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Patterns in Information Literacy Instruction: What’s Really Going on in Our Classrooms?
Get PDFLibrarians at an undergraduate university have embarked on a year-long project to map
what is actually being taught in each of the over six hundred course-integrated information
literacy (IL) classes taught each year. Data from the project is informing planning for IL
programming as we develop a more strategic program-integrated curriculum that makes
better use of librarians’ expertise. We are gaining insights on areas of duplication and
opportunities to develop higher-level IL sessions to address more advanced use of
information
Conceptualizing and communicating SoTL : a framework for the field
No full textThe emerging field of SoTL is an inherently interdisciplinary endeavor, embracing a diverse range of research methods. It desires to be hospitable to a range of disciplinary differences in world views. However, the field lacks coherence in its conceptualization and communication. Ongoing debates in the community concern the use of theory, as well as definitional questions of what constitutes SoTL and the nature of its purpose. This article offers a framework for conceptualizing the field, which attempts to broadly delineate the available theories underlying and methodologies appropriate to studying teaching and learning, while intending to be hospitable to a broad range of diverse disciplines. Further, the framework illustrates the tacit links between learning theories and methodologies, serving as a guide to potential approaches to SoTL work. The framework is illustrated with example SoTL studies. It is hoped that the framework will help to broaden the types of questions being investigated in the field, ground those investigations in appropriate theories and methodologies, and build interdisciplinary communication and understanding in the “trading zone” that is SoTL
Students and Libraries May Benefit from Late Night Hours [Evidence Summary]
No full textA Review of:
Scarletto, E. A., Burhanna, K. J., & Richardson, E. (2013). Wide awake at 4 AM: A study of late night user behavior, perceptions and performance at an academic library. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 39(5), 371-377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2013.02.006
Abstract
Objective – To assess late night library usage, including a demographic profile of students benefitting from late night hours, with an analysis of the services and resources they used, and whether the use of late hours is connected to student success.
Design – A mixed-methods approach including quantitative demographic information alongside qualitative user feedback collected using a web-based survey.
Setting – A large, public research university library in the United States of America using late night operating hours (11 P.M. to 7:30 A.M.) to create 24-hour library availability 5 days per week.
Subjects – Undergraduate and graduate students.
Methods – Using the university’s building monitoring database (BMD), researchers collected data on which students were using the library building when late night hours were in effect for fall and spring semesters. Along with the date and time of entry, the BMD collected the university ID number of the students and their email address. Using student ID numbers, information from the BMD was cross-referenced with anonymized demographic information from the university’s institutional planning office, enabling comparisons across a range of other data, including students’ discipline, GPA, and other information.
Researchers emailed students the web-based survey, directly targeting users who had made use of the library’s late night operating hours. Survey questions investigated when students used the library, explored student aims when in the library, and asked students to rank the tasks they were trying to accomplish while in the library. In addition, researchers sought student feedback on what services and resources they used during late hours, asking students to identify services and resources they would have liked to use but which were not offered during late night hours, and inquiring about students’ sense of safety and security when using the library late at night.
Main Results – In total, researchers report that 5,822 students, representing approximately 21% of the campus population, visited the library during the late hours, for 22,383 visits. Researchers report that 57% of late night users took advantage of the extended hours on more than one occasion, with 39% returning three or more times. Sundays were the most popular day, while Thursdays were least popular. Researchers also tracked entry times, with the most popular entry times occurring between 11 P.M. to 2 A.M., accounting for 80% of all late night visits. While survey respondents were drawn entirely from the late night users, 63% preferred using the library late at night versus standard daytime operating hours.
The overall survey response rate was less than 5%. Survey respondents (n=243) reported participating in a variety of activities while visiting during late night library hours, with quiet study (87%), working on projects or papers (72%), and group study (42%) as the most frequently reported activities. Respondents also ranked the top three activities they hoped to accomplish while in the library: quiet study (50%) and work on projects and papers (34%) remained top activities, though group study (20%) fell to fourth place, slightly behind the third-ranked activity of printing or copying documents (22%).
Respondents reported their use of services during late night hours, indicating use of the university’s wireless Internet access, library printers, computers, and online databases and electronic resources. The only staff service point available to students during overnight hours, circulation services, was used by 16% of respondents. Regarding student responses about what services were not offered that they would have liked to have available, the researchers reveal that “[f]ood and drink were overwhelmingly the most frequently requested services” (p. 374), followed by a desire for more comfortable furniture and spaces. Some respondents also requested that late night hours be extended to seven days a week. Overall, 96% of those submitting user feedback reported a sense of security, an important consideration for late night hours.
Regarding the sample, researchers found that the population of late night library users closely reflected the overall university population. An independent samples t-test comparing the differences between the average GPA of late night users to the average GPA of the overall university population was statistically insignificant. For undergraduates only, there exists a small difference between the retention rate of students using late night hours (84.6%) versus overall university retention rate (80.2%). A Pearson’s chi-squared test revealed a statistically significant association between late night library use and retention rates for both undergraduate and graduate populations when compared to the retention rates of non-late night users across the same student groups.
