Vermont National Partner Workshop - Students and Faculty in the Archives (SAFA)

Na#onal Partner WorkshopStudents and Faculty in the Archives

Burlington, VT

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Tuesday, May 6, 14

Welcome!9:00 – 9:30 IntroducCons

9:30 – 10:30 What is SAFA?

10:30 -‐ 1:00 Pedagogical Design

1:00 – 2:00 LUNCH on your own

2:00 – 3:00 VisiCng the Archives (in Special CollecCons)

3:00 – 4:00 Planning Your Archives Experience

4:00 -‐ 4:30 Wrap-‐Up

Students and Faculty in the Archives ● Brooklyn Historical Society

Tuesday, May 6, 14

Introduc#ons

• Julie Golia, PhDHistorian / SAFA Co-‐Director

• Robin M. Katz, MLISArchivist / SAFA Co-‐Director


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Introduc#ons

• Your vitals (name, department)

• Your experience teaching with primary sources

• Where are you in your planning?

• What is your biggest quesCon at this point?


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What is SAFA?

• Students and Faculty in the Archives was an innovaCve postsecondary educaCon program which used primary sources to teach document analysis, informaCon literacy, and criCcal thinking skills in first-‐year undergraduates.


Tuesday, May 6, 14

What is SAFA?

• SAFA resulted in TeachArchives.org – Project documenta>on and findings– Sample exercises (with some digi>zed documents)– Ar>cles on pedagogy by us and faculty– Wide-‐ranging audience


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What is SAFA?

• Three year, $750,000 US Dept of EducaCon FIPSE grant – Jan 2011 un>l Dec 2013 (in extension now)

• Three schools within walking distance– City Tech (CUNY), LIU Brooklyn, St. Francis

• Nineteen local partner faculty– All ranks and stages of career– Wide range of disciplines (not just history)– Variety of classes (seminars, surveys, etc.)– Intellectual and professional community

• NaConal partners


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What is SAFA?

• Centered around class visits to the archives• Item-‐level document analysis – not independent student research

• Over four semesters (Fall 2011 -‐ Spring 2013)– 1,100 individual students– 63 courses– 100+ class visits to Brooklyn Historical Society

• Breadth of project allowed for experimentaCon, lessons, crafing pedagogy


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What is SAFA?

• Brooklyn SAFA: student populaCon– Mostly first-‐year / early academic career– Very diverse: many minority, non-‐tradi>onal students, and other under-‐represented groups

– Mostly products of NYC public schools– Many interna>onal students, new Americans, or non-‐na>ve speakers of English

• Consider your student populaCon


Tuesday, May 6, 14

What is SAFA?

• Sampling of SAFA classes– Robin Michals, Introduc)on to Digital Photography – Jen Wingate, Visual Culture of the Civil War – Sara Haviland, U.S., 1896-‐present – Geoff Zylstra, Early American History – Leah Dilworth, American Literature – Ma?hew Gold, English Composi)on: Fire, Disease, Disaster and the Shaping of Urban Public Space


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What is SAFA?

• Beginners need to be taught document analysis• Our teaching philosophy– Specific learning objec>ves– Individual documents• The fewer the be?er!

– Tailored small-‐group ac>vi>es– Directed, specific prompts• Ex: “Why did Henry Ward Beecher write this le?er?”• Not “Who is the creator? What type of doc is this?”


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SAFA Findings

• Independent evaluators have found that SAFA students are more engaged, perform beger, and -‐ in some cases -‐ have higher retenCon rates than their peers.– Findings summarized on TeachArchives.org– Final Report due December 2014– Last Evalua>on Report (2012) in folders and online


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Findings: Observa#on Skills

• Q: Why might this document be worth preserving in an archive?


PRE POST

Students noMng a single feature of giving a vague response

72% 49%

Students noMng mulMple physical features

28% 51%

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Findings: Ar#cula#ng ‘a usable past’• Q: Why might this document be worth preserving in an archive?


