Lesson Topic: Conducting Effective Research for Presentations
The Communications & Library Team consists of faculty members from Communication Studies and faculty librarians. The entire group has met three times, and the librarians have met separately several times. The information literacy skills lesson has traditionally been prepared by the librarians with occasional input from individual CST110 instructors. The lesson study process has provided a unique opportunity for us to collaborate fully in the redesign of the information literacy instruction session which will be presented to approximately 40 sections of CST110 students.
Because of the nature of our group, the fact that the librarians have traditionally prepared the lesson and the fact that we are modifying an existing lesson on this topic, an important dynamic in our discussions has been getting better acquainted and establishing a climate of trust for open dialogue about the effectiveness of the existing lesson. In addition, we have come to realize that librarians and CST110 instructors each have a unique vantage point for observing student learning. One of the many benefits of our collaboration has been the opportunity to inform each other about CST110 students’ research behaviors subsequent to the information literacy instruction session.
At our meeting on April 1st librarians presented proposed objectives for the new lesson to be subsumed beneath appropriate CST110 course goals. Following the April 1 meeting, CST 110 instructors contributed further input including written comments and one idea for a proposed assignment that may facilitate learning. Librarians met twice to prepare a proposed outline for a new lesson. One of the goals of the librarians was to place more emphasis on critical thinking about information and present examples of information bias that are more realistic to the types of dilemmas students will face in selecting information.
The outline was presented to CST110 teachers at our meeting on April 29. The piece of the lesson which addresses evaluation of information seems to be on target. A clear message from CST110 instructors at the meeting was that their observations indicate that students don’t have a clear understanding of the research process. They don’t understand the parameters of the tools they are using and the decisions that need to be made in selecting research tools. The library session needs to place more emphasis on a research flow chart, clarifying decision points in the research process. A required assignment, such as a research diary or worksheet could be used to emphasize the process and to assess student understanding.
The librarians will meet again to redesign the lesson. The large group will meet again on May 13th.
The revised goals for the lesson are:
Learning Goals:
CST 110 Course Objective:
Locate sources of information in the library and use it to develop your presentation.
Learning Goals:
1. Understand the organization of information in various formats available via Murphy Library.
2. Understand and use library services that facilitate research for presentations.
3. Select types of information and information databases most appropriate for the presentation.
4. Understand that the research consists of many decision points, requiring continual assessment and refinement of the research process.
5. Recognize elements of citations for a wide range of resources and cite sources appropriately.
CST110 Course Objective:
Evaluate the credibility of evidence used for supporting a speaker’s argument.
Learning Goals:
1. Accurately interpret the purposes and main ideas in information sources and support ideas with credible sources.
2. Evaluate the value and context of sources of information, using techniques such as researching the author, institution or organization to establish credibility and purpose, and locating primary documents.
Overarching Purpose:
The ability to conduct thorough research and select the most credible information is key to effective communication and persuasion in both professional and personal settings. We want to prepare students for a lifetime of communicating effectively and learning continuously, by giving them the skills to retrieve, evaluate and properly credit information.
Contact: Cristine Prucha
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