Lesson 4: Putting Best Practices in Place

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Objective 4: After selecting at least one of the information literacy articles provided below and studying the Planning Checklist: Research Assignments, redesign an existing research assignment handout in order to better guide students through the research process.

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In Modules 1 and 2 of this course, you read the report, Assigning Inquiry: How Handouts for Research Assignments Guide Today’s College Students to learn about findings from Project Information Literacy. Based on that study, a concise rubric was developed of essential inclusions and you applied the rubric to evaluate a sample research assignment handout.

In Module 3, you explored a rich assortment of library resources which are available to you and your students for research needs. In addition, you learned about a variety of library services that assist in working with these college resources.

In this last module you will look at planning strategies and resources that can be used to help students successfully complete their research assignments. Selecting among a list of readings, you will learn more about the level of research and information literacy skills of incoming college students. You will also use a tool suggesting additional ways to prepare students for the rigors of college research.

Read at least one of these Information Literacy Articles:

"A Transition Checklist for High School Seniors,” by Patricia Owen, School Library Journal, April 2010.

The author discusses research skills of incoming college students.

"What Students Don't Know,” by Steve Kolowich, Inside Higher Ed, August 22, 2011.

Anthropologists were asked to collect data for an ethnographic study of how students view and use their college library. The data included subjective accounts from students, librarians, and professors.

"Keys to Designing Effective Writing and Research Assignments," by Maryellen Weimer, Faculty Focus: Special Report, from The Teaching Professor, Magna Publications.

More ideas about writing and research assignment strategies are offered in this series of essays. Select at least one essay of interest among the eleven in this special report.

Planning Checklist for Research Assignments

MCCCD librarians have created a checklist of ideas to help with planning research-oriented lessons and assignments. It is based on years of experience in aiding instructors and students with research assignments as well as on insights gained from Project Information Literacy. We hope the checklist will become a tool you may continue to use. For this workshop's final task, we ask that you use it specifically to evaluate one of your previous research assignments in order to put best practices in place for a redesign of that assignment.