Sample PRE responses Sample POST responses

This is a photo from the past To show how society valued entertainment

Because it showed what was going on at that moment.

[It] shows how technology was progressing in the US.

It gives insight... to what life was like during the 1960s.

It shows how people were sending postal cards through the

telegrams and how it was different... than... today.

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Findings: Academic Performance• Just one class at LIU Brooklyn


SAFA NON-‐SAFACompleMon Rate 96.9% 76.7%

Passing Rate 91.9% 48%

Grade B or be?er 60.7% 30.3%

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Findings: Professional Development

“This experience has helped me trust my students.” Peter Catapano, City Tech

“I have been able to create a research project that mirrors that of the academic research process.”Geoff Zylstra, City Tech

“I have rethought how I teach research [...to move] from breadth to depth, the general to the specific, in order to engage students in ‘deep learning’ based on close readings and observaCon.”Deborah Mutnick, LIU Brooklyn


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Why does SAFA work?

• High Impact EducaConal PracCces– Work with first-‐year seminars, learning communi>es– Common intellectual experiences (among a cohort)– Collabora>ve assignments and projects– Undergraduate research– Diversity/global learning– Community-‐based learning– See www.aacu.org/leap/hip.cfm

• Primary source instrucCon should be consider a HIEP and a core competency for archivists.


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http://www.aacu.org/leap/hip.cfm

http://www.aacu.org/leap/hip.cfm

TeachArchives.org

Look at the site!


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What is SAFA?

General quesCons about the project or TeachArchives.org?


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Pedagogy: Objec#ves vs. Goals

• Learning goals vs. learning objecCves– Why we came to find the disCncCon so important


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Learning Goals

• A statement that describes in broad terms what a student will learn from your course.– adapted from hMp://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/wri#ngobjec#ves.pdf

• Knowledge, skills, or astudes



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http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/writingobjectives.pdf




• Professors’ course goals were ofen the same as SAFA’s goals– For ex:– Improve student engagement

– Build a sense of community

– Interact with neighborhoods



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Learning ObjecCves

• Statement in specific and measurable terms that describes what the student will know or be able to do as a result of comple>ng course ac>vi>es.– adapted from http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/fd/writingobjectives.pdf

• Provide criteria for acceptable performance; how students will demonstrate learning



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http://www.lmu.edu/about/services/academicplanning/assessment/Assessment_Resources/Understanding_Mission__Goals_and_Learning_Outcomes.htm




Example: Sara Haviland’s goals vs. objecCves• GOAL (broader)– Students will learn the unique history of the Civil Rights movement in the North.

• OBJECTIVE (specific)– In their final research paper, students will iden>fy and analyze the different issues, strategies, and cons>tuencies of the Civil Rights movement in the North, as compared to the South.



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• To learn more, see teacharchives.org/ar>cles/learning-‐objec>ves



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• Assignment Design– We wanted to demonstrate a wide range of assignment models

– Refined and tweaked over five semesters


Pedagogy: Assignments

Tuesday, May 6, 14

• Types of Assignments and Visits– One-‐off in-‐archive ac>vity

– Semester-‐long, mul>-‐visit structure

– Building a collabora>ve resource as a class

– Scaffolded document-‐to-‐folder model

– Scholarly research paper

– Other scholarly work (oral history, walking tour)

– Research for a crea>ve project



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• Assignments: quesCons to ask yourself– How much Mme do you have to spend in the archives over

the course of the semester?

– What knowledge or skills will your students gain in the archives? What kind of assignment will best manifest those?

– How important is student collaboraMon vs. independent work?

– Who are your students? (Majors vs. non-‐majors, first-‐years vs. advanced students, etc.)



