Carmen Genuardi, BSc., BEd., M.L.I.S. Health Sciences Liaison Librarian Some rights reserved (Be_Still) Creating Effective Research Assignments While Keeping Your Sanity

AGENDA  Learning Outcomes & Objectives  Identifying Information Literacy Learning Objectives  Recommendations for Best Practices  Academic Honesty Tutorial  Share Experiences  Next Steps  Your Feedback is Important

Some rights reserved (Be_Still) Learning Outcome: To help support Faculty in the creation of well- designed, course-related research assignments that utilize Seneca Libraries’ resources and services while at the same time facilitating a positive experience for students who are developing research skills.

Some rights reserved (Be_Still) Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this workshop, Faculty will be able to… Know Recall at least 2 of the recommendations that will help create more effective research assignments and student research experiences. Do Incorporate at least one of the recommendations from today’s workshop that may serve to improve an existing or newly created research assignment [Deliverable 4] Share experiences with the group around creating research assignments (i.e., what has worked for you and what has flopped?). Feel Recognize the benefits of collaborating with the library (i.e., Liaison Librarian) in creating course-specific research assignments.

(1) Why? Lens on Learning Article in College Teaching describes concern by professors…College Teaching “In recent years, as students’ reliance on Internet research has grown, professors have expressed a growing dissatisfaction with the research efforts and thinking skills demonstrated by students.” p. 324 “Academics are increasingly struggling to encourage students to perform library research that involves a more in-depth and critical exploration of the subject matter than a quick Google search typically provides.” p.324 Mahaffy, Mardi. (Fall 2006). Encouraging Critical Thinking in Student Library Research. College Teaching, 54(4),

(2)Lens on Learning Both students and Faculty spend a lot of time and energy on research assignments. The University of Hawaii interviewed 200 students and asked them what they wanted to know from Faculty regarding assignments. The responses may surprise you….

Students Want to Know:  How will the assignment help them learn the course material?  If the professor had to complete the assignment, how would he/she go about doing it?  How does the assignment relate to work in the field?  What exactly will the professor look for when he/she evaluates the assignment?  How will the professor help them through the assignment?

(2) Why? Essential Employability Skills 1. Communication 2. Numeracy 3. Critical Thinking & Problem Solving 4. Information Management [*Information Literacy*] 5. Interpersonal 6. Personal All Ontario College graduates, must be able to reliably demonstrate the Essential Employability Skills required in each of the following six categories: Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

4. Information Management [*Information Literacy*] DEFINING SKILLS: Skill areas to be demonstrated by graduates: LEARNING OUTCOMES: The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to: Gathering and managing information Selecting and using appropriate tools and technology for a task or a project Internet skills locate, select, organize, and document information using appropriate technology and information systems. analyze, evaluate, and apply relevant information from a variety of sources.

some rights reserved (Fez) THERE IS A BETTER WAY!! THE MISSING PIECE OF THE PUZZLE I need some recommendations that will help me be less frustrated with the assignments my students hand in on a regular basis.

A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEST PRACTICES…

Clearly state what students are expected to learn from the assignment  Provide learning objectives that are clear, reasonable and achievable.  Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to write your learning objectives.Bloom’s Taxonomy  Create a rubric for yourself and share it with your students so there are clear guidelines for your marking scheme.

Identify learning objectives for research assignments… What research skills /information literacy skills should students have upon completion of this research assignment? Upon completion of this research assignment, students should be able to: 1. K now when they have an information need (ie., identify gap in knowledge); 2. L ocate the needed information in a specific discipline effectively and efficiently; 3. U se this gathered information ethically (by citing all of their sources); 4. E valuate critically, both the gathered information and sources. This spells KLUE….the students should have a KLUE.

When designing an effective research assignment these research skills that spell “KLUE” must be developed within the framework of subject matter of the course. In this way, students are learning about the information sources within their own subject area; as a result, students are simultaneously furthering their knowledge of the subject matter and gaining valuable research skills. Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

Ensure the library has required resources  Information sources are constantly changing.  Try doing the assignment yourself to test its feasibility and ensure there are a variety of sources (e.g., databases, articles, books, ebooks) available for students to explore/compare different types of information sources. What to do? Contact a Librarian to ensure availability and access of needed resources ahead of time. Send the library requests for book titles, videos, and journal titles that will support your research assignments. Provide a list of the resources to students.

