Research skills and information literacy are not skills students develop overnight. Helping first years build these skills is especially important given the range of high school experiences Hamilton students come with. In order for students to be competent researchers by the time they begin research in the major they must already have knowledge of the resources available, as well as skills in searching and opportunities to practice these skills.
Alexandra (Alex) Wohnsen
Research Librarian for
Teaching & Learning Initiatives
awohnsen@hamilton.edu
315-859-4321
Make an appointment for research help
"According to the first year students we interviewed, completing college-level research assignments was both “exciting” and “overwhelming.” Many relished their newfound freedom to explore topics of their own choosing. But most were intimidated by the plethora of print and online sources their college libraries offered and uncertain how to access or use them.
We found a majority of first-term freshmen faced challenges in both locating and then searching through research information systems and services on their new campus. Moreover, most found it difficult to figure out the critical inquiry process while developing competencies, practices, and workarounds for evaluating, integrating, and applying the sources they found.
Of course, not all new college students were "terrified” about getting through their first year; some simply stuck to Google and the other strategies they had used in high school. Others were interested in going beyond these strategies, but were worried about getting mired in the weeds of research. Librarians and faculty could steer these students in the right direction—but this got them only so far." Read the full report at Project Information Literacy.
Library instruction can help your first year students to improve their understanding of information resources, skills, and concepts.
Library Orientation and Use
Research Skills
Information Ethics
First-Year Information Literacy Learning Outcomes
Inquiry
Understands assignment guidelines
Clearly defines a research question
Break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem-solving.
Formulates basic thesis statements
Develops basic research strategies
Explores entry-level scholarship in interdisciplinary resources
Recognizes that there are a variety of perspectives to be examined
Uses technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways
Develops a bibliography of diverse resources
Evaluation
Chooses appropriate resources which support the scope of the information needed
Identifies markers of authority when engaging with information
Evaluates the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
Distinguishes between institutionally provided and open web resources
Uses a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
Revises search strategies in light of new evidence
Engages with and understands the components of scholarly work
Distinguishes between basic types of information
scholarly v. popular
primary v. secondary
fact v. opinion
Communication
Demonstrates the ability to paraphrase arguments
Distinguishes between original ideas and the ideas of others
Demonstrates an awareness of the ongoing scholarly conversation
Understands that a given scholarly work may not represent the only (or even the majority) perspective at hand
Understands that scholarly conversations take place in a variety of venues
Explores local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.
Develops an understanding of digital identity management.
Communicates complex ideas clearly and effectively via the use of visualizations, models or simulations.
Attribution
Understands when, how, and why to give attribution for sources used in academic work
Cites basic information sources in a specified style format (both in-text and in bibliography/footnotes)
Possesses a clear understanding of academic dishonesty and how to avoid plagiarism
Creates original works or responsibly repurposes or remix digital resources into new creations.
Use of Information
Demonstrates an openness to multiple points of view
Begins to understand and utilize information to develop informed judgment
Recognizes the importance of information in developing an awareness of the challenges and responsibilities of local, national and global citizenship
Builds networks and customizes their learning environments in ways that support the learning process.
Sample Assignments
Short paper and/or presentation: Comparing and contrasting information presented to the public (newspaper article) vs concrete data (scholarly article, data set). Allows for in-depth source evaluation and discerning the differences of how information is presented to the public vs to scholars.
Variation: Give students a newspaper article that discusses a scholarly study (ie: http://www.seattletimes.com/news/imaginary-pals-can-mean-real-development/ , have students track down the study and discuss the similarities/differences)
Starting with a short article or announcement in the popular press, locate the original research on which the popular article was based. Evaluate the accuracy of the announcement.
Variation: Provide (or have students locate) two contemporaneous accounts of an event, have students compare/contrast the accounts and research to determine which account ended up being more historically accurate.
Annotated bibliography on course-relevant topic- Allows for more in-depth research since writing is not the central focus of the assignment.
Paper and/or Presentation: Locating and presenting critical background on an artwork or piece of creative writing, both contemporaneous reviews and later scholarly critique, also interviews and contextual information on the work’s original appearance/publication.
In-class debate on course appropriate topic, with background research and talking points done in advance.
Write an academic encyclopedia article for a course-relevant topic. Have students work in pairs/small groups. Present in class, with element of compare/contrast to topic’s Wikipedia entry. Host a class Wikipedia edit-a-thon and discuss the scholarly conversation with students.
Create a class blog or website around a relevant topic; research topics and write for a specific audience. Oral presentation component could be a class presentation or research poster on the same topic.
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