Hands-On Instruction - How Much Better Is It, Really?

Susan Hurst, Business Librarian

Lilly Conference, 11/16/07

Miami University

Students are already proficient at searching online

Students receive a library orientation session in their first year at college

Library instruction sessions are not very helpful to students

Students will only search on Google Hands-on training sessions are more

effective than viewing a demonstration

True/False ??

Upper-Level International Business Course Professor wants library instruction

2 class sections – computer classroom only available for 1

Culture of assessment – encouraging use of pre & post-tests

Experiment or Serendipity?

Students in both class sections given a pre-test, to be handed in on day of library session

Students in 1section viewed demonstration of library resources in their normal classroom

Students in 2nd section met in a computer classroom, and had short demo & an in-class, hands-on exercise

Both sections were given post-tests the next class session

Research “Design”

Both Pre & Post-Tests were very similar, each designed to have factual specific answers

Answers could be located using library resources demonstrated in class

Focused on types of information needed for their course project

Credit given by professor for completion of tests, as a way to improve participation

Pre & Post-Tests

1) How large is the Chinese pharmaceutical industry? (Answer - China's pharmaceutical market is valued at $12.6 Billion, Source Marketline)

2) What percentage of Volkswagen's sales come from the US? (Answer -14% of VW's sales are in North America, Source Hoover’s)

Pre-Test (Given to Both Groups)

Business Source Complete (source for journal and newspaper articles on companies & industries)

Hoovers (source for company information, particularly financial data)

Marketline (company and industry market research reports)

Library Resources Demonstrated to Both Groups

1) Use Business Source Complete to find an article about a company

2) Find a company report & SWOT analysis in Marketline

3) Find an industry report in Marketline and note the size of the industry

4) Use Hoover’s to find a company report and locate the company’s net profit margin and compare to their top competitors.

In-Class, Hands-On Exercise (Group 2 only)

1) What is the gross profit margin for General Mills? How does that compare to Kellogg’s? (Answer - Gross Profit Margin for General Mills was 37% versus 44.2% for Kellogg’s, Source Hoover’s)

2) What is the projected size of the computer hardware industry in Russia in 2010? (Answer - computer hardware market in Russia is forecast to be $17.5 Billion in 2010, Source Marketline).

Post-test (given to both groups)

Benefits of Instruction Seen in Improved Post-Test Scores

Decrease in Reliance on Internet Search Engines from Pre to Post-Tests

Decrease in Reliance on Company & Other Sites from

Pre to Post-Tests

Increase in Reliance on Library Resources from Pre to Post-

Test

Similar Student Evaluation Scores for Both Instruction Methods

1) Small exploratory study but does give us ideas

2) Pre-tests are useful for instruction, shows you (and them) what they don’t know

3) Pre & Post-Tests, great for assessment, see the change in responses, what did they “get”

4) Method of instruction seems to be less important than presence of instruction at all

What Does This Tell Us?

5) After instruction, usage of library resources increased, Google/Yahoo usage decreased

6) Much higher percentage of correct answers in both post-test groups, as compared to pre-tests

7) Similar evaluation results for each class, both instruction methods scored highly

Results, Continued

1) Don’t make assumptions about students’ research abilities or exposure to library resources

2) Ask students if they would find library instruction useful in the class

3) Use Pre & Post-Tests for assessment and as an aid in instruction

4) If a computer lab isn’t available, provide a library demonstration in the regular classroom

How Can We Use This Information?

Questions?????????

Contact Information

Susan Hurst 203 King Library Miami University Oxford, OH 45056 hurstsj@muohio.edu