal-Mart, it’s probably popular.”Slide36

mostly written by journalists

usually have lots of adsintended for anybody to readusually covers a variety of topics

Regular language/slangNo peer-review process

has lots of "

purty

" pictures

publishes articles of interest, news, opinion pieces

Evaluating Resources: PopularSlide37

Sports Illustrated

Real Simple

PeopleCosmopolitan

Martha Stewart Living

GQ

Romance novels, pop fiction

Popular ExamplesSlide38

Framework #2: Web Evaluation

This framework is usually used to efficiently and quickly determine whether a website could be used in research, but it can also be used to assess other materials as well

There are no categories in this framework – simply a list of concepts to bear in mind when viewing a resource that one is not sure of

Again, these concepts

can be used as a checklist

when assessing a resource for use in researchSlide39

Framework #2: Concepts

Accuracy – is the information verifiable in other, independent resources?Authority

– what are the credentials of the author(s) or organization(s)?Coverage – how in-depth is the resource? What is its scope?Currency

– how old is the information itself? How old is the resource?

Objectivity

– is there an obvious bias involved?Slide40

Any Questions Thus Far?Slide41

Elements of Ineffective Assignments

Sometimes, on the surface, an assignment seems good and reasonable and totally doable…

…but there may be lurking problemsAnd sometimes there’s operator (that is, student) error, as we’ve discussed

But it is important to understand

the pitfalls that can happen in assignments

, in order to avoid them, or to anticipate problems students may haveSlide42

Ineffective Assignments: Pitfalls

Bear in mind the assumptions and misconceptions – that’s a good place to start. Remember the saying about what happens when you assume

something…Using the same assignment year-to-year means students can get answers from older friends and classmates, instead of doing the work

Resources change, even when they remain

– interfaces, platforms, search functions, these things are not carved in stone, so giving students particular instructions can be trickySlide43

Ineffective Assignments: Pitfalls

Sending a whole class to consult a single resource – like a particular issue of a particular journal –

will only end in tears and confusion and despairWill the nature and/or structure of the assignment encourage plagiarism and/or cheating?

If you want your students to know about a library resource or service – like Interlibrary Loan –

are you

only

making the assignment to force them into contact with it

?Slide44

Ineffective Assignments: Pitfalls

Is the research assignment made at the beginning of the semester – or listed in the syllabus – with little reference to it throughout the rest of the semester? That is: are you actively guiding the students through, holding them accountable

, or are you trusting them (i.e., tossing them in the pool)?When students email you with concerns or questions about assignments, do you respond in a timely manner?Slide45

Ineffective Assignment: Example

The following assignment is from a second-year geography resource courseIt’s a research assignment given at the beginning of the semester, to be turned in by the end of the semesterOn the surface, it seems reasonable – but a closer look reveals some problems

Let’s take a look…Slide46

Geography Course Research Paper Assignment

 Choose one of the following topics:Biodiversity;

Ocean pollution;Transportation of hazardous waste;Desertification; orThe tropical rainforest.

In your paper, discuss:

The nature of the issue

Its natural/biophysical aspects

What has been done on the issue since 1980?

What is being done on the issue currently?

Topics are too general and assume students will be able to narrow the topics into something more manageable.

These requirements are intended to help the student focus and expose them to the literature – but they assume a sophistication with resources and the research process that students don’t possess.

This assignment also involves a great deal of critical thinking, of asking students to evaluate and analyze scholarly resources…students often have problems simply locating scholarly sources; asking them to synthesize multiple sources, at this level, is unrealistic.

It also assumes that the students have functional information-seeking skills.

It’s also not explicit with regard to the professor’s expectations, what kinds of resources will be acceptable, and a myriad other elements that students would not intuitively know to include or consider, like style format.Slide47

Making It Work

The aforementioned assignment is salvageable, with a little tweaking:Explicit expectations and requirements

Employing a series of supervised stepsDeadlines for draftsPeer review

Consultation with professor (where feasible)

Narrowing the topics more -OR- allowing students to select their own topics

, using the given list as a starting point or as examplesSlide48

Elements of Effective Assignments

Providing a sample paper or assignment (or past paper that received a good grade) so that students can see what a paper for your class ought to look like (this will help them get a feel for your expectations)

This will allow them to see the chosen style format in action, including quotations and citations, two concepts students often struggle withListing resources that are acceptable

– journal titles and database titles, for example

Setting a limit on the age of resources is a good idea, too –

current

usually encompasses the last 3-5 years, for exampleSlide49

Elements of Effective Assignments

Explicit requirements/parameters, including elements such as:Length (word count or pages)

Style/format (APA, MLA, etc.)Headers/footers/page numbersFont/spacingDeadlinesTypes of resources that are acceptable

Type of paper (persuasive, report, etc.)Slide50

Elements of Effective Assignments

Rationale/objectives/goals for the assignmentLike student learning outcomes (

SLOs)Supervised steps, such asQ/A session about assignment

Thesis statement

Outline

Preliminary bibliography – annotated or not

Abstract

Introductory paragraph

Peer reviewSlide51

Elements of Effective Assignments

Actively encourage students to use the LibraryInvite your

liaison librarian to teach a session on research skills and/or library resourcesAlternately: embedding a librarian in your course

Checklists

- OR -

scoring rubrics

Be clear about

your expectations

for the assignment

in the context of the class

Don’t be afraid to

ask one of your colleagues or a librarian to take a look at the assignment, to make sure it’s clear and will do what you want it to do!Slide52

Benefits of Effective Assignments

Less time spent fielding questions about the assignment

Fewer complaints from students regarding the “unfairness” or “hardness” of the assignmentHelps your students better understand authority and the scholarly aspects

of research

More meaningful exposure to research

and resources

Better integration between content

being taught and

students’ synthesis

of that contentSlide53

Benefits of Effective Assignments

Students get more meaningful hands-on experience with the

discipline and subject area contentStudents get more meaningful practice with the research process – research is one of those skills that only develops with practice!

Students learn the role of the Library in the context of research

and higher education

Reduces the chances and instances of plagiarism

You will have to

grade fewer unsatisfactory assignments

!Slide54

Q & ASlide55

Effective Assignments Resources

Presentation URL http://www.ulm.edu

/~lowe/effectiveassignments.pptx Subject Librarians / Library Liaisons

http://www.ulm.edu/library/subjectlibrarians.html

My Contact Info

lowe@ulm.edu

http://www.ulm.edu/~lowe

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Thanks for coming!Remember: the Library is here for

YOU, too!