LIBR 287_Sujata Halarnkar_Spring 2008
Information Literacy Instruction Observation
Sujata P. Halarnkar
February 29, 2008
Seminar in Information Literacy
LIBR 287 – Spring 2008
School of Library and Information Science – San Jose State University
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Since teachers at any academic level play a key role in developing life-long
learners, I consider observing an actual instruction session a great opportunity. I chose
Diablo Valley College (DVC), a publicly supported community college in the Contra
Costa Community College District in Northern California for my observation. The twoyear community college is one of the popular and cheaper options for many high school
graduates before they transfer to four-year colleges. Currently, DVC serves more than
22,000 students of all ages with many program options. More than 2600 courses are
offered. Interestingly, majority of the students belong to age group of 20-24 years. The
30-49 year age group follows it closely. Women make up about 54% of the population.
(Diablo Valley College web site, 2008).
The DVC library, located in an independent building, believes in library research
as an ongoing process and offers a variety of learning tools to students, including onepage handouts, variety of courses, workshops, and class orientations. I particularly chose
this college because it also offers a certificate program in library and information
technology. I selected LS 121, an online or hybrid, one-unit course in Information
Competency and Research Skills for my observation assignment. This transferable oneunit course introduces information resources, research skills, and the concept of
information competency. The goal of the course is to teach students to use a library and
research information effectively and efficiently. The course fulfills the information
competency General Education requirement for the A.A. degree. The course is geared
towards preparing students for a four-year college and develops skills for their
professional careers. A couple of years ago, this course was mandatory but since other
faculty members from different departments offer their own research skills classes,
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interestingly taught by themselves and not by the librarians, it is a requirement for
General Education only.
After selecting the class, I e-mailed library chairperson, Andy Kivel and
explained my observation assignment. After his approval, I e-mailed the instructor,
Jennifer Dyment for her permission. Jennifer was very gracious in allowing me to attend
her class and answering my pre-session questions. Jennifer is a part time instructor at
DVC and this is the only class she teaches every semester. She has MLIS and works full
time as a systems analyst. Upon my request, she e-mailed me the copy of the class
syllabus, which I have attached in the appendix. Several sections of Information
Competency course are offered throughout the semester and are taught by both full time
and part time faculty members. The library department chairperson prepares the syllabus
for all these classes with some flexibility to instructors. Normally, the assignments are
also set for these classes but instructors have some flexibility to change them depending
on the group of students they have in the class. Jennifer did make changes in the
assignment. She decided not to include a three-page paper due at the end of the course as
a part of predetermined assignments. She felt that it was too much work for such a short
and one unit course. Jennifer strongly believes that students can learn and demonstrate all
of the steps of research process through reading and completing other more hands-on
assignments. Jennifer also updates the syllabus each semester with new readings and
related websites. I like this approach of customizing and updating instructional strategies
based on the feedback from the previous students.
The information literacy classroom was conveniently located in the main library,
away from the main activity area of the library but close enough to all library resources. I
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also found out that the room was also used as an open computer lab when regular classes
were not in session. The classroom was spacious and it had a sufficient number of
windows for natural light. The general atmosphere in the classroom was cheerful but not
distracting. The general layout of the room was very functional. There were five rows of
tables placed at a right angle to the whiteboard. Both sides of the tables are used for
computers. Therefore, there were 10 rows of computers for students to use.
Accommodating maximum number of tables and computers was probably the reason for
such an arrangement. Due to such an arrangement, students faced each other while
working and not the teacher. It also allowed close interaction among students and it was
particularly convenient for small group projects. The only negative aspect of this
arrangement, I concluded from my observation is that 50 % of students were facing the
classroom’s two entrances and it was little distracting for them to watch either late
coming or exiting students. In addition, majority of the students were either sitting
sideways or facing their backs to the whiteboard and the instructor. It was a little
inconvenient for them to watch the projected computer screen. Horizontal arrangement of
the tables to the whiteboard would have solved this problem but it would have resulted in
less interaction among students.
