trinity il workshop v6

Object-Based Projects to Teach Information Literacy

SkillsAbby ClobridgeAssociate Director, Research & Knowledge ServicesHarvard University, Kennedy School of Government

David Del TestaAssistant Professor, Department of HistoryBucknell University

Information Literacy WorkshopTrinity University, May 19, 2009

Background and context…How

we got here…

Object-based projects

3 sample projects:

- The World War II Poster

Project

- Biography of an Object

- Historical Mills

Lessons learned

Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Primarily an undergraduate institution.

Approx. 3600 undergraduate students.

300 FTE faculty.

Bucknell University

Emphasis on teaching & learning.

Small class sizes.

Active learning, service learning, problem-based

learning.

Accreditation

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

History Department: Lack of sufficient introductory-level courses.

Library: Need further evidence of information literacy integrated into the curriculum.

Faculty-Library Instruction Model

Since the 1960s at least, librarians and faculty have worked closely together on faculty-generated courses.

Ample literature on the topic:

Bielema, C., D. Crocker, J. Miller, J. Reynolds-Moehrle, and H Shaw. "Faculty and Librarian Collaborations: A Case Study and Proposal for Online Learning Environments." Research Strategies 20, no. 4 (2003): 334-45.

Grassian, Esther. "Do They Really Do That? Librarians Teaching Outside the Classroom." Change 36, no. 3 (2004): 22-27.

Raspa, Dick, and Dana Ward, eds. The Collaborative Imperative: Librarians and Faculty Working Together in the Information Universe. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2000.

New Model

But this is new…

Not mono-directional, in which instructional technologist or librarian provides supplementary support or only content management.

Idea to show that many aspects of and many partners in the professional historical experience - they have their professional prerogatives as well.

Revised Framework for Teaching Info Lit Skills

• Active learning• Hands-on, experiential learning for

students• Embedded more deeply into course• How professional historians DO

research– Work with objects, tools, technologies

historians use. – Work with librarians the way that

historians do…

Object-Based Projects

• More tactile, kinesthetic learning.• Forces students to engage, interact

with something other than information from a book.

• Emphasis on original analysis, evaluation – no way to crib papers.

• More interesting…for students (and instructors!).

Historical Mills

Biography of an Object

World War II Poster Project

The World War II Poster Project

As part of the extensive study into the history of World War II, students were challenged to apply professional library research, image editing, and content management skills in the context of their course. The students explored the history behind authentic World War II Propaganda Posters available from the Bucknell University Archives. Members of the History 100 course used their knowledge of the history of the period to analyze their images and produce a research paper about their findings.

-- Cassie Mastrostefano and Joanna WheelerHIST100 – Fall 2008 Students

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning

Doing the work of historiansOrientation

to library services and staff

Gauge students’

info literacy

Work with digital images; build a digital image collectionHistorical

research

Hands-on work with archival materials

MSCHE Phase

Selected Details of Phase

Integration into HIST 100

Phase 1: Preparing Students for an Information Literacy Experience

At beginning of class, provide a clear presentation of: -what students will learn in the course-how information literacy relates to those learning goals

During Session 2, instructors provide overview of project and intended outcome.

Phase 2: Teaching Students to Find and Evaluate Sources

Address basic principles of finding and evaluating sources. Can be addressed via formal lectures, discussion sections, library visits, writing workshops, computer labs, or classroom management systems.

In-class exercise during Session 2 using personal response systems to discuss basics of finding and evaluating sources. Selected topics included: Understanding citations, finding materials in a university library, inter-library loan

ACRL Standard Performance Indicators (P.I.) – The information literate student....

Integration into HIST 100 Poster Project

Standard Four: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

P.I. 4.1: Applies new and prior information to the planning and creation of a particular product or performance. Organizes the content in a manner that supports the purpose and format of the product or performance.Manipulates digital text, images, and data, as needed, transferring them from their original locations and formats to a new context.

Students will create digital surrogates of their posters, manipulate digital images, and use specialized information technology applications to create the digital library.

The digital library, created over the course of several class sessions, requires students to create a new product. As a class, students will decide how to organize the content for their collection.

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Project Kick-Off

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster SelectionProject Kick-Off

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster SelectionProject Kick-Off First Impressions

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster Selection

Brainstorming

Project Kick-Off First Impressions

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster Selection

Brainstorming

Project Kick-Off First Impressions

Pre-Test

Personal Response Systems

“Clickers”

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster Selection

Brainstorming

Project Kick-Off First Impressions

Pre-Test

Library Tour

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster Selection

Brainstorming

Project Kick-Off First Impressions

Pre-Test

Library Tour

Advanced Research

Methods

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster Selection

Brainstorming

Project Kick-Off First Impressions

Pre-Test

Library Tour

Advanced Research

Methods

Displaying,

Preserving,

& Archiving

Objects

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster Selection

Brainstorming

Project Kick-Off First Impressions

Pre-Test

Library Tour

Advanced Research

Methods

Displaying,

Preserving,

& Archiving

Objects

Working with Digital Images

Working with Digital Images

Image file types: TIFFs and JPGs

Pixels per Inch (PPI)

