Purpose
of Library Assignments |
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(Adapted with permission 5)
To meet the core competency requirements for reading, writing,
critical thinking, and computer literacy.
To encourage students to engage with ideas and extend their learning
in a field of study.
To reinforce and supplement course content.
To prepare students for lifelong learning and ethical scholarship
in an information economy.
To teach students how to evaluate, think critically about, and
apply information for decision making and problem solving.
To teach students how to find reliable information efficiently.
Partner
with Librarians for Student Success |
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(Adapted with permission 5)
Librarians interact with students as they search for
information and witness first hand their attitudes (positive or
negative) regarding assignments. Working together, librarians
and faculty can minimize student frustration.
Librarians are trained to connect people with the information
they seek. We know how to find the "good stuff"
and enjoy teaching students, faculty, and staff information literacy
skills.
Librarians are your partners and colleagues in education
and want to work wtih you to meet the learning objectives of your
classes, support your teaching, and help your students succeed.
Elements
of Successful Assignments |
Top |
(Adapted with permission 2, 3,
6)
Relevance:
 Explain
the purpose of the assignment. What are the students expected
to learn? How does it relate to the learning outcomes of the
course? Students who understand the reason for an assignment
should be more motivated to complete the work.
Clarity:
Use clear terminology when creating assignments. According to
Burns Feyl, "One clarification we often make for students
is the difference between something found on 'the Web' and an
article or piece of information found using one of the library’s
'web-based' subscription databases. Subscription databases such
as Academic
Search Complete contain many full-text articles; usually
these are the equivalent of what you would read in the print
publication."
Be specific about which sources are and are not permissible.
For example, some teachers will not allow students to use general
encyclopedias (e.g., World Book Encyclopedia) but do
allow specialized encyclopedias (e.g., Social Issues in
America).
Student Engagement:
Do they use information to solve a problem, answer a question,
or make a well-informed decision?
Does the assignment enrich the students understanding of course
concept(s) or engage them in the inquiry process?
Can students tailor the assignment to their specific interests
and goals?
Critical Thinking:
Emphasize analysis over answers.
Ask students to evaluate, analyze, and make comments, not just
compile a list or find a specific fact or figure.
Feasibility and Availability:
Work with a librarian before giving your students the assignment.
At a minimum, always
send a copy of your assignment to your liaison
librarian. She or he can determine if needed resources
are available, obtain additional resources, assist you in placing
items on reserve, and alert other librarian, so they may be
prepared to assist students.
Is the assignment doable and has it been tested? If not, students
may have a frustrating experience.
Will a single source be tied up by dozens of students?
Assign a variety of topics and sources to give students a better
chance at finding resources.
Requiring students to use microtext (e.g., microfilm
or microfiche) a storage device that some instructors mistake
for a source of information.
Restricting students from using books for English 1301 and 1302
research papers. In these research intensive core classes,
students should be exposed to a wide variety of information sources
and how to find them.
Omitting the objective(s) from the assignment handout.
Students want to know what they are expected to learn and why
and/or how the assignment will benefit them.
Limiting resources to the most recent five years only.
This often eliminates the best background information, or the
"Classic" work in a field. Take a look at the references
included in scholarly books and articles - the sources cited are
based on value, not date. A better scenario is to require students
to include some recent resources to bring the issue to the present
day.
Asking a whole class to use a single resource or to research the
same topic. The library may not have enough books on
a topic for all students - sometimes the best books get checked
out by one or two students. Please remember that we can put items
on reserve and we continue to build our collection of online books,
journals and databases.
Asking students to find a particular fact or figure (e.g.
the subscription price for a journal in a given discipline) -
this fails to engage them.
Basing your assignment on another library's resources.
Blinn College Library should normally have the resources Blinn
students need to complete assignments, and if we don't, we need
to know about it.
Examples from Blinn College
Biology 1406, Instructor John Jenkin - Students
are to read and analyze a science-related magazine or journal
article and explain (in writing) why the article is important
to biology. The topic should be an aspect of biology that interests
the student. Students may search a library database or browse
the periodical section in the library to find the article.
Art
History 1303, Instructor Neesi Lloyd - Students
are to research the influence of art history (Prehistoric through
Gothic) on a modern/contemporary topic of choice. The topic may
be within or outside the realm of art, as long as art historical
influence is present. Students are asked to pick a topic of their
own interest. The topic may be as narrow as one work of art or
one artist, or as broad as an entire time period's influence on
modern day topic. For example, the influence of prehistoric cave
painting on modern day graffiti art.
Art
History 1304, Instructor Jacque Anderson -
Students choose any work or works of art from the
period of time, an artist, or an art style that is covered
in the course and write a 6-7 page paper that includes at
least one photo or color image of the object being
discussed.
Students must tell why they chose the subject
for their research paper; they will need
to talk about their
feelings for the artist and image or piece of art used in
the paper.
History
1301, Instructors Patrick
Johnson & Ronald
Wright - Students can
choose from these extra credit projects: 1) Write a critical film
review (from a preapproved list of films); 2) Build a model of
a historical item from a period studied in class; and, 3) Work
on an art project. Ronald Wright also offers students the option
of playing a simulation game. Students are required to write a
two-page paper describing the history behind their project. The
paper should include a bibliography with at least two sources.
English
1301, Instructor Ginny Machann - Students
are to choose a controversial figure from a list that covers many
fields. The students' task is to define who the person is, what
he or she did, and in their final paper, argue whether history
books in a hundred years will be likely to include this person.
Students should discuss the importance of the figure's discoveries
or theories in broader terms than our own time, and whether that
individual will be viewed as having left the world a better or
a worse place.
