Information Literacy and the First-Year Student Experience –

Campus Collaborations

Kate RattenborgInstructional Services Librarian

Luther College April 21, 2006

Search generation……"My guess is about 300 years until computers are as good as, say, your local reference library in doing search," says Craig Silverstein. "But we can make slow and steady progress, and maybe one day we'll get there."

First-year Student Transitions

Physical Academic

Social

Recent Chronicle Articles

Bearfoot, Betsy. “Bridging the Chasm: First-Year Students and the Library”. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Jan. 20, 2006 vol. 52 issue 20, p.B16-B16 Special issue on School and College. Section B, March 10, 2006

http://schoolandcollege.com/contents/

“Bridging the Chasm”: First-Year Students and the Library

‘Nuts & Bolts’ recommendations for library involvement

Include library as stop on campus tour

Involve librarians in campus discussions of FY programs

Involve librarians in delivery of FY programs

SHARE article

The Chronicle: Survey “What Professors and Teachers Think”

Students’ preparation for college-level demands:

Research skills0

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Not well

Somewhat w

ell

Very well

Don't know

College

HighSchool

http://schoolandcollege.com/

The Chronicle: Survey “What Professors and Teachers Think”

Students’ preparation for college-level demands:

Writing skills0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Not well

Somewhat w

ell

Very well

Don't know

College

HighSchool

http://schoolandcollege.com/

"Knowing in part may make a fine tale, but wisdom comes from seeing the

whole."

Do we have a FYE Program?

Common 1st Year Experiences

Advising – June registration

Summer reading

August orientation

First-year halls

Common course (2 semester)

J-term First-year seminars (2007/2008)

Wellness course

FYE @ Luther ….what it could be

Intentional coordination Seamless focus on learning … increased student understanding of the curriculum … enable students to ‘map out’ to achieve their goalsSustained relationship with advisor/mentorPrograms that meet special needs of first generation and other categories of higher-risk students<Information Literacy>

a person must be able to recognize

when information is needed and to have

the ability to locate, evaluate, and

use effectively the needed information.

— American Library Association Presidential

Committee on Information Literacy. 1989.

To be information literate …

Commitment to Research

Good writing, speaking, and research are the currency of academic life, and so instruction and practice in them ought to be the work of every instructor at Luther, in both general and major requirements.

Paideia I

Common course for all first-year studentsFocused on one or more questions that confront us as learners and as citizens. Committed to developing students’ abilities as critical readers, writers, informed speakers, and researchers.

Paideia ThemesSense of

PlaceCritical thinking

Sense of Identity

Librarian Involvement in Paideia

Faculty – teaching Paideia discussion section

Planning – member of Writing Committee

Liaison – librarian liaison with discussion sections

Instruction – spring research unit

Instructional Strategies

Overview/orientation to library resources

and services

Teaching at point-of-need Fall ‘mini-research’

unit

Integrating information literacy throughout Paideia

Spring research unit

‘Worksheets’ embedded into Writing Guide

Worksheet #1

Getting started

Background reading on preliminary topic

The information literate student ……defines and articulates

the need for information

Grandmother’s Trunk –

Historical Research

Social history

Legal history

Military history

Intellectual historye.g. history of ideas

Cultural historye.g. history of arts and letters

Environmental history

Political history

Worksheet #2

Developing search strategies

Keeping a research log

The information literate student… …constructs and implements

effectively-designed search strategies

Search strategies/Sources

Primary vs secondary sources

Scholarly articles

EBSCOhostat least 85% have available through statewide access

Full-text vs print

Worksheet #3 & 4

Using online resources with intelligence

Evaluating sources

The information literate student ……identifies a variety of types and formats

of potential sources for information …evaluates information and its sources

critically

Worksheet #5

Responsible researchAvoiding plagiarism by taking accurate notes

The information literate student ……demonstrates an understanding

of what constitutes plagiarism and does not represent work

attributable to others as his/her own

Worksheet #8

Progress report on research

The information literate student… …revises the development process

for the product or performance

Effectiveness of Model

Are the worksheets effective?Alternatives

Supplements

Are the instructional sessions effective?

First-year J-term seminars

Intentional seminar size

Focus on independent learning and research

Opportunities for librarians

First-Year Student Advising

Three-year pilot program

Advising workshops

“Connecting points” with advisees throughout year

Student peer mentors

Assessment and evaluation

Transitions beyond 1st Year

Ability to transfer what is learned to discipline-based courses

Definition of research changes

Focused effort on building on learning

Additional Collaborative Opportunities

General studies coursesWriting

Study skills

Writing center => writing tutors

Student support servicesTutoring

Technology help desk

Take it to the

Next Level

Questions?

Comments…

Discussion