As you prepare Library Assignments,
keep the following tips in mind:
- Carefully identify the learning objectives of your assignment. We
recommend that you take the time to consider how your objectives
articulate with the competencies which serve as the foundation
of the Stewart Library's
Information Literacy program. Reviewing these competencies
may also give you new ideas for your assignments. See the ENG
2010 Library/Skills Exercise for an excellent example of how
these competencies can be incorporated into assignments. Your
department may also have identified specific information literacy
competencies as part of its assessment
plan.
- Assume that your students have limited information literacy
skills, expecially in lower division courses. Students are
often frustrated when assignments make unrealistic assumptions
about their knowledge of the library. For example, we have found
that most students, even seniors and graduate students, have difficulty
understanding what is meant by "professional journal"
as opposed to "popular magazine."
- Avoid "treasure hunts" and similar assignments. In
most cases, such assignments become an end in themselves and not
a means to an end because students have difficulty "buying
in" to the assignment. If possible, your library assignment
should be directly relevant to other learning activities such
as term papers, oral presentations, portfolios, journals, etc.
- Provide students with the oportunity to select their own topic
(within limits) instead of requiring everyone to search for resources
on the same topic.
- Work through the assignment yourself, then ask a colleague and
perhaps an advanced student to do the same. They may notice problems
that escaped your attention.
- Consult with a subject librarian
regarding the objectives of the assignment, the availability of
resources, and any potential pitfalls for students. Nothing is
more frustrating for a student than finding for some reason that
they cannot access the resources they are required to use. This
is especially important for students in online courses, since
they must be in the library to use certain resources and they
must use their Wildcat ID and password to access many of our databases
from off-campus.
- Avoid requiring students to restrict their search only
to the Web or, on the other hand, to anything but
the Web. Most students do not understand the differences between
information found on the Web and in the library's article databases,
especially since our article databases and electronic journals
are accessed via the Web. Some of the most effective library assignments
require that students compare information found on the Web to
that found in professional journals and popular magazines.
- Stress the importance of evaluating information as part of your
assignment. The best way to do this is to provide guidelines for
evaluation and to require that students write a brief annotation
or an evaluative essay. Evaluation may also be part of a more
extensive research project into which the library assignment is
integrated.
- Where practical, arrange for a hands-on information literacy
session specifically designed to assist students with the assignment. Please
contact one of our subject
librarians to schedule a session. You may also schedule
a library instruction section via the Web.
- If you post your assignments on the Web or in WebCT/Vista, considering
adding links :
- Since the only constant in the library (and on the Web) is change,
it is essential to review and update your assignments at the beginning
of each semester.