Conclusion – This study reveals that undergraduate students in particular make use of late night hours for studying or other academic activities, and positions the late night model as a successful customer service offering at Kent State University. Although researchers do conclusively connect the availability of late night hours to student retention and academic success, their study points to the need for further research exploring this question
Implementing Reigeluth’s Paradigm
Get PDFIn his landmark paper describing what the new post-industrial paradigm of instruction should look like, C.M.Reigeluth outlines 8 core ideas:
1. Learning-focused vs. sorting focused.
2. Learner-centered vs. teacher-centered instruction.
3. Learning by doing vs. teacher presenting.
4. Attainment-based vs. time-based progress.
5. Customized vs. standardized instruction.
6. Criterion-referenced vs. norm-referenced testing.
7. Collaborative vs. individual.
8. Enjoyable vs. unpleasant.
(Reigeluth, 2012)
Most of us can agree that people learn at different rates and have different learning needs, but most of our courses continue to enforce a lock-step progression of topics and assignments that is much better suited to sorting students than to helping them learn. Reigeluth’s new paradigm calls for radical transformation and while that may well be justified, it is unlikely to happen, at least not in the near future. What then can we do in the meantime? This presentation will examine Reigluth’s core ideas through the lenses of their effect on creating access and embracing diversity. The author will include case studies from over 35 years of experience teaching in higher ed.
This presentation is targeted at all educators in higher education with a particular focus on the STEM fields.
Reigeluth, C. M. (2012). Instructional Theory and Technology for the New Paradigm of Education. Revista de Educación a Distancia, 11(32)
Transforming our Learning Experiences through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Get PDFThis pre-conference workshop will support participants in designing and/or refining a scholarly investigation of student learning in their class, from developing or refining a research question, through ethical considerations, methods, data analysis, and dissemination.
Part I (morning) Getting started
Participants will:
• Learn what SoTL is and how to get started
• Discuss conceptual frameworks that can inform the study
• Share, generate and refine research questions related to student learning
• Explore different approaches and methods for generating and analyzing data
• Think through ethical considerations involved in SoTL
This 3 hour session will be a combination of plenary presentations and small group activities. After a brief introduction to the scholarship of teaching and learning, participants will work in small groups led by facilitators as they identify something in their teaching practice that they are curious about. The small groups will develop and refine research questions. Different research designs and approaches will be presented as individuals have a chance to see what features seem to fit their orientation and research question, along with discussion of the “fallacies of SoTL” (Grauerholz and Main). Common ethical dilemmas will be explored through case studies. An ethical matrix (TLI 1.2) will help participants think through ethical concerns.
Part II (afternoon) I have data; now what?
Participants will:
• Learn more about approaches, methods and methodology
• Practice analyzing data
• Develop strategies for moving from data to evidence
• Explore dissemination options
This 3 hour session will be a combination of plenary presentations and small group activities. Participants will learn more about methods and methodology. Depending on participant interest, various methodologies will be explored. These approaches could include traditional approaches of grounded theory and case study, the interpretive approaches, critical theory, quantitative approaches and experimental designs. Participants in small groups will have the opportunity to practice analyzing data. Participants will also be led through strategies to move from data to evidence. The session will end with a discussion of dissemination options including conference presentations and publications.
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be able to:
• Articulate one or more questions about student learning that they could investigate through a SoTL project
• Provide examples of conceptual frameworks that inform their learning goals
• Compare and contrast various methods for assessing student learning
• Compare and contrast various methods for analyzing data
• Design a SoTL inquiry to investigate student learning
• Choose dissemination venues appropriate to their goals
We would like to acknowledge the SoTL Canada SIG, of which the presenters are members, for generating the idea for developing this proposal
Qualitative Insights from a Canadian Multi-institutional Research Study: In Search of Meaningful E-learning
Get PDFThis paper reports the qualitative findings of a mixed methods research study conducted at three Canadian post-secondary institutions. Called the Meaningful E-learning or MEL project, the study was an exploration of the teaching and learning experiences of faculty and students as well as their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of e-learning. Importantly, e-learning was conceptualized as the integration of pedagogy, instructional technology, and the Internet into teaching and learning environments. Based on this definition, participants reflected on e-learning in relation to one or more of the following contexts: face-to-face (f2f) classrooms in which instructional technologies (e.g. learning management systems, video and web-conferencing, mobile devices, etc.) are used; blended or web-enhanced learning environments; and fully online learning environments.
Data collected for the study included survey data (n=1377 for students, n=187 for faculty); narrative comments (n=269 for students, n=74 for faculty); and focus groups (n=16 for students, n=33 for faculty). The latter two sets of data comprise the basis of this paper. Four major themes emerged based on the responses of students and faculty. Represented by the acronym HIDI, the themes include human connection (H), IT support (I), design (D), and institutional infrastructure (I). These themes and sub-themes are presented in the paper as well as recommendations for educators and administrators who aspire to make e-learning a pedagogically meaningful experience for both learners and their teachers
Interactions between the WHAT and WHY of Research
No full textC-EBLIP Fall Symposium: Librarians as Researchers, October 15, 2014 – University Library, University of Saskatchewan.Presented at C-EBLIP Fall Symposium: Librarians as Researchers
Population genetic structure of gray wolves (canis lupus) in a marine archipelago suggests island-mainland differentiation consistent with dietary niche
No full textEmerging evidence suggests that ecological heterogeneity across space can influence the genetic structure of populations, including that of long-distance dispersers such as large carnivores. On the central coast of British Columbia, Canada, wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) dietary niche and parasite prevalence data indicate strong ecological divergence between marine-oriented wolves inhabiting islands and individuals on the coastal mainland that interact primarily with terrestrial prey. Local holders of traditional ecological knowledge, who distinguish between mainland and island wolf forms, also informed our hypothesis that genetic differentiation might occur between wolves from these adjacent environments