Request a library instruction session to help students succeed Library instruction sessions will help students understand the organization of information within a discipline, how to search databases, and how to evaluate information. *Example of a library instruction session (ppt. and assignment) from an EAC150 class this semester at King Campus.

Place material that will be in high demand on reserve To minimize student frustration, place any journal articles, books or videos that will be used heavily by students to complete an assignment at the reserve desk on a 2 hour loan or overnight. *Course Readings are also an excellent access point for providing course specific online resources.

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism  Tell students what citation style you require (i.e., APA or MLA).  Through the Seneca Libraries web site ( students can access online guides for MLA and APA under “Research Help” that were created specifically for Seneca students. Tip: Some faculty are having a discussion around plagiarism and what it means at Seneca and then students write a brief quiz to test understanding and sign this like it’s a contract.

Promoting Academic Honesty  Students keep a “Research Log”;  Students submit research in stages during year;  Give choices for topic selection;  Collaborate with a Librarian to schedule a library research skills workshop a few weeks before the research assignment is due so that student’s have the skills they need to find reputable sources;  Alter assignment requirements (slightly), every year;  Use Turnitin to encourage students to cite sources. Design research assignments that help to promote academic honesty and reduce student plagiarism by:

Research is … 2. RETRIEVE Where do I search for this info.? How do I search? 1. DEFINE What kind of info. am I looking for? How broad is my topic? 3. EVALUATE How can I tell if the info. is useful? Where do I find more? 4. Cite Sources “Works Cited” page lists all the sources used to write an assignment.

Scaffolding to Demystify Research Process What is Research? Why is it important? Steps… Research Steps can be thought of like a SWOT Analysis in a Business Course, for example:  Strengths  Weaknesses  Opportunities  Threats

Academic Honesty Tutorial Pre- and Post-Tests accompany this tutorial consisting of 2 sets of 10 questions created in Respondus which are generated randomly and are then put into Faculty’s Bb course pages. Let me demonstrate!! **HANDOUT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FACULTY** Related Article: “Designing Assignments to Minimize Cyber-Cheating” from Teaching Professor (January 2005).Teaching Professor

Share your experiences…  I would like to take a few minutes to hear from all of you, what have been your experiences around designing (and marking) research assignments for your specific subject areas/discipline?  Please share with us one that you feel worked well or maybe didn’t work so well.  Do you think any of the recommendations from today’s session could improve your assignments? Why or why not?

What I’ve Learned from Faculty Lead by Example  Required Text and Recommended Readings are in proper Citation Style  Cite your sources on your powerpoint presentations Chunk Assignment into Steps  Hand in a draft copy to Turnitin. Discuss results in class.  Annotated Bibliography (i.e., learn to walk before you run)

Next steps next steps Some rights reserved (Malingering)

What’s Next? Checklist Librarians at Seneca Libraries are confident that they can help with faculty information needs faculty information needs Teaching & Learning at Seneca

Considerations…  Many college students regardless of class level, do not have the necessary skills to complete academic library research.  Yet, employers expect graduates will have these skills upon entering the workforce.  Connect with a Librarian to ensure students have the necessary skills and resources to have a positive library experience (scaffolding).

Sources Consulted Centre for Teaching & Learning: Georgian College Halliday, Karen (Health Sciences Librarian). Library Services: Assignment Checklist. Georgian College. "Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education." American Library Association (Accessed 15 Nov, 2006). Miriam Library. (April 21, 2006). Promoting Information Literacy through Class Assignments. (Accessed March 25, 2007). Mahaffy, Mardi. (2006). Encouraging critical thinking in student library research. College Teaching, 54(4),

Thank you!! Any Questions? Carmen Genuardi, BSc., BEd., M.L.I.S. Health Sciences Liaison Librarian, Seneca Libraries ext I would love to hear from you. Have more questions?

Lastly… Don’t go it alone! The library is meant to be a place filled with resources, services and people who are there to help you. Contact a Librarian: We can and want to help.