Student Poster Sessions

Relevance and Understanding: Active Learning Approaches to
Information Literacy
Rhonda Crim-Tumelson, University of Alabama

The Capitol School, founded by Barbara Rountree in 1993, is a preK-12 private international school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Technology is infused into the curriculum, which is influenced by Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences. Small class sizes and committed, well-trained instructors help to create a dynamic and successful learning environment. Students are a mix of nationalities, income levels, and IQs. Some students have learning disabilities, and are mainstreamed into classes.

My paper will focus on information literacy instruction in the middle school and high school literature classes. Teaching 50-minute blocks to four classes once each week for four months, I seek to empower students to become better seekers and users of information.

Active learning methods, including corporate training techniques, encourage student participation and retention; Aristotle’s forms of rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos provide a framework for discovery, analysis, and citation of information sources; the 4 W method of who, what, when, and where help organize and locate sources; a focus on publishing, technology, research, and life skills helps to make research meaningful; and incorporation of the literature assignments keeps the information relevant.

The poster session will consist of: examples of games, instruction models, and results of these methods conducted throughout the semester.

 
Second Start Story Reader Training: Adult Literacy Pilot Program       
Amy Hofer, San Jose State University

Through an internship with the Children's Outreach Program at the Oakland Public Library, I will partner with adult literacy coordinators to develop and pilot a new program for adult learners.  This program will empower new readers by training them to read to the children in their lives. 

This program will draw on the following ideas:

My poster presentation will include a summary of my research in developing the program, a brief narrative describing the pilot program, and data evaluating the program along with questions and ideas for further development.

 

Meeting Millennials on Virtual Turf: Developing a Library Podcast Tour
Allison Rose Tran, San Jose State University

Today's college and university students are part of the Millennial generation, born between 1977 and 1994. This generation, said to be the largest since the Baby Boomers, has a unique set of expectations, behaviors, and values. One defining characteristic of this generation is that they are comfortable with current technology. This trait influences information literacy instruction in that these students anticipate learning through media rather than more traditional deliveries, and they expect learning to be fun. Therefore, to attract Millennials to the library and encourage them to see it as a vital part of their college career, it is crucial to design library services that appeal to Millennial sensibilities. As assistant to the Department of Education and Outreach at the UC Irvine Libraries, I often apply my research on Millennials to my work. To reach this important segment of the UCI Libraries' user population, I developed a Podcast tour of UCI's Langson Library.

My goal in developing this Podcast tour was to introduce students to the library through mp3 audio, a technology these digital natives use regularly in their daily lives. I aimed to make the tour convenient, accessible, and appealing. At approximately seven minutes long, the Langson Library Podcast tour is intended to be downloaded at one's desktop computer, uploaded to an mp3 player, and heard as the user takes the tour through the building. Appealing to the Millennial generation's desire for instant gratification and customizability, this tour can be taken any time, so students no longer have to wait for the library to offer a scheduled tour. And if they want to fast-forward through parts of the tour, their digital guide won't be offended!

Keeping Millennial preferences in mind, I made a conscious decision to move away from traditional library orientation practices. Instead of the formal style used in past library tours, I scripted and recorded the Podcast tour with a friendly, casual tone. I also pared the tour’s content down to the basics. In contrast to previous generations, Millennials are known for accessing information when they need it, rather than storing up information in advance. So instead of attempting to include every fact and figure about the library, as is common in traditional library orientations, I created the Podcast tour as a simple, straightforward starting point, to help students feel confident in knowing what’s available, where to get it, and who to ask for help when needed.

In my poster session, I will provide an overview of the planning, marketing, and assessment efforts I undertook in creating this Podcast tour. I will also discuss the tools and technologies used, and share my insights on developing a successful Podcast tour. I will plan to have a laptop or mp3 player on hand during the session so that attendees can listen to the tour, and will provide handouts with the tour’s URL.
       
The Langson Library Podcast tour is available at http://www.lib.uci.edu/audio/podcast_tour.html
The Science Library Podcast Tour will debut soon.

 

Student/Librarian Teams: A Winning Collaboration!
Melanee Vicedo, University of California, Los Angeles

This poster session explores the partnership between a library school student and librarians at a biomedical library in the development of an online methodology for reaching a large undergraduate research methods class in psychology. The student was motivated to collaborate on this project because of her aspiration to enhance her information literacy repertoire.

A series of small, discreet, and independent instructional modules was created based on questions from students identified by teaching assistants and faculty members. The purpose of the series is to offer instruction for a large research methods class in psychology which consists of approximately 1,100 undergraduate students per year.  The initial goal of the library was to conduct in-class information literacy sessions; however, because of time constraints classroom time was not available.  These modules provide an alternative venue to convey important researching strategies to the students.  Topics include primary vs. secondary sources, identifying key concepts and selecting terms, selecting appropriate databases, and developing and refining a search strategy. These modules can be conducted as part of a class assignment designated by the TA or faculty, initiated autonomously by the student, or used by a librarian to enhance instruction. 

The poster will include: examples of the modules; learning objectives of the modules; a description of the class; descriptions of collaborators; identification of the gaming sites; a discussion of educational gaming sites; and an explanation of how this project enhanced the learning within the library school program.

Grand Theft Information Literacy: Teaching with Video Game Strategies
Paul Waechli, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

Video games do teach. The challenging question is not if they teach, but how.  Gee (2003), Prensky (2006) Shaffer (2006), Van Eck (2006) and many others are part of a growing body of research devoted to answering how video games teach.  But how can librarians integrate games and game strategies into the classroom?  And how do these strategies change library instruction?  The answers do not need to be complicated.  This presentation examines how the Charles C. Myers Library at the University of Dubuque integrated gaming strategies into the existing instruction program and witnessed increases in student creativity and productivity.

Regardless of if the students are gamers or not, gaming strategies are rooted in educational theory and can create a new classroom experience.  Since getting started can be intimidating, the University of Dubuque took small steps.  The goal of the program was to integrate the educational benefits of games, without the complex creation of original games. 

Through the use of the 2006 report by the Federation of American Scientists and a review of the literature, the instruction program identified 10 specific video game strategies.  Over the course of two semesters, the instruction program used these strategies in two sections of a world music course and eight sections of a research writing course.  These sessions focused specifically on the research process and website evaluation. 

The presentation describes how the instruction program mapped game strategies to ACRL outcomes, created activities based on game strategies, assessed the success and modified the instruction sessions.  The program used both qualitative and quantitative assessments to evaluate the gaming instruction sessions.  Through these strategies the students were more engaged in discussion, more willing to ask questions and performed more authentic demonstrations of information literacy skills.

This research found that students benefited from these strategies, regardless if they identified themselves as gamers or non-gamers.  The how to integrate games and what they teach does not need to be complicated.  The poster presentation provides a starting point for librarians wondering how to get started incorporating video games and strategies into library instruction. Starting small, understanding the concepts, and being willing to explore and stumble along with the students resulted in rewarding experiences for both the students and the librarians.