CREATING EFFECTIVE RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS
Megan Lowe, Reference Librarian
Session Overview
Gripe Session Assumptions & Misconceptions Teaching Students to Assess Elements of Ineffective Assignments Elements of Effective Assignments Benefits of Effective Assignments Q & A Time
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?
Gripe Session – Get It All Out!
Assumptions & Misconceptions…
…about students
…about assignments
…about library resources
…about librarians
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Students
Students know how to research If they don’t, they’ll learn independently They understand the importance of research They know how to use the library They wrote research papers in high school They learn about writing research papers in
the English comps classes Students are technology-savvy Students plagiarize on purpose
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Students
They’ll ask questions if they don’t understand something
The students have the syllabus; they know when assignments are due
They will ask the librarians for help if they have problems doing research
They’ll use the library’s resources if I forbid them to use the Internet
Students will go to the Write Place for help Students possess critical thinking skills
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 it
Undergraduates 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 it
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Students
Debunking assumptions, continued
Students in general do not time-manage well They’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 independently
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Students
Debunking assumptions, continued
Ultimately, students DO NOT understand
What 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 ideas
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Assignments
The requirements of the assignment are clear The assignment is appropriate for the class The resource requirements for the assignment
are clear The resource requirements for the assignment
are reasonable Students won’t use the Internet for this
assignment if they are forbidden to in the requirements
The students have enough time to complete the assignment
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Assignments
The students are prepared for the assignment
All the students’ questions about the assignment have been asked and answered
The 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)
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Assignments
Debunking assumptions
It 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 assignment
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Assignments
Debunking assumptions, continued
Students 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’ level
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Resources
The Library has the resources students need
The Library has the journals students need
The Library has the books students need Students are familiar with the Library’s
resources Students know how to navigate libraries Resources change very little, and, when
they do, notifications are sent out Resources don’t go away
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Resources
Students always have access to resources when they need them
Students will ask for help with resources they find difficult to navigate
Students understand the differences between different kinds of resources
Students understand how to use resources to complete assignments
Students understand the roles resources play in their assignments, research and otherwise
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 information
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Resources
With regard to the resources themselves…
Resources *do* change, and sometimes without warning – the Library doesn’t always get a warning
Resources *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 reasons
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Resources
Debunking resource assumptions, continued
Resources – 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 access
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians
All librarians do is shelve books Alternately: what do librarians *do* anyway? Librarians can’t help me with my research The librarians look mean/bored/busy The librarians don’t understand what I’m
looking for The librarians aren’t helpful They’re always busy when I go to the desk I asked for help before, but the librarian
didn’t find me good information
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians
Librarians know everything (or, at least, think they do)
Librarians can read minds Librarians don’t want to collaborate Librarians don’t want to teach They usurp teaching faculty as subject
specialists Librarians aren’t really faculty They don’t appreciate the needs of my discipline They don’t appreciate the needs of my students They don’t appreciate my research needs
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.)
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians
Debunking assumptions, continued
Sometimes, 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 needs
Assumptions/Misconceptions: Librarians
Debunking misconceptions, continued Librarians 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)
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 fields
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 faculty
And 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
Any Questions Thus Far?
Teaching Students to Assess
If research was simply the process of finding information, we wouldn’t have any problems allowing students to use Wikipedia
However, legitimate research utilizes legitimate resources – and legitimate resources are considered quality resources
So part of the challenge of teaching students to research is teaching them to evaluate resources for legitimacy and quality
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 experience
Considering 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 indeed
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
Framework #1: Scholarly vs. Popular
This framework is most often applied to periodicals, but it can be used for monographs and websites, too
In 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 characteristics
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 met
A 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”
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: Characteristics
Journal of the American Medical Association
Shakespeare Quarterly Journal of Nutrition Journal of ER Nursing Library Quarterly The Renaissance Quarterly Textbooks, books written by experts
Scholarly Examples
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 met A 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.”
mostly written by journalists
usually have lots of ads
intended for anybody to read
usually covers a variety of topics
Regular language/slang
No peer-review process
has lots of "purty" pictures
publishes articles of interest, news, opinion pieces
Evaluating Resources: Popular
Sports Illustrated Real Simple People Cosmopolitan Martha Stewart Living GQ Romance novels, pop fiction
Popular Examples
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 research
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?
Any Questions Thus Far?
Elements of Ineffective Assignments Sometimes, on the surface, an
assignment seems good and reasonable and totally doable…
…but there may be lurking problems And 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 have
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 tricky
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 despair
Will 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?
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?
Ineffective Assignment: Example The following assignment is from a
second-year geography resource course
It’s a research assignment given at the beginning of the semester, to be turned in by the end of the semester
On the surface, it seems reasonable – but a closer look reveals some problems
Let’s take a look…
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 issueIts natural/biophysical aspectsWhat 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.
Making It Work
The aforementioned assignment is salvageable, with a little tweaking: Explicit expectations and requirements Employing a series of supervised steps
Deadlines for drafts Peer 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 examples
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 with
Listing 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 example
Elements of Effective Assignments Explicit requirements/parameters,
including elements such as: Length (word count or pages) Style/format (APA, MLA, etc.) Headers/footers/page numbers Font/spacing Deadlines Types of resources that are acceptable Type of paper (persuasive, report, etc.)
Elements of Effective Assignments Rationale/objectives/goals for the assignment
Like student learning outcomes (SLOs) Supervised steps, such as
Q/A session about assignment Thesis statement Outline Preliminary bibliography – annotated or not Abstract Introductory paragraph Peer review
Elements of Effective Assignments Actively encourage students to use the Library Invite your liaison librarian to teach a session
on research skills and/or library resources Alternately: 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!
Benefits of Effective Assignments
Less time spent fielding questions about the assignment
Fewer complaints from students regarding the “unfairness” or “hardness” of the assignment
Helps 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 content
Benefits of Effective Assignments Students get more meaningful hands-on
experience with the discipline and subject area content
Students 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!
Q & A
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 [email protected] http://www.ulm.edu/~lowe
THANKS FOR COMING!Remember: the Library is here for YOU, too!