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• To see some successful assignments, seeteacharchives.org/exercises/



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Pedagogy: Context

• How to provide context to students– Our experience: not enough or too much context

– Finding the “Goldilocks” of context


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Pedagogy: Context

• Kinds of Context– Historical

– Technical / Format• Processes• Paleography

– Collec>on Info • Provenance or donor • How organized

– What is Special Collec>ons?


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Pedagogy: Context

• Possible sources – Secondary sources

– Other primary sources

– Popular or experien>al readings

– Finding aids or other library descrip>ons

– Class lectures

– In-‐archive lectures

– Other ideas?


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Pedagogy: Context

• Context: quesCons to ask yourself– What knowledge/skills/agtudes might your students need to acquire before encountering the archives?

– If more than one archives visit, what knowledge do you want them to acquire between visits?

– How can context readings help them answer ques>ons raised (and unanswered) in archives?

– Will you preselect a reading, or will students find one themselves?


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• To learn more, seeteacharchives.org/ar>cles/providing-‐context


Pedagogy: Context

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Pedagogy: Document Selec#on

• Document selecCon: how much?– For first-‐year students, item level is best• Some experiences with providing folder from manuscript

collecMon

– Small number of items for students• Especially textual material

– Arc of visit relies on the document(s)• What is the journey students will take?

• AnMcipate piialls and challenges

• You do have a reading in mind Students and Faculty in the Archives ● Brooklyn Historical Society

Tuesday, May 6, 14

• Think about your student’s first encounter with the document. Consider:– physical size

– condi>on or handling needs

– length of text

– legibility (especially handwri>ng)

– vocabulary

– visual literacy skills of students



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• Also remember:– How much more contextual knowledge you have

– The feeling of overwhelm in an archives• Manageable vs. unmanageable



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• To learn more, see teacharchives.org/ar>cles/document-‐selec>on



Tuesday, May 6, 14

Pedagogy: Handouts

CreaCng specific prompts

• Why tailoring your student’s interac>on with the documents is important


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Pedagogy: Handouts

•Generic quesCons can be confusing• Date created vs. date covered

• Author/creator

• Format

• “What is the source,” “why was this doc made,” “who is the audience” are actually difficult to answer!


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Pedagogy: Handouts

• Student prompts/handouts: why tailor?• Primary source docs are infinitely interpretable – but educators olen do have a reading in mind

• Handouts should reflect your specific visit objec>ves

• Tailored handouts help an>cipate regularized experience for students• Rather than an educator providing context to students on a piecemeal basis (when floaMng or zoning)


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Pedagogy: Handouts

• Designing prompts/handouts:• Don’t give students too long a handout

• Ar>culate to students that they should closely observe and read the en>re document

• Consider including context or other sources in the handout

• Examples in your folder


Tuesday, May 6, 14

• To learn more, seeteacharchives.org/ar>cles/crea>ng-‐handouts


Pedagogy: Context

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Pedagogy: Facilita#on

FacilitaCng an effecCve visit – Thinking deeply about logis>cs makes for a beoer pedagogical experience


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FacilitaCng an effecCve visit: plan ahead – Overbudget >me in your agenda

• When to arrive and leave

• Don’t forget intros and wrap-‐ups• It takes students a while to physically move

– Groups allow for discussion, collabora>on, community building• But consider the room, the size of the docs, how long

– What tools are needed?

– Spell out roles of faculty and staff Students and Faculty in the Archives ● Brooklyn Historical Society

Tuesday, May 6, 14

• To learn more, seeteacharchives.org/ar>cles/logis>cs



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Pedagogy: Wrap Ups

Plan an effecCve wrap up– Planning olen overlooked by Brooklyn faculty

– Consider a way for the en>re class to reconvene and share

– You can connect the “micro” (document) back to the “macro” (course content)

– See one great idea at teacharchives.org/exercises/impromptu-‐speeches


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Pedagogy: Wrap Ups

Wrap ups: what to do– Think about logis>cs again

• Change it up, make sure they can see/hear each other

– Facilitate community interac>on – students speaking to each other, not you

– Ask hard ques>ons! Demand a lot from your students

– Consider shaping wrap up around a “takeaway”• Course goal or objecMve, contemporary theme, personal reacMon, etc.


