New England Library Instruction Group
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Publication Mapping Out Your Research: From Topic Selection to a Thesis Statement(2020-12-07) Vaandering, Alicia G.; LaChapelle, LindsayCo-taught by an instruction librarian and a Writing Center coordinator, this lesson supports history students in exploring a topic and preparing for subsequent research and writing. The first and primary piece of this lesson centers on a topic speed dating activity that encourages students to look beyond the most obvious elements and narratives of their topic and seek nuance and unique perspectives through guided discussion with a peer. This is followed by a class discussion on the role that divergent thinking plays in developing a research question and some time for students to draft their own potential research question. Finally, the session concludes with a brief overview of what comes next in the research and writing process, explaining how the research question leads to a working thesis and outlining the next steps in finding sources.Publication Evaluation Beyond the Binary: Information Literacy for CORE 103(2020-12-07) Adkins, Susan; Dietrich, Bethany; Mattera, JesOur team of teaching librarians co-created this lesson as part of Champlain College’s Core 103 course, Navigating Your Information Landscape. Core is Champlain’s version of general education. Core’s four-year curriculum is interdisciplinary education with a focus on critical thinking, collaborative skills, and learning by doing. We will deliver the lesson to all Champlain College first-year students next semester via an online Canvas module. Students will engage with the lesson asynchronously. Librarians will interact with the students throughout their participation in the module. Our Canvas instructional module focuses specifically on evaluation with an emphasis on the impact of the positionality of the information seeker as well as the content and creation process of the information products themselves in information evaluation. This module emphasizes that information evaluation is more than the binary of fake/real or trustworthy/untrustworthy, takes time, practice, and reflective action, and is part of navigating your information landscape. We introduce a framework for evaluation and have students apply these practices with real information objects. In addition to the module, our teaching librarian team is creating a slate of online, asynchronous, interactive library instruction options that walk students through a variety of research methods. Topics include navigating specific databases that are relevant to research required in the course, introduction to some evaluative frameworks, and how to read a scholarly article. Some of the online platforms we will utilize for this research slate are Sidecar side-by-side tutorials, LibGuides, and videos. Course instructors can integrate their selections of these options into their courses.Publication Types of Sources: Online Module for First Year Writing(2020-12-07) Cabullo, Hannah; Dreyer-Rowe, BekahWe created this Types of Sources module as one of four library modules for all sections of First Year Writing this fall. It is an asynchronous, online module delivered through Canvas, our institution’s learning management system, and consists of some reading, two short videos, and three discussion-board-based activities. The first activity, at the very beginning of the lesson, is intended to get students to start thinking about the characteristics of different types of sources. In the activity, students pick a type of resource (e.g. podcasts, scholarly journal articles, social media, etc.) from a list, answer some questions about it, and then comment on classmates’ posts. The second activity functions as a check-in partway through the module, asking students to identify two provided articles as either popular or scholarly. The final activity has students apply what they’ve learned—they do an initial search to find one source on their topic, and identify it as popular or scholarly. As librarians, we then comment on students’ posts to provide feedback. Find the Canvas Module in the Canvas Creative Commons.Publication Creating a (Bright)Space for Library Instruction(2020-10-30) Perry, Maureen A.; Bull, Elizabeth; MacGregor, MeganCreating a (Bright)Space for Library Instruction Students come into class with varied levels of preparation for college-level research. Faculty had little time to spare for library instruction prior to COVID 19, and the move to online instruction has left them with even less time. As these things were happening across higher education, the University of Maine system was changing learning management systems, leading to a steep learning curve for everyone. The University of Southern Maine Libraries saw an opportunity to address these challenges and remain visible to faculty. The reference librarians created a series of information literacy modules for instructors to insert into their courses. Modules cover such topics as basic searching, source evaluation, citation formats, and more. Each one contains videos, infographics, handouts, and quizzes. Faculty can choose the ones that best meet student needs. Underprepared students can develop their basic skills. More prepared students can refresh their knowledge or gain additional tips. With the quizzes students can even demonstrate to faculty what they already know about research. These modules are meant to complement other library instruction and can serve as part of flipped learning. They can also reach a wider number of students and give them at least baseline knowledge. The panelists will share their experiences with this project. They will discuss how they: developed the concept (Megan) divided the workload (Elizabeth) created content (Maureen) shared ideas and feedback while working remotely (Maureen) spread the word to the faculty (Megan) obtained feedback from students and faculty (Elizabeth)Publication The COVID-19 Misinformation Challenge: Asynchronous Learning About (and During!) a Pandemic(2020-10-30) Bonnet, Jennifer; Sellers, SentaIn early 2020, the coronavirus pandemic ushered in a “new normal.” During this time, the world witnessed a prevalence of misinformation about COVID-19, on social media, in the news, and in academic publishing. We saw this emerging landscape as an opportunity to help people think critically about ways to combat false or misleading information. The result: The COVID-19 Misinformation Challenge. Each day for five days, participants received tasks designed to test their knowledge of the coronavirus. They evaluated memes, doctors, news headlines, treatments, and some of the science behind the virus. Join us for an interactive tour of the challenge! Link to the challenge can be found here.