In terms of technology, the room was fully equipped with 36 computers, printers,
slide projectors, whiteboard and overhead screen for presentations. All the handouts
related to library resources were available in the classroom and I thought that it was very
convenient for any library instructor to refer and distribute those in the classroom when
needed. For example, when Jennifer was teaching her students how to cite online and
print sources in their work, she quickly referred to the “Preparing a Works Cited List:
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MLA Style” handout (DVC library handout) and was able to distribute those
conveniently available handouts in the classroom.
The class I selected was a hybrid class and I had the opportunity to attend the last
of the three mandatory in class sessions. Jennifer preferred the hybrid format. According
to her, it accommodates distance learners while still giving them something they are
familiar with – classroom time, one-on-one instruction and a face (J. Dyment, personal
communication, February 23, 2008). The class timing was from 12 to 1:50 pm on
Saturday. Since the library opens at noon, many students including the instructor were
waiting outside the library. I observed many students as they approached Jennifer freely
and discussed their questions about the assignments. Jennifer seemed very relaxed and
approachable for a discussion. The class promptly began at noon. There were 15 students
present in the class. Since it was a mandatory session, everyone seemed to be there.
Ninety percent of the students belonged to an age group of 20-24. Jennifer began the
class with the review of class assignments, reminders about deadlines for other projects,
and the day’s agenda. I considered it as a great strategy to bring the class together. She
concluded her introductory session by asking students if they have any questions. Many
students had questions about the online weekly discussion, technical problems like
submitting their assignments online, and other questions related to their assignments. For
example, some students did not quite follow the assignment related to library’s online
catalog searching. Jennifer went over it step-by-step by demonstrating keyword, title, and
subject search on the projected screen. At this time, I observed that none of the students
with one or two exceptions used the computers to follow Jennifer’s instructions. In spite
of the fact that all the students had individual access to the computers and all the
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computers were on, majority of the students did not even touch the mouse. I discussed
this with Jennifer and she mentioned that there is a lot of anxiety among the students
about using the library. Though they are comfortable using the Internet, ninety percent
never come into the library or use the information resources. The main purpose of
students visiting the library is to use computers and not library information resources (J.
Dyment, personal communication, February 23, 2008). Jennifer expressed concern about
how these students get by in their coursework without knowing how to use such useful
resources available free to them.
After the question and answer session, Jennifer focused on the main topics of her
lecture. Her class agenda for that day included copyright, public domain, and fair use and
resource citing. She had also planned a small group project with a short class
presentation. I like Jennifer’s way of teaching a new topic by asking initial questions to
check students’ knowledge about the topic. Many students had some vague idea about
copyright issue. Jennifer discussed the topic with a simple definition of copyright and
continued to teach the importance of it in giving appropriate recognition to the authors for
their cited work. She discussed how and when to use citation in the research and the
importance of proper citation in the work. I really like the way Jennifer showed the
student the applicability of what they just learned in their course work. Her teaching pace
was just right. From time to time, she checked for any questions and spent enough time to
discuss them. She also used Powerpoint presentation and handouts for her lecture. Her
group project for that day included searching for an online resource of the students’
choice, evaluating that resource for the reliability and finally citing that resource in MLA
style. By the end of the class, each group had to make a small presentation about their
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online resource choice, their evaluation criteria, and write down the citation on the
whiteboard. It was a great idea of practicing what they just learned. I thought the group
presentation idea was less intimidating for students and they seemed very relaxed. In
addition, the small group project encouraged interaction among students, which is hard to
achieve in a primarily online class. Jennifer also explained the assignment very well.
