Vanderbilt Visions... An Exercise in Collaboration LOEX Conference, May 1-3, 2008 Melinda Brown Lee Ann Lannom Amy Stewart-Mailhiot

The Environment  Private research university  Nashville, TN  11,847 students  6532 undergraduates  1,700 first-year students

The Environment  4 schools with undergraduate programs  Blair School of Music  Peabody College of Education & Human Development  College of Arts & Science  School of Engineering  4 Libraries that serve these colleges

 Focus on social, academic, cognitive & cultural transition from high school to college What is Vanderbilt Visions?  Semester-long orientation program for first years

 Common, shared experience  100 sessions – students + 2 VUceptors What is Vanderbilt Visions?  Feedback from students in 2006 Visions program…

…Include a Library Session!

What Happened Next?  Committee on Undergraduate Information Literacy (CUIL)  Vanderbilt Libraries – undergraduate  Center For Teaching  Writing Studio  CUIL member on Vanderbilt Visions Advisory Board

CUIL Makes a Proposal  Introduce resources of Library system  High school vs. college level research  Multimedia, interactive presentation  Meet with large groups

Expected Positive Outcomes  Give all students a base-line introduction to Library services & tools  Introduce students to a librarian (or two)  Make students aware help is available at libraries on campus

Proposal Accepted – Now What?  CUIL Coordinator became the Project Manager  As members of CUIL, the Writing Studio & the Center For Teaching participated from the beginning

Development of the Presentation Parts in development process:  Visions Reader Entry  Video Interviews  Lesson Plan  Staff Training

Development of the Presentation… Visions Reader Entry Each library has its own character - try them all out & find out which one works best for you. Explore the libraries - there are lots of computers and hidden study nooks where you might not expect them to be They have real (as in non-required, fiction) books at the library! Good for beach reading over spring break! “What Vanderbilt Students Think First-Year Students Should Know about the Libraries?”

Development of the Presentation… Video Interviews  Faculty, graduate & undergraduate student interviews  Focus on the research process, tools & advice for first-year students  Collaboration among campus partners

Development of the Presentation: Lesson Plan Video Clips Script Fun Facts Interactive Learning

Development of the Presentation: Staff Training  Final Preparations  Training for 29 staff  Practice with new clickers  Field trip to lecture rooms  20 Vision Presentations in 3 days

Intellectual Engagement at Vanderbilt Or… Things You Need To Know About Research, But Didn’t Learn In High School

Lights… Camera… Action!

Which of the following cannot be checked out at one of the libraries at Vanderbilt? 1.A puppet 2.An umbrella 3.A skeleton 4.A globe 5.A parachute

High School VS. College Research ( It was a piece of cake, until I read the syllabus… ) Learn how and where to get started with your research

Hints : Reading Assignments If you see any of these: – annotated bibliography – secondary source material – scholarly or peer-reviewed articles It’s research time!

Research Traps to Avoid Too much Google and Wikipedia Not enough scholarly resources Hard to port! We’re heading for the Googlepedia Triangle. We need to get away before our research project is sunk!

Articles can be your BFF

Popular vs. Scholarly Aaargh! What’s the difference?

After the Show…  Library debriefing sessions  Visions staff feedback  Unexpected Surprises  Recommendations

Debriefing Sessions… Presenter Feedback QuestionFeedbackProposed solutions Did you get enough help from VUceptors? Strong consensus … NO Do training before sessions Enlist student workers Have more library staff per session How was the timing of the presentation? Majority started 5-15 minutes late Consolidate film credits Cut out parts of video

Debriefing Sessions… Presenter Feedback QuestionFeedbackProposed solutions How was the student response & behavior? Did the lighting changes or other technical issues impact your presentation? Ranged from attentive to bored Problems with students using cell phones Students liked clickers Shorten first video clip Find ways to increase interactive elements Some rooms required more practice to get the right balance for lighting Lighting needs varied during PPT and video portions of presentation

Debriefing Sessions… Presenter Feedback QuestionFeedback and Proposed Solutions Aside from technical problems, what part(s) could have worked better? Videos could have been shorter and/or less repetitive More technical support from Learning Resource Center Include popular vs. scholarly tutorial Include a welcome clip from University Librarian Conduct more interviews to increase & improve selection

Visions Staff Feedback  Increase the level of interactivity  Include more student involvement  Find creative ways to involve VUceptors

Unexpected Bonuses  Our own ‘shared experience’  Increased sense of collaboration  Cross-library communication  Desire to do more sessions  Discovery of hidden staff talents

Recommendations  Determine level of autonomy up front  Involve students throughout process  Be Inclusive:  Encourage participation at all levels of the library  Invite faculty & other campus partners to serve as advisors

Recommendations  Explore & utilize the talents of staff  Consider technology needs early:  Survey campus resources  Determine what you should outsource

Do you have a ritual for bringing your research to a close?

Vanderbilt Visions... An Exercise in Collaboration LOEX Conference, May 1-3, 2008 Melinda Brown, Lee Ann Lannom, Amy Stewart-Mailhiot,