English 805 Online Resources Karin Westman 15 September 2003

Goals for Today Reminders about range of online resources available to students. Strategies for helping students develop their “information literacy,” so they can use online resources effectively for their research.

But before we begin… What fears or concerns do you have about students using online resouces for research?

Why I’m interested in helping students with online resources: Students have difficulty “reading” online resources for credibility and bibliographic information. –A student from one of my Expos 2 classes and her web source on women’s body image –Found information she wanted to use, but had no idea about her source “Dads & Daughters” at “BBC News” dated 21 February 2001

Results of a survey Naomi Wood and I conducted Fall 2001 –Purpose: to evaluate how students enrolled in English courses ( level) use and view technology –Participants: English Majors and Minors, Education Majors, and others. –18 General Questions “How often do you access the Internet?” –7 Discipline-Specific Questions “When you need information for an English course, which research method are you most likely to use first?”

Technologies KSU students typically use 60% access the web daily; 30% several times a week 80% use the internet primarily in order to access their 74% have accessed a course web page during a previous semester (Fall 2001)

Of the 686 students surveyed, 62% use an internet search engine such as Yahoo, Excite, Google, or Lycos to conduct research

Before any other online resource, such as electronic full-text or abstract databases available through the library or a catalog of library print materials. But does use = information literacy?

“The ability to conduct searches, evaluate, and create new ideas” (Cynthia Bowman, 2000) Information Literacy

To be literate for the online information age, students need to be able to “read” a web page.

What about students in Expos I? in Expository Writing each academic year Next stage of our research has gathered data from this group about its information literacy

Information Literacy Surveys (Fall 2002) Students’ previous experience with online resources before Expos I Importance of developing their information literacy in Expos 1 Results

We need to make sure our students know how to evaluate online documents, since they are already seeking them out.

Developing Information Literacy 1.Making students aware of the range of online resources available when they sit down at the computer to begin their research. 2.Teaching students to develop their critical reading skills for this online environment.

Online resources available to KSU students 1.Listings of print sources available from the KSU library stacks and Inter-Library Loan –Located through the library’s online catalog and its online subscription databases. –Include book-length studies, academic journals, government documents, print copies of newspapers or magazines.

Online resources available to KSU students 2.Print sources which are now also available in a digital format through a subscription database. –Located through one of the library’s online subscription databases. –Include print magazines, newspapers, and academic journals.

Online resources available to KSU students 3. Print sources which are now also available in a digital format from a company’s or organization’s web site. –Located through an internet search engine. –Include print magazines, newspapers, and government documents.

Online resources available to KSU students 4.Sources available from free-access web sites or web pages which are only available in a digital form. –Located through internet search engine. –Sites/Pages might be corporate, advocacy, news, or personal.

Educating students to this range of online resources is the first step in helping them determine the credibility and usefulness of an online source for a particular research project.

Classroom Strategies for Developing Information Literacy Textbook resources Sample lesson plans Other resources and suggestions

Textbook Resources for Expos I The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing (3 rd edition) Chapter 22 “Finding and Evaluating Sources”: Skills 2, 3, 4, and 5. –Excellent “Rhetorical Overview of Print Sources” and “Rhetorical Overview of Web Sites.” –Flow-chart graphic “Licensed Database Versus Free- Access Portions of Internet” (593) –Assistance for students in “Determining Where You Are on the Web” (598) – The now-standard “Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites” (612)

Sample Lesson Plans High Tech (computer classroom) Low Tech (overhead projector)

Sample Lesson Plans 1.Modeling types of online searches for students –Select a key word or phrase and search the library’s online catalog one of its online subscription databases (Academic ASAP, Lexis-Nexis) the free-access portion of the web using Google or your favorite search engine –Have students discuss and compare the results of these three searches.

Sample Lesson Plans 2. Modeling evaluation of an online source from the free-access portion of the web –Use a key word search to select a potential source for a selected topic –As a class, apply the “Criteria for Evaluating Web Sites” to determine the credibility of the web page –Discuss under what circumstances the web page would be an appropriate source

Sample Lesson Plans 3. Have students evaluate an online source from the free-access portion of the web that they are considering for their own research project –Respond to their questions individually as they apply the criteria for evaluation (at home or in lab classroom) –Lead a general discussion at the end of class to consider the results of the class’s experience

Other Resources and Suggestions When assigning your research paper: –Decide in advance if you have any preferences or restrictions about students’ using online resources –Clearly indicate these preferences or restrictions in your assignment.

Other Resources and Suggestions Assign relevant chapter in textbook and then set aside some class time to discuss online sources. Remind students to print out a hard copy of a free-access web page as soon as possible. Alert students about using Remote Access to enter KSU’s subscription databases.

Other Resources and Suggestions Reserve a room in Hale Library to model research strategies with your class –Hale 408 Room for 25 students; instructor’s computer; 16 computers. –Hale 407 Room for 25 students; instructor’s computer; 7 computers. –Hale 113 Room for 30 students; only an instructor’s computer. –Contact Ron Ratliff asap to reserve a room, if

Other Resources and Suggestions New Online Patron Modules developed by KSU Library available through K-State Online –Guide students through library’s resources and research tools –All students have access to modules with a free K-State Online account. Have your students participate in a pre- and post- assessment survey about their use of technology for research –If interested, please let me know as soon as possible.

Questions? Karin Westman