When students were working on their group project, Jennifer utilized that time walking
from students to students and discussing their individual questions. I considered it as a
great idea of connecting with students. Jennifer certainly knew how to make students feel
comfortable in the class. I could observe that students were initially intimidated, but they
opened up as the class progressed and I witnessed a great deal of open discussion in the
class. From students’ questions, one could sense different learning styles. For example,
some students took detail notes, while some just listened to Jennifer. Some of them were
very quiet while some preferred to be interactive with the class. Jennifer deals with
different learning styles by incorporating different learning exercises into the course
materials. She also includes different types of readings on the syllabus. Some of her other
strategies include assignments with hands on and conceptual type questions, encouraging
discussions about assigned reading through the discussion board, class participation in the
form of group presentations based on her lecture (J. Dyment, personal communication,
February 23, 2008). At the end of the class, Jennifer reminded students to complete
assessment quiz for the department use. After the class time, Jennifer stayed in the class
to discuss any questions students had. Since, I was hanging out there for a while, I saw
many students approaching her about their questions. I considered it as a very
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enthusiastic strategy that helped many students who were not comfortable asking
questions in the class.
To conclude my observation, I think Jennifer conducted the class extremely well.
I witnessed the class developing from quiet to interactive session in the end. I appreciated
her flexibility and customized teaching strategies. There was a good understanding
between the instructor and the DVC library department about providing excellent quality
education. I was a little bit concerned about motivating the students beyond this noncourse integrated class and exploring information resources on their own. Students
seemed a little disconnected in this stand-alone course. They must have learned a lot in
this class but if they do not apply these searching skills in their other courses, they may
soon be forgotten.
The observation assignment was a great experience and I am very thankful to
Jennifer for allowing me to observe her instruction session.
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References
Diablo Valley College (2008). Retrieved February 28, 2008 from
http://www.dvc.edu/index.htm
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Appendix
Syllabus
Course Information
Course title: Information Competency and Research Skills
Course
number:
LS 121
Course
discipline:
Library Science
Course
The course teaches the research strategies and skills for successfully finding,
description: retrieving, evaluating, and using information in various formats. It combines library
skills, research methods, and information technology literacy. Coursework includes
the ethical and legal aspects of information use and the critical thinking skills
necessary for effective college research.
Course
date:
Saturday, January 26, 2008 through Saturday, March 15, 2008
Location:
Library - room 202
Meeting
day(s):
January 26, February 2, February 23
Meeting
time(s):
12:00-1:50pm
Instructor Information
Name:
Jennifer Dyment
Email:
jdyment@dvc.edu
Office
location:
Library
Office
hours:
By appointment
Course Design
:
Students are responsible for:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Attending three face-to-face meetings on 1/26, 2/2 and 2/23. Class material
will be presented online and in the meetings.
Demonstrating research skills by completing weekly Assignments.
Posting comments to weekly topical question in the Discussion Board to
express their understanding of concepts and skills presented in the lesson.
Completing a multiple choice Post Assessment quiz.
Students are expected to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Regularly visiting the course web site.
Completing the reading in a timely fashion.
Asking questions when they encounter difficulties.
Fully answer questions posted to the Discussion Board.
Adhering to Assignment due dates.
Support is always available from me by email or telephone or in person. Also, you
can always visit the DVC Library Reference Desk. Librarians wait for your questions
regarding your research and this class.
Course Goals
LIBR 287_Sujata Halarnkar_Spring 2008
Course
goals:
11
At the end of this course students will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Define a research need and develop effective research strategies.
Use a variety of information tools to locate and retrieve relevant information
in multiple formats.
Select, evaluate, and synthesize relevant information.
Understand the ethical and legal issues of information.
Student Conduct
:
Civility: Students are expected to conduct themselves in the course (e.g., on
discussion boards, email postings) in compliance with the university's regulations
regarding civility. Students will be expected to treat all others with the same respect
as they would want afforded themselves. Disrespectful behavior to others (such as
harassing behavior, personal insults, inappropriate language) or disruptive behaviors
in the course is unacceptable and can result in sanctions as defined by Diablo Valley
College Student Code of Conduct (http://www.dvc.edu/union/code.htm)
Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and students that do so will
receive an F on the assignment and may receive a No Credit in the class. Plagiarism
consists of presenting work as your own when it is not.
