Week 4

Final Project and Learning Reflections

Environment:

I will be creating an instructional session on using databases for a 1-unit, 16-week, online credit course at a two-year community college. The purpose of the course is to help students become effective academic researchers who think critically about information sources and research strategies. The students currently in my class are with various backgrounds as one would typically find in community college classrooms. For most of them, this is their first online class. A couple of the students have tried the course in face-to-face format, but didn’t finish successfully. The online course is deployed using Moodlerooms Learning Management System.

Learning Outcomes:

 As a result of the instructional session on using databases, at least 75% of the students will be able to find at least two relevant scholarly articles to support or challenge a given research question.

Assessments:

Learning Goals for Course	Teaching/Learning Activities	Ways of Assessing Learning
Be able to access the library’s article databases	Video demo	Assign students to find a particular database by providing the subject category this database is listed under
Be able to identify scholarly journal articles	1. Scholarly vs. Popular LibGuide 2. Ask students to compare two sets of articles: ·      One scholarly + one popular ·      Both from scholarly journals but one is a book review	Complete a chart comparing scholarly and popular articles
Be able to find scholarly articles from databases	·      Online tutorials ·      Reflection on search techniques used in finding the articles	Share search results
Be able to find relevant scholarly articles from databases	·      Peer assessment on relevance ·      Self reflection on relevance	Include two scholarly articles to an annotated bibliography project

Learning Theories 

Instructional Tools:

Learning Objectives	Teaching Activities	Tools to Use	Similar Tools to Consider
Students will be able to: 1.     Access databases from library’s web page 2.     Find relevant articles based on a research topic from databases	Database access basics	1. Screen-o-matic (screencast) 2. Print handout (PDF)	Guide on the side
	Database searching techniques	Existing online tutorial: “Database Searching Basics”
	Spotlight on two databases	Existing online tutorials: ·       Academic Search Premier ·       JSTOR
3.     Locate scholarly articles from databases 4.     Find relevant articles from databases based on a research topic	Scholarly vs. Popular	1. YouTube video 2. Scholarly vs. Popular LibGuide that includes: ·       Comparison chart for students to complete ·       Anatomy of a scholarly journal by NCSU Library

Week 3. Post 2

How to Motivate My Students?

At the beginning of a semester, I ask my students through online discussion forum why they are taking the library credit course to identify their intrinsic motivation. Most of them would say that they want to learn how to research effectively. For my face-to-face classes, I would draw a diagram showing the research process on a board. I explain to them the steps involved in a research process, the tools that they will learn to locate the sources in each step, and tell them that they will achieve their goal at the end of the semester if they actively participate in the class. Throughout the semester, I'll remind them where they are in the research process so that they could see how far or close they are to achieving their goal of being able to conduct research effectively.

When a student does every well in an assignment, I share it as an "Exemplary Assignment" and upload it to Moodlerooms. Even though the assignment is posted without the student's name, I think it meets the student's need for achievement (the need to strive for personal excellence), and my recognition of what the student has done provides him with extrinsic motivation. 

This semester for my online class, I assign the students into groups of 2 to create booklists for each other based on their research topics, and each student does a discussion post afterwards to evaluate the books his or her teammate has created. This activity helps meet students' need for affiliation (the need to exert influence over others).

How to strengthen students' intrinsic motivation, and what instructional strategies "help achieve that optimal level of arousal (zone of curiosity) characterized by excitement, interest, and exploration during the information search process" (Small, p. 5) are questions I would like to find answers to. 

Week 3. Post 1. 

Learning Theories & Teaching/Learning Activities 

(based on my week 2's learning scenario) 

A rough outline of a learning theory supported lesson plan

Week 2. 

Database Instruction for an Online Credit Course

Step 3.

Procedures for Educative Assessment

1. Forward-Looking Assessment

After an instruction session on finding scholarly articles in databases, I give students this scenario:

I visited a Google office in Venice, CA. Inside the office building, on almost every floor, there is a fully functioned, self-serve kitchen, despite the fact that the staff at Google already have access to a big state-of-the-art, fully staffed kitchen that offers different kinds of food everyday for free. My trip made me think that food and creativity must be closely related. Can you find two scholarly journal articles to support my assumption?

2. Criteria & Standards

One main learning goal:

As a result of the workshop on finding scholarly articles in databases, at least 75% of students will be able to find at least two relevant scholarly articles to support they views on a research question.

Criteria One: Find at least two scholarly articles from the library’s databases.

            STANDARDS

·      Acceptable: The two database articles are scholarly, and they are either from the same or different databases

·      Poor: One of the two articles is scholarly, and they are either from the same or different databases

Criteria Two: The two scholarly articles are relevant to the topic.

STANDARDS

·      Acceptable: The two database articles are about the relationships between food and creativity

·      Poor: The two database articles are food and/or creativity, but not their relationships

3. Self-Assessment

I would ask the students

·      First in groups of 2 students examine two articles from a 3^rd student to determine if they are scholarly, and based on the articles, if they find an answer to the question – food and creativity are closely related. It’s okay if the articles suggest no close relationships, contradict each other, or suggest more research needed.

·      Next I’ll ask the student to take another look at their own articles and see if they would pick the articles again to answer the question.

4. “FIDeLity” Feedback

After the group self-assessment, I will share each group’s opinions about their assigned articles. For articles that meet the acceptable standard, I will pick a couple of them to show the class the abstracts, and do the same with sample poor articles.

I will ask each student to post a discussion board message to reflect on his/her own articles and provide feedback.

Step 5.

Integration

Worksheet for Designing a Course

Learning Goals for Course	Ways of Assessing This Kind of Learning	Actual Teaching-Learning Activities
Be able to access the library’s article databases	Assign students to find a particular database by providing the subject category this database is listed under	Video demonstration
Be able to identify scholarly journal articles	Complete a chart comparing scholarly and popular articles in different areas with the information on popular articles filled out.	·      Video demonstration; ·      Ask students to compare two sets of articles: 1. One scholarly + one popular 2. Both from scholarly journals but one of them is a book review
Be able to find scholarly articles from databases		·      Video demonstration ·      Reflection on search techniques used in finding the articles
Be able to find relevant scholarly articles from databases	Include two scholarly articles to an annotated bibliography project	·      Peer assessment on relevance ·      Self reflection on relevance

Instruction Design Essentials - ALA eCourse

Week 1.

Instructional Design - Initial Design

Step 1. SITUATIONAL FACTORS TO CONSIDER

Specific