Photoshop: rotating images, cropping images

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster Selection

Brainstorming

Project Kick-Off First Impressions

Pre-Test

Library Tour

Advanced Research

Methods

Displaying,

Preserving,

& Archiving

Objects

Working with Digital Images

Building the

Digital

Collection

Standards

Digital p

reservation

Access points

Copyright

Metadata

Inscribe – Cataloging Interface

http://luna8.bucknell.eduLUNA Insight

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster Selection

Brainstorming

Project Kick-Off First Impressions

Pre-Test

Library Tour

Advanced Research

Methods

Displaying,

Preserving,

& Archiving

Objects

Working with Digital Images

Building the

Digital

Collection

Final Papers

Project Wrap-Up

World War II Poster Project Timeline

Project Planning Start of Classes

Poster Selection

Brainstorming

Project Kick-Off First Impressions

Pre-Test

Library Tour

Advanced Research

Methods

Displaying,

Preserving,

& Archiving

Objects

Working with Digital Images

Building the

Digital

Collection

Final Papers

Assessment

Project Wrap-Up

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Agree Neutral Disagree

Getting an opportunity to work with the posters was one of the

highlights of the project.83%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Agree Neutral Disagree

I enjoyed having the opportunity to create digital images of the poster.

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Agree Neutral Disagree

I enjoyed working with the technology used to create a digital

library.

Digital Images &

Digital Library

92%

78%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Agree Neutral Disagree

I believe that I learned much more from this project than I would have from a traditional research paper.

83%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Agree Neutral Disagree

For future classes, I would recommend assigning a project such as this to students

rather than giving them a traditional research assignment.

Lessons Learned

Changes

for 2008

What’s next?

When do we talk about the war?

82% -- For future classes, I would recommend assigning a project such as this to students rather than giving them a traditional research paper.

83% -- I believe that I learned more from this project than I would have from a traditional research paper.

72% -- Compared to a traditional research paper, I enjoyed this project much more.

By the end of the semester…

Understand the varieties of information sources available (UNDERSTAND)

Access information efficiently and effectively (ACCESS)

Evaluate information and its sources (EVALUATE)

Understand the concept of intellectual property and the economic, legal,and social contexts of information, and use information ethically (USEETHICALLY)

Incorporate and synthesize information to create individual and groupproducts (CREATE)

Information Literacy Skills Emphasized:

Biography of an Object

Each student selects an object they own that was produced in the Pacific Rim. During the course of the semester, they research and analyze the “life” of the object – where it was produced, what company produced it, how this product fits into the overall industry, etc. The end result: a ten-page written paper.

Selected Objects

• Dell Laptop• Lithium battery• American Apparel clothing• Gap clothing• Kirin beer

Bottle of FIJI Water

Company Research

• Publicly-traded co. or privately held? • Ticker symbols, company filings, annual

& quarterly reports (10Ks) • EDGAR, Hoover’s• Key individuals at the company• Competitors• Place of the company within the broader

market• Analyst reports

Industry Research

• What industry/industries does this product fall into?

• Key players in the industry• Analyst reports, news reporting• Non-profits, NGOs, watchdog

organizations

Country Research

• Country’s demographics• EUROPA, CIA Factbook, statistics

from almanacs• Modes of transportation, primary

routes• Main imports/exports• Natural resources

By the end of the semester…

Understand the varieties of information sources available (UNDERSTAND)

Access information efficiently and effectively (ACCESS)

Evaluate information and its sources (EVALUATE)

Incorporate and synthesize information to create individual and groupproducts (CREATE)

Final papers – contextualizing the products within the broader economic, geographic landscape. Information Literacy Skills Emphasized:

Historical Mills Project

Students worked together as a group to research, analyze, and collectively write a significant report on a mill in the local area. Del Testa intended this project to introduce history majors to detailed archival research methods in county, state, and private archives; help them prepare for taking oral histories in a professional manner; and encourage good analysis based on careful research on historical context and primary sources in comparison.

By the end of the semester…

Understand the varieties of information sources available (UNDERSTAND)

Access information efficiently and effectively (ACCESS)

Incorporate and synthesize information to create individual and groupproducts (CREATE)

Evaluate information and its sources (EVALUATE)

Group papers – synthetic reports on the mill they researched. Their reports will serve as the basis for a future online database about the local water-powered mills.

Information Literacy Skills Emphasized:

David Del TestaAssistant Professor, Department of HistoryBucknell UniversityLewisburg, PA 17837ddeltest@bucknell.edu(570) 577-3779 office(805) 427-6429 cell/mobile

Abby ClobridgeAssociate Director, Research & Knowledge

ServicesHarvard University, Kennedy School of Government

abby_clobridge@harvard.edu(617) 496-1772

Twitter: aclobridge