Textbooks
Required
reading:
DVC Searchpath, Original DVC Searchpath material © 2004 by Amelie Brown, DVC
Library. Based upon Searchpath © by the Board of Trustees of Western Michigan
University which incorporates material from TILT.,
http://www.dvc.edu/library/libweb/searchpath/choice.html
Recommend Information Research, Carla J. List, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 2nd ed. 2002, 0ed reading: 7872-9057-2
Week of January 26 2008
Lesson:
Introductory Class Meeting & Information Overload and Databases
Date:
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Objectives
or Goals:
Introductory Class Meeting
- Introduce Course Content
- Practice Using WebCT
- Explore the DVC Library Web Site
Information Overload and Databases
Discuss:
- Information Gathering
- Information Overload
- Database Features
Readings:
Information Overload and Databases
- Searchpath - Starting Smart
http://www.dvc.edu/library/libweb/searchpath/mod1/index.html
- Sandra Kerka "Myths and Realities: Information Management"
http://www.cete.org/acve/docgen.asp?tbl=mr&ID=64
- Mark R. Nelson " We Have the Information You Want, But Getting It Will Cost You"
http://www.acm.org/crossroads/xrds1-1/mnelson.html
- Riverside City College "What is a database?"
http://library.rcc.edu/riverside/searchingindexes.htm
- California State University Los Angeles "What is a database?"
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/whatisadatabase.htm
Assignment Come to in-person class meeting. 12:00-1:50pm Library L202.
s:
Introductory Class Meeting
- Assignment: Introductory Class Meeting Saturday 1/26/08
LIBR 287_Sujata Halarnkar_Spring 2008
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- Complete "Are you ready for an Online Course?"
http://www.dvc.edu/online/are_you_ready.htm
- Discussion Board: "Introduce yourself to the class"
Information Overload and Databases
- Assignment # 1
- Discussion "Information Competency"
Assignments & Discussions due 2/02/08
Week of February 2 2008
Lesson:
Research Strategy
Date:
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Objectives
or Goals:
-
Choose a topic for a research project
Identify main concepts of your topic
Define keywords and synonyms
Begin thinking about useful sources
Readings:
- Searchpath - Choosing a topic
http://www.dvc.edu/library/libweb/searchpath/mod3/mod2/index.html
- Developing a Research Strategy
http://www.esc.edu/esconline/across_esc/writerscomplex.nsf/0/f87fd7182f0ff21c852
569c2005a47b7
- Defining a Research Question
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/trad_research/intro/pop2d.cfm
- Sadlier-Oxford, Student Activity Center "Synonyms" http://www.sadlieroxford.com/phonics/synonyms/synonyms.htm
- Manatee District Schools: "Synonym Practice #1"
http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/sites/elementary/palmasola/ps2syn.htm
- List: Analyzing a Research Topic, Chapter 4
Assignment Come to in-person class meeting. 12:00-1:50pm Library L202.
s:
Assignment #2
Discussion "Pick a topic"
Assignment & Discussion due 2/09/08
Week of February 9 2008
Lesson:
Organization of Information and Library Catalogs
Date:
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Objectives
or Goals:
Organization of Information and Library Catalogs
- A comparative search of library catalogs,
- Practice with different search fields
- Review of the organization of information.
Readings:
Organization of Information and Library Catalogs
- Searchpath - Using Alice
http://www.dvc.edu/library/libweb/searchpath/mod3/index.html
- Diablo Valley College Library: Finding Books and Periodicals
http://www.dvc.edu/library/library_research.htm#Finding%20books
- Georgia State University Library: Search Library Databases
http://www.library.gsu.edu/research/pages.asp?ldID=9&guideID=0&ID=607
- List: Chapter 1: What is Information?, pp.2-7
Assignment Organization of Information and Library Catalogs
s:
Assignment #3
Discussion "Organizing Information"
Assignments & Discussions due 2/16/08
LIBR 287_Sujata Halarnkar_Spring 2008
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Week of February 23 2008 *Assignment requires a visit to a library.*
Lesson:
Reference Sources
Date:
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Objectives
or Goals:
-
Readings:
- Searchpath: Citing Sources
http://www.dvc.edu/library/libweb/searchpath/mod6/index.html
- Reference Sources
http://ext.sac.edu/academic_progs/library/informationcompetency/modules/module6
/index.html
- Finding Background Information http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/background.htm
- Diablo Valley College "Virtual Reference Desk"
http://www.dvc.edu/library/reference_desk.htm
- List: Chapter 7: Citing Your Sources, pp. 124-129.