Anthropology
2351, Instructor Pearce
Paul Creasman - Students
are required to write a short paper on a cultural anthropology
topic of his or her choice. The paper must be drawn from a legitimate
cultural case study (or other approved topic). The paper should
outline the work selected and compare/contrast some major aspect
of culture with American culture (or any culture which the student
is intimately familiar and can readily explain to the rest of
the class).
Examples from Other Academic Institutions
(All are term paper alternatives)
Write
a Letter to the Editor or to a Member of Congress
- Students write letters on contemporary topics related to the
course. In order to write the letter, they have to research
the
issue thoroughly. Students use statistics and information to
support their stance. Have students trade letters and critique
each others'
arguments. It's a nice way to demonstrate that research and the
use of persuasive evidence are sometimes required for forms
of
expression other than college papers. It also gives students
practice writing concisely and clearly for an audience other
than the teacher.
(Folke
Bernadette Memorial Lib., Gustavus Adolphus College)
Prepare
an Interview - Have students prepare an interview
- either one to be actually carried out or one that they can't
because the subject is long dead or otherwise unavailable. To
generate useful questions they will have to become familiar with
the person's life and work and understand his or her significance.
(Buena
Vista Univ. Lib.)
Two-Minute
Oral Reports - to flesh out the context of the
assigned readings for a class session. This works well in groups
of 4-5 as well. (Lawrence
Univ. Lib.)
Generate
Paper Topics - This can be done during an in class
discussion over an article the students were asked to read or
over a topic from the textbook. (Lawrence
Univ. Lib.)
Put
on a conference - Can include poster sessions,
panels, papers, etc. (Lawrence
Univ. Lib.)
Create
an Anthology of readings complete with an introduction
and reading summaries. (Lawrence
Univ. Lib.)
Stage
an In-Class Debate - Students need to locate relevant
information to argue an issue. Encourage students to support their
opinions with analyses and data from the field and to back their
assertions with scholarly articles, and statistics. Information
can be gathered from anywhere (popular press, scholarly articles,
organizations, personal interviews, and Internet) but students
must keep a record of where they found their information. Require
students to submit a bibliography of the sources they used, paying
particular attention to the range of resources consulted. (Buena
Vista Univ. Lib.)
Viewpoint
of a Culture/Country - Students find newspaper/periodical
articles representing views on an event or topic from different
cultures/countries. Students analyze differing cultural perspectives
on issues, which encourage students to understand that multiple
perspectives of an issue are in operation at the same time. This
analysis will help students to broaden and enhance their own perspectives
on these issues. (Buena
Vista Univ. Lib.)
Significant
Person - Students read about an important person
in their discipline, and describe the context of their accomplishments
and how it affects society today. (Cuyahoga
Community Coll. Lib.)
Anatomy
of a Term Paper - Students conduct the research
for a term paper, but do not write it. At various stages, students
submit: 1) clearly defined topic, 2) annotated bibliography of
useful sources, 3) outline of paper, 4) thesis statement, and
5) opening paragraph and summary. Purpose: focuses on the stages
of research and the parts of a paper. Good for developmental reading
and/or writing classes. (Kings
Coll., The D. Leonard Corgan Lib.)
List
and describe important Sources of Information in Your Discipline
- This might include subject encyclopedias,
dictionaries, and directories, classic texts in the field, discipline
organizations and journals, research databases, and web sites.
(Cuyahoga
Community Coll. Lib.)
Portfolio
Reflective Question - Good for assessing a research
project. Created by Pace
Univ. Lib.
More Ideas
Alternatives
to Term Papers - Lawrence Univ. Lib.
Creating
Effective Library Research Assignments - Odum Lib., Valdosta
State Univ.
Creating
Effective Research Assignments: Developing Student Information
Literacy Skills - Sarah Burns Feyl, Pace Univ. Lib.
Ideas
for Incorporating Research into FYS Courses - Buena Vista Univ. Lib.
Term
Paper Alternatives: Ideas for Information-Based Assignments
- D. Leonard Corgan Lib., King's Coll.
On
Effective, Meaningful Library Assignments: An Annotated Webliography
- Alicia Ellison, Hillsborough Community Coll. Lib.
1. "Alternatives to Term Papers." 6 Nov. 2003. Lawrence
University Library. 30 Oct. 2007. <http://www.lawrence.edu/library/instruct/alternatives.shtml>.
2. Burns Feyl, Sarah. "Creating Effective
Research Assignments: Developing Student Information Literacy
Skills." July 2005. Pace University Library. 2 Aug 2007.
<http://www.pace.edu/library/pages/instruct/effectiveassignments.htm>.
3. "Creating Effective Library Research
Assignments." 2007. Odum Lib., Valdosta State University.
6 Nov. 2007. <http://www.valdosta.edu/library/services/effective.shtml>.
4. "Creative Library Assignments From Our Faculty." Gustaphus
Adolphus University, Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library. <http://gustavus.edu/academics/library/facultyresearchassignments.html>.
5. Ellison, Alicia B.. "Faculty/Librarian
Collaboration for Productive Library Assignments." 2004.
Hillsborough Community College - Ybor City Campus. 2 Aug. 2007.
<http://www.hccfl.edu/facultyinfo/aellison/files/99E94FBE1E2A4831973365268EAAD27E.pdf>.
6. Gardner, K. A. "How to Design Effective
Library Research Assignments." 20 Dec. 2002. El Paso Community
College, Valle Verde Library. 2 Aug. 2007. <http://www.epcc.edu/vvlib/informationliteracy.htm>.
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