Vanderbilt Visions...
An Exercise in Collaboration
LOEX Conference, May 1-3, 2008
Melinda Brown
Lee Ann Lannom
Amy Stewart-Mailhiot
The Environment
 Private research
university
 Nashville, TN
11,847 students
 6532 undergraduates
 1,700 first-year
students
The Environment
 4 schools with undergraduate programs
 Blair School of Music
 Peabody College of Education & Human Development
 College of Arts & Science
 School of Engineering
 4 Libraries that serve these colleges
What is Vanderbilt Visions?
 Semester-long
orientation
program for
first years
 Focus on social, academic, cognitive
& cultural transition from high school
to college
What is Vanderbilt Visions?
 Common, shared experience
 100 sessions – students + 2 VUceptors
 Feedback
from students in
2006 Visions
program…
…Include a Library Session!
What Happened Next?
Committee on Undergraduate
Information Literacy (CUIL)
 Vanderbilt Libraries – undergraduate
 Center For Teaching
 Writing Studio
 CUIL member on Vanderbilt Visions
Advisory Board
CUIL Makes a Proposal
 Introduce resources of Library system
 High school vs. college level research
 Multimedia, interactive presentation
 Meet with large groups
Expected Positive Outcomes
 Give all students a base-line
introduction to Library services &
tools
 Introduce students to a librarian (or
two)
 Make students aware help is available at
libraries on campus
Proposal Accepted – Now What?
 CUIL Coordinator became the Project
Manager
 As members of CUIL, the Writing
Studio & the Center For Teaching
participated from the beginning
Development of the Presentation
Parts in development process:
 Visions Reader Entry
 Video Interviews
 Lesson Plan
 Staff Training
Development of the Presentation…
Visions Reader Entry
“What Vanderbilt Students Think First-Year Students Should
Know about the Libraries?”
Each library has its own character - try
them all out & find out which one works
best for you.
Explore the libraries - there are lots of
computers and hidden study nooks
where you might not expect them to be
They have real (as in non-required,
fiction) books at the library! Good for
beach reading over spring break!
Development of the Presentation…
Video Interviews
 Faculty, graduate &
undergraduate student
interviews
 Focus on the research
process, tools & advice for
first-year students
 Collaboration among campus
partners
Development of the Presentation:
Lesson Plan
Interactive
Learning
Fun
Facts
Video
Clips
Script
Development of the Presentation:
Staff Training
 Final Preparations
 Training for 29 staff
 Practice with new clickers
 Field trip to lecture rooms
 20 Vision Presentations in 3 days
Intellectual Engagement at
Vanderbilt
Or…
Things You Need To Know
About Research,
But Didn’t Learn In High School
Lights… Camera…
Action!
Which of the following cannot
be checked out at one of the
libraries at Vanderbilt?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A puppet
An umbrella
A skeleton
A globe
A parachute
High School VS. College Research
(It was a piece of cake, until
I read the syllabus…)
Learn how and where to get started
with your research
Hints: Reading Assignments
If you see any of these:
– annotated bibliography
– secondary source material
– scholarly or peer-reviewed
articles
It’s research time!
Research Traps to Avoid
• Too much Google and Wikipedia
• Not enough scholarly resources
Hard to port! We’re heading
for the Googlepedia Triangle.
We need to get away before
our research project is sunk!
Articles can be your BFF
Popular vs. Scholarly
Aaargh! What’s the difference?
After the Show…
 Library debriefing sessions
 Visions staff feedback
 Unexpected Surprises
 Recommendations
Debriefing Sessions…
Presenter Feedback
Question
Feedback
Did you get
enough help from
VUceptors?
Strong consensus
… NO
Proposed solutions
Do training before sessions
Enlist student workers
Have more library staff per
session
How was the
timing of the
presentation?
Majority started
5-15 minutes late
Consolidate film credits
Cut out parts of video
Debriefing Sessions…
Presenter Feedback
Question
How was the
student response
& behavior?
Feedback
Proposed solutions
Ranged from attentive to
bored
Shorten first video clip
Problems with students
using cell phones
Students liked clickers
Did the lighting
changes or other
technical issues
impact your
presentation?
Some rooms required
more practice to get the
right balance for lighting
Lighting needs varied
during PPT and video
portions of presentation
Find ways to increase
interactive elements
Debriefing Sessions…
Presenter Feedback
Question
Aside from technical
problems, what part(s)
could have worked
better?
Feedback and Proposed Solutions
Videos could have been shorter
and/or less repetitive
More technical support from
Learning Resource Center
Include popular vs. scholarly tutorial
Include a welcome clip from
University Librarian
Conduct more interviews to increase
& improve selection
Visions Staff Feedback
 Increase the level of interactivity
 Include more student involvement
 Find creative ways to involve
VUceptors
Unexpected Bonuses
 Desire to do more
sessions
 Discovery of hidden staff
talents
 Our own ‘shared experience’
 Increased sense of collaboration
 Cross-library communication
Recommendations
 Determine level of autonomy up front
 Involve students throughout process
 Be Inclusive:
 Encourage participation at all levels of the
library
 Invite faculty & other campus partners to
serve as advisors
Recommendations
 Explore & utilize the talents of staff
 Consider technology needs early:
 Survey campus resources
 Determine what you should outsource
Do you have a ritual for bringing your
research to a close?
Vanderbilt Visions...
An Exercise in Collaboration
LOEX Conference, May 1-3, 2008
Melinda Brown, melinda.brown@vanderbilt.edu
Lee Ann Lannom, lee.ann.lannom@vanderbilt.edu
Amy Stewart-Mailhiot, amy.stewart@vanderbilt.edu