Select appropriate reference sources (print and online)
Evaluate the organization of a reference source
Gather background information on a topic
Properly cite sources
Evaluate a source's usefulness to your research
Properly cite sources
Assignment Come to in-person class meeting. 12:00-1:50pm Library L202.
s:
Assignment #4 Requires a visit to a library
Discussion posting "Evolving Topic" "
Assignments & Discussions due 3/01/08
Week of March 1 2008 *Assignment requires a visit to a library.*
Lesson:
Searching for Periodical Articles
Date:
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Objectives
or Goals:
-
Readings:
- Searchpath: Finding Articles
http://www.dvc.edu/library/libweb/searchpath/mod4/index.html
- Journals vs. Magazines http://www.dvc.edu/library/libweb/pdf/journalmags.pdf
- List, Chapter 5: Making the Systems Work, pp. 73-91.
Evaluate a periodical
Use electronic periodical indexes
Describe search strategies you used
Evaluate periodical articles
Properly cite periodical articles
Assignment Assignment #5 Requires a visit to a library
s:
Discussion "Find Relevant Info
Assignments & Discussions due 3/08/08
Week of March 8 2008
Lesson:
Websites for Research
Date:
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Objectives
or Goals:
Websites for Research
-find relevant sources using Web search tools
- compare Web search tools
- evaluate sources found
- properly cite sources found on the Web
Legal and Ethical Aspects of Information
- apply copyright basics
- describe how to avoid plagiarism
- properly paraphrase and quote information
LIBR 287_Sujata Halarnkar_Spring 2008
Readings:
14
Websites for Research
- Searchpath - Using the Web
http://www.dvc.edu/library/libweb/searchpath/mod5/index.html
- Search Tools http://www.lii.org/search/file/searchtools
- Search feature comparison chart http://infopeople.org/search/chart.html
- List: Chapter 2: Information Technology, pp.21-36.
Legal and Ethical Aspects of Information
- Finding Images on the Web http://www.bu.edu/library/instruction/findimages/
- Copyright Basics http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html
- When Copying is OK-The ”Fair Use” Rule
http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/ency/article.cfm/objectID/C3E49F67-1AA3-42939312FE5C119B5806
- Plagiarism http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/library/plagiarismintro.htm and
http://www.lib.calpoly.edu/infocomp/modules/08_understand/index.html
Assignment Websites for Research
s:
Assignment #6
Discussion "Evaluate Web Sites"
Assigment and Discussion due 3/15/08
Legal and Ethical Aspects of Information
Assignment #7
Discussion "Concerns"
Complete "Post Assessment" Quiz under "Quizzes"section
Assignment, Discussion & Post Assessment Quiz due 03/15/08
Post Assessment Quiz
Lesson:
Post Assessment Quiz
Date:
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Objectives
or Goals:
The LS121 - Post Assessment Quiz will be available from March 10th thru March 15th.
Assignment Complete LS121 - Post Assessment Quiz under "Quizzes" link from Homepage.
s:
Grading
CR/NC :
This class is graded Credit/No Credit
Credit will be given for 98 points or higher.
Points
assigned:
Weekly Assignments (8) = max. 10 pts. each
Discussion Postings (8) = max. 5 pts. each
Post Assessment Quiz (1) = max. 7.5 pts
------------------------------------------Total Score = max. 127.5 pts
Add / Drop
Add / Drop
Info:
:
Last Date to Add 01/30/08
Last Date to Drop with no 'W' 02/08/08
Last Date to Drop with 'W' 03/02/08
LIBR 287_Sujata Halarnkar_Spring 2008
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Author Note
I thank Jennifer Dyment for kindly participating in pre and post class discussion
and providing her valuable insights about information literacy instruction.