activities

Submitted by Carolyn Caffrey on August 25th, 2016
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Short Description: 

This group activity can be used in a variety of disciplines and contexts. Pass the Problem aims to have students provide feedback to other students on database and keyword selection. By having students critique each other it works to build critical self-reflection during the research process (it's also pretty fun!).

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Pass the Problem.docxdisplayed 4308 times24.33 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

Strategically select a database appropriate for their research topics Brainstorm keywords appropriate to a given research topic Evaluate the effectiveness of searching language

Discipline: 
ArtBiologyBusinessChemistryClassicsCommunication StudiesDanceEducationEnglishEnvironmental StudiesEthnic StudiesFilm and TVHealthHistoryMultidisciplinaryMusicPhilosophyPhysicsPolitical SciencePsychologySocial WorkSociologyTheater ArtsTheologyUrban StudiesWomen's Studies

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Ability Level:

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Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This activity was part of a larger class session focused on preparing students for their interdisciplinary research projects. At this point in the semester students did not yet have their own research topics. It also took place outside of a computer classroom where not all students had laptops. Students break up into groups of 3-4 students. You can make as many topics as you want. For a class of 25 I created 4 topic options. Each group receives 5-10 minutes to complete each segment. When the timer is up they switch with a group. No one should receive the paper they start with until the very end. At the end of the activity we come back as a class and discuss how it went and what strategies they might implement in their own research processes. (I first heard about the idea of passing a problem in an interactive way from Sarah Lucchesi and Jenn Sams from Michigan Tech at Lake Superior Libraries Symposium, this is inspired by their idea.)

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Tips: Activity works well when paired with additional content. You can mix up the questions or add more. Pitfall: Choosing approachable topics with lots of keywords options. It can be hard to have students easily trade papers in classrooms set up with rows, you may need to facilitate the passing.

Suggested Citation: 
Caffrey, Carolyn . "Pass the Problem." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2016. https://projectcora.org/assignment/pass-problem.
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Submitted by Sheena Campbell on March 7th, 2016
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Short Description: 

Rather than just providing a 20min presentation on academic databases available through the library website--this lesson is designed to have students demonstrate using library databases for their classmates. Delivered to our ENG 1B (a required freshman course) students, and timed to coincide with their Argument Essay assignment, students practice accessing and utilizing databases to find information sources. Working in groups, the students explore an assigned database before coming up to the podium to demonstrate the materials, search functionality and features of that database. Lesson break down (1hr 15min): Presentation by the Librarian: databases; developing keywords; Boolean (30 minutes) Students break into groups of 2-4, are assigned a database (5 minutes) Students explore the database and plan their Teach-In (10 minutes) Groups present on their assigned database (20 minutes) Presentation by the Librarian about identifying information needs (5 minutes) Librarian re-states the role of each database to meet these information needs (5 minutes) *This lesson was first designed by CORA Development Group Member, Nicole Branch along with SJSU Librarian, Toby Matoush.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Database Teach-In pptdisplayed 3112 times3.71 MB
Peer Teach-In Database Handout exampledisplayed 3825 times31 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

Accessing library databases Using the library databases to identify and select information sources Understanding the role of each database (accessible materials) within the research process Developing search terms Using Boolean operators to broaden or narrow the scope of a search

Discipline: 
EnglishMultidisciplinary

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Ability Level:

Tags:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This lesson is delivered to all sections of our ENG 1B course, which is required in their freshman year, to coincide with their Argument Essay assignment. As part of their assignment, students have to provide evidence in support of their argument from scholarly sources. This lesson features the library's "go-to" databases for accessing reference sources, ebooks and scholarly articles for their assignment.

Collaborators: 
Nicole Branch
Suggested Citation: 
Campbell, Sheena. "Library Database Teach-In." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2016. https://projectcora.org/assignment/library-database-teach.
Copyright icon to go along with copyright rules.
All assignments contributed to this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike United States License

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