Teaming Up for Learning!
Well-designed library assignments, created by instructors and librarians working together, are powerful teaching tools. Library assignments not only boost research and critical thinking skills but also deepen subject knowledge, making learning both effective and enjoyable.
To ensure your students get the most out of library resources, consider these steps:
Preparation:
- Collaborate and consult with a librarian: Librarians can pinpoint the best databases for your discipline and help students navigate them effectively. Make an appointment with a librarian.
- Tailor made assignments: Collaborate with librarians for better outcomes on assignments.
- Tech Check: Ensure all student devices can access Wi-Fi and that the library resources are compatible with their devices.
Instruction:
- Hands-on Practice: Conduct research practice sessions, ideally in a computer lab, to familiarize students with e-resources.
- Focus on Learning Goals: Integrate instruction on creating strong keyword searches, properly citing sources, and evaluating information credibility using frameworks like the CRAAP test.
Assignment Design:
- Clear Expectations: Specify the types of sources students can use (e.g., peer-reviewed journals vs. popular magazines).
- Resource Availability: Verify that the library has the required resources.
- Source Evaluation: Equip students to assess sources for validity, accuracy, and reliability.
- Focus on Quality: Encourage the use of library and academic resources whenever possible.
- Minimize Restrictions: Avoid arbitrary limitations on source formats or types. Focus on the quality of information.
Additional Tips:
- Pre-test the Assignment: Complete the assignment yourself to identify any challenges students might face.
- Student Feedback: Regularly solicit feedback to improve future assignments.
- Scaffolding: Break down large research projects into smaller, manageable tasks.
- Embed a Librarian: If using Canvas, consider having a librarian create online content specific to your assignment, or course, and offer support within the platform (contact us for details).
- Academic Integrity: Discuss plagiarism and its consequences with your students.
- Positive Reinforcement: Provide students with examples of good assignments and highlight strong elements.
- Avoid Scavenger Hunts: Focus on teaching research skills, not trivia-based exercises.
- Encourage Help-Seeking: Emphasize the importance of asking for help from the librarian or yourself.
By following these tips, you can transform library assignments from a source of frustration into a valuable learning experience for your students. Team up and collaborate with a librarian. Here a just a few way we can help: we can provide instruction lectures, workshops, written materials tailored specifically to your assignment(s), we can embed content, too.
