SLIDE 1 “Strangers in a Strange Land: Creating Meaningful Research Assignments for the First Year Orientation Class”
Linda Klein
Contact Information:
First Year Initiatives Librarian
Linda.Klein@eku.edu
Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond KY Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience Phoenix, AZ February 4-8, 2005 “Students of so many diverse and varied backgrounds are entering our campuses wanting a piece of the American dream, which now means working in an information based economy and
- world. Who better to assist and support them and teach them
the new skills of information literacy during ‘the first year experience’ than academic librarians?” (Gardner & Hardesty, 2004) These handouts are also available at: people.eku.edu/kleinl/fye.html
The Nova Program at Eastern Kentucky University, a federal TRIO program, assists first- generation students in their transition to college life. Nova students must be first-year, full- time students, able to demonstrate financial need, and willing to enter their first year of college as “undeclared in major.” EKU librarians and Nova administrators collaborated to create a pilot program designed to impart basic information literacy skills, help students explore majors and careers, and ensure a successful library experience in order to overcome library anxiety. In support of the Nova program’s goals, the library experience and related career exploration assignment is intended to promote student success and start students on the path toward lifelong learning skills. This presentation will discuss the process and outcomes of the program. Learning outcomes were assessed with pre- and post-tests measuring attitudes, previous experience, and basic information literacy skills. Qualitative data was gathered from the completed career exploration assignment; students were instructed not to just write about a career in which they were interested, but rather to critically evaluate the sources of information and discuss the sources’ ease of use and quality of information. Career exploration can contribute to campus-wide efforts at first-year retention; library anxiety by novice library users can be alleviated by introducing students to research that is easily accomplished and designed to be successfully completed.
SLIDE 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 3 → Selected Readings on the First Year Student and Libraries
Contains helpful background information on academic libraries in relation to fjrst-year and undergraduate students.
4 → Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
Association of College and Research Libraries standards can be used as a guideline for incorporating research and critical thinking in the college curriculum.
4 → General Descriptions of First Year Students and Libraries/Information Seeking
More details on these characteristics can be found in articles by Leckie (1996) and Harley, Dreger & Knobloch (2001). See bibliography (page 3).
5 → Eastern Kentucky University Facts
Basic demographic information about EKU and EKU students.
5 → Regional Economic and Educational Information (compared to national)
In order to understand the needs of fjrst year students, it is important to gain an understanding of their economic, cultural and educational background.
6 → Nova Course Curriculum
Lists the basic course objectives for the Nova orientation course, and requirements for admittance into the Nova program.
7 → Nova Learning Objectives
The course objectives as shown on page 6 are paired with learning objectives for the library orientation portion of the Nova course.
8 → Library Learning Objectives for Nova
EKU Libraries developed their own set of detailed and specifjc learning objectives for the library orientation portion of the Nova course.
9 → Career Exploration Assignment
Copy of actual assignment used in the library orientation portion of the Nova course.
10 → Pre-test and Post-test Assessment
Signifjcant fjndings showing how students’ confjdence levels rose, how they learned about article citations and evaluation of information resources.
11 → From the Worksheet: Evaluating Quality of Resources and Ease of Use
Refer to page 9 for the Career Exploration Assignment; numerical rankings of the four types of sources (book, database, Occupational Outlook Handbook, self-selected website) were ranked numerically by both quality of information and ease of use. The Occupational Outlook Handbook ranked highest in both categories.
12 → From the Career Exploration Assignment
Refer to page 9 for the Career Exploration Assignment; students were to write not
- nly about the information resources, but also about if their opinions about their
careers had changed by exploring this topic.
13 → From the Follow-up Questionnaire, Spring 2005
Students’ confjdence levels were measured in terms of how confjdent they now felt about using library resources during the following semester.
Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 2
SLIDE 3
Selected readings on the First Year Student and Libraries Association of College and Research Libraries. (2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm Boff, C. & Johnson, K. (2002). The library and first-year experience courses: A nationwide study. Reference Services Review 30(4), 277-87.
Survey of library components in first-year curricula.
Brown, A. G., Weingart S., Johnson, J.R.J. & Dance, B. (2004). Librarians don’t bite: Assessing library orientation for freshmen. Reference Services Review 32(4), 394-403.
Using Bostick’s (1992) Library Anxiety Scale, Utah State University librarians learned that students’ “library anxiety” was reduced after library orientation sessions.
Gardner, J. N. & Hardesty, L. (2004). The reform movement for the first year experience: What is the role of librarians? Library Issues 24(5).
Calls for librarians to play a significant leadership role in first-year movements.
Harley, B., Dreger, M., & Knobloch, P. (2001). The postmodern condition: Students, the Web, and academic library services. Reference Services Review 29(1), 23-32.
Characterizes contemporary students as having a consumer mentality toward information, as not knowing or being interested in how knowledge is organized, and as having a fragmented approach toward knowledge.
Leckie, G. J. (1996). Desperately seeking citations: Uncovering faculty assumptions about the undergraduate research process. Journal of Academic Librarianship 22(3), 201-209.
Discusses information-retrieval problems encountered by college students in a typical research assignment, and compares the faculty’s “expert researcher model” with undergraduates’ “novice researcher model.”
Marcum, B. (in press). EKU Libraries and the Nova Program: Collaborating to bring information literacy to first year students. Southeastern Librarian. Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 3
SLIDE 4 Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
The information literate student:
- determines the nature and extent of the information needed
- accesses needed information effectively and efficiently
- evaluates information and its sources critically and
incorporates selected information into his or her own knowledge base and value system
- individually or as a member of a group, uses information
effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
- understands many of the economic, legal and social issues
surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally
(Association for College and Research Libraries, 2000)
The First Year student and the library
Novice seekers of information
- lack subject expertise
- lack confidence in ability to do research
- lack basic research skills
Attitudes toward libraries and research
- ATM mentality
- do not understand infrastructure of knowledge
- fragmentary approach to research
(Leckie, 1996; Harley, Dreger & Knobloch, 2001) Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 4
SLIDE 5
Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 5
SLIDE 6 Eastern Kentucky University 2003-04
► Main campus: Richmond KY; plus three main distance centers ► Comprehensive public university; FTE of 13,019 ► 168 degree programs, including large education, nursing and criminal justice programs
ENROLLMENT
► 92%: Kentucky residents (total 120 counties) ► 60%: EKU Service Region (20 counties) ► 13%: 2 largely urban counties ► 19%: remaining 98 Kentucky counties ► 8%: other states/international
DEMOGRAPHIC
► 61% with B-average or better (HS); 37% graduate within 6 years ► First Year, First Generation students: approx. 60% EKU students report that many of them: ► work off-campus ► do not participate in co-curricular activities ► spend a lot of time caring for dependents who live with them ► Retention from freshman to sophomore: 64.5%
ECONOMICS
Median income Unemployment rate US $41,994 5.80% Kentucky (State) $33,672 5.70% Eastern Kentucky (region) $24,859 8.60%
EDUCATION
Less than Ninth grade HS graduate
Bachelor's
US 7.50% 80.30% 24.40% Kentucky (State) 11.70% 74.10% 17.10% Eastern Kentucky (region) 21.91% 60.30% 9.70% (US Census and Kentucky State Data Center) Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 6
SLIDE 7
Nova course curriculum
Designed to enable students to:
► acquire knowledge about EKU academic policies and procedures ► identify and locate key campus resources ► pursue a path to self-discovery, including identification of a personal vision, mission statement, and core values ► identify academic strengths and weaknesses and formulate a holistic plan for academic development
Participants in Nova must meet be:
► first-year, full-time students enrolled in a minimum of 13 credit hours at the EKU main campus ► first-generation university students (meaning neither parent has achieved a four-year degree) ► able to demonstrate financial need (as determined by the US Department of Education) ► willing to enter their first university semester as “undeclared in major”
Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 7
SLIDE 8 Objectives and Related Learning Activities for Nova students Course objective 1
Demonstrate knowledge of EKU academic policies, procedures and resources Learning objective:
- Identify and locate key library areas and resource personnel
Activity:
- Attend informational session conducted by library personnel
Course objective 2
Pursue a path to career discovery through career research and self- awareness activities Learning objectives
- Identify and utilize library resources to explore a potential career
path
- Utilize electronic and printed resources to research the career
- pportunities
Activity:
- Identify and evaluate a minimum of 2 different library
resources and 2 web resources containing information about careers relating to a selected major
Course objective 3
Identify successful student behavior and formulate a plan for academic development Learning objective
- Begin developing basic skills necessary for information literacy
Activities
- Identifying and evaluating electronic resources
- Recognizing the types of periodicals
- Locating books
Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 8
SLIDE 9
- Accessing course reserves
- Understanding the need for documentation of sources
Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 9
SLIDE 10 EKU Libraries’ overall goal of information literacy:
“Students will recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use it effectively.” Session I
Students will
- Develop an awareness of their information needs related to their
professional and personal lives
- Display the ability to identify a variety of potential information
sources
- Understand how to use the library’s electronic catalog and
physically locate books on the shelf in various sections of the library
- Demonstrate familiarity with the physical layout of the library
and locate the following areas: Periodicals, Reference, Computer Lab, Reading Room, Library instruction classroom, and Main Library stacks
- Know how to find help when it comes to finding information: at
the reference desk, through the website and on the phone
Session II
Students will:
- Demonstrate familiarity and proficiency navigating the library’s
website in finding research materials
- Locate relevant articles in the EBSCOhost database Academic
Search Premier
- Understand how to retrieve an article in paper format and know
how to request materials not held by EKU Libraries through the Interlibrary Loan process
- Recognize the difference between popular and academic journals
- Recognize there are varying degrees of quality when it comes to
web resources Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 10
SLIDE 11 Career Exploration Assignment Learning to Use the Library The Assignment:
Prepare a 1-2 page paper that summarizes the differences between each of the information sources you’ve identified in the chart below, and how your perceptions about the career have changed after researching the topic. Also, complete this worksheet and attach it to your paper. Your comparisons may include an examination of the quality of the information, the types of information you found in each information source and the depth of the information presented. Don’t forget to tell how the information has helped shape your opinion of the career and the choices you’ll make for your future!
Getting Started:
- 1. Choose an occupation that interests you as a future career. Write a one-page reflection on
the questions you have about the career.
- 2. Research the career at the library, using the following information sources as your guide:
a. One book
- b. One journal article from the EBSCOhost database
c. The Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www.bls.gov/oco/
- d. One website that you’ve located by using a search engine
Comparing Information Resources
Comments:
Quality Rating: 1=Highest Quality 4=Lowest Quality Ease Rating: 1=Easy 4=Not Easy
Use eQuest to find a book about your career.
Access EBSCOhost on the Internet to find information about your
- career. *EBSCOhost is a secure
website provided to you by EKU Libraries.
Handbook
This fantastic resource is provided free by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Use Google, or any search engine, to locate free information on the World Wide Web about your career.
Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 11
SLIDE 12
Pre-test and Post-test Assessment:
I feel confident in my ability to use the EKU Libraries to get the information I need.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral/ Undecided Agree Strongly Agree Pretest 3.7% 12.8% 28.4% 39.4% 15.6% Posttest 0.0% 2.4% 14.6% 54.9% 28.0%
Students were shown two online citation samples and asked to identify the following: Article A: identify the author and journal title
Correct (both parts) Incorrect (both parts) Pretest 57.8% 42.2% Posttest 62.2% 37.8%
Article B: identify the author and article title
Correct (both parts) Incorrect (both parts) Pretest 96.3% 3.7% Posttest 98.8% 1.2%
Which article is available entirely online?
Correct (Article B) Incorrect (Article A) Pretest 72.5% 25.7% Posttest 76.8% 22.0%
A website should be evaluated for authority, objectivity and currency before using it in a college paper.
Correct (True) Incorrect (False) Pretest 91.7% 8.3% Posttest 97.6% 2.4%
A journal article found through a library database frequently can be found through a popular Internet search engine such as Google, Dogpile and Yahoo.
Correct (False) Incorrect (True)
Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 12
SLIDE 13
Pretest 43.1% 56.9% Posttest 73.2% 26.8%
Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 13
SLIDE 14
From the worksheet: evaluating quality of resources From the worksheet: evaluating ease of use of resources
Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 14
SLIDE 15
From the Career Exploration Assignment
What did they say about research and resources? “It wasn’t hard finding a book on eQuest [online catalog], but it was difficult to find the book.” “The article…seemed more of an opinionated article than facts…” “I completely trusted the information on the OOH website as it is statistical information put out by the government after careful research and documentation.” “This information was so helpful, that I decided to keep some of it for future reference.” “It was easier to just get on a website and find out information about forensic pathology…But there’s one catch, you have to make sure that the website is credible.” What did they say about their attitudes toward the careers they researched? “When I began thinking about a career in criminalistics, I thought the job would be like a popular television series called CSI. Well, when I was doing some background research on this particular career I found out I was actually wrong. I’ve realized that it is a lot harder than what people would expect it to be.” “I’m really unsure about my career now. I came in set on a major in business but my mind keeps changing…But I did get a few more ideas, so if I researched more careers like this it might help and I might figure out what I want to do in life a little sooner than I thought I would.” “My first perceptions regarding my career were almost on target, but some things did surprise me…I was under the impression that graphic designers were paid well, and made around $60,000, which in reality was way above the average amount of $30,000…Knowing this information, there might be a chance that I will change my major. Money is not that big of a deal, but when you work as hard as you do, doing this job, I think it is not worth a $30,000 paycheck.” Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 15
SLIDE 16 From the follow-up questionnaire, Spring 2005
Thoughts/feelings/attitudes: Not changed Still felt intimidated/lost/overwhelmed 6.9% Still feel comfortable in library 10.3% “I was definitely overwhelmed. I'm still a little overwhelmed about finding the books.” “[My attitudes and/or feelings] stayed the same. I still get lost.” “I liked going to the library to read or just relax. My attitude toward the library stayed the same, I still like to go there but I don't have as much time now.” Thoughts/feelings/attitudes: Changed More confident/less scared or intimidated 43.1% “I was really confused before the session, now I feel comfortable about going to the library.” “I knew that the library was a great resource but I did not know how to use
- it. The library session taught me how to use it all.”
“I wasn’t sure how to use and find everything, but they really helped me out in the Nova sessions. I felt more confident if I had to use library resources.” Strangers in a Strange Land Linda Klein, EKU Libraries 16