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Pedagogy: Post-‐visit

Afer the visit– Give clear instruc>ons on follow up assignments • What do students do with in-‐archives handout?

• Consider assigning a visit reflecMon

• Relate the visit back to larger assignment?

– Clarify how/whether they should come back to archives independently• Enlist staff member for help

• Our experiences: don’t make it opMonal


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• To learn more, seeteacharchives.org/ar>cles/wrap-‐up


Pedagogy: Wrap Ups

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Pedagogy

QuesCons? Thoughts?


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LUNCH BREAK!

• Next session at 2:00 pm• Meet back here, then to Special CollecCons


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Class Visits: Our Experience

• SAFA Brooklyn in a nutshell– 1 – 3 visits is best (we had 1 -‐ 7)

– Anywhere from <10 – 40+ students in aoendance

– Faculty pre-‐select docs with staff help, requested 3 weeks ahead of >me

– Staff pull, prep, cite, assess copyright, set up docs

– Staff greet class; review care/handling; occasionally lecture; co-‐facilitate exercise & wrap-‐up


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Class Visits: SeXng Up•Room setup: the “SAFA” model– Tweaked over five semesters

– Sta>ons and groupings• Rotate or not? Timing?

• Even groupings

• Siong at table or standing with clipboards?

– Logis>cs• Remember size, condiMon, other layout issues

– Independent or group work?• Small groups of 3 -‐ 4 students are ideal


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Class Visits: Care & Handling

How to teach care and handling– Not puni>ve, stress universality

– Policies vary, but see our example guidelines• Have students read aloud

• Ask, “why?” or, “security or preservaMon?”

– In folders and online at teacharchives.org/ar>cles/care-‐and-‐handling

• What is an archives/historical society?– Pre-‐visit experiment


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Class Visits: Facilita#on

FacilitaCng an effecCve visit: in the archives– Make introduc>ons both clear and enthusias>c

– Think about logis>cs• where to sit or stand, tables vs. clipboards, acousMcs

– How available will you be to students?• FloaMng vs. zoning

• Hang back or hands-‐on?

• What context provided as-‐needed?

• If you give one group a hint, tell the whole class


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Class Visits

• While in Special CollecCons, consider:– Individual document choices?

– How would you stage these?

• Think about parameters– Number of students

– Time available, number of visits

– Course, brief goals/visit objec>ves


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Class Visits

GO TO SPECIAL COLLECTIONS


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Discuss: Collabora#on

We found library faculty bring important

pedagogical/insCtuConal skill sets – use them!– Content knowledge

– History and theory of archives/collec>ons

– Teaching experience in archives segng

– Extensive doc analysis skills

– Extensive logis>cal experience


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Discuss: Collabora#on

What do you hope to gain from collabora>ng?

What has been successful or challenging in the past?

What do you need help with?

What needs to be clarified about who does what? Or about how things will work?


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Tools for Research

IdenCfy your research resources

• Finding aids, subject guides, digital sources, and more

• Library faculty or other professors teaching similar topics/collec>ons

•Resources at UVM and beyond?


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Discuss: Research

Researching as a teacher – not a scholar

• Iden>fying teaching docs very different than iden>fying docs for scholarly research– Not looking for everything – just one effec>ve teaching document

– Do you want a representa>ve document or an outlier document?


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Planning: Your Ideas

Let’s workshop and discuss your specific scheduling and logisCcs concerns.


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Wrap Up

Group-‐determined quesCons and discussion.


Tuesday, May 6, 14

Vermont National Partner Workshop - Students and Faculty in the Archives (SAFA)

Education

Transcript of Vermont National Partner Workshop - Students and Faculty in the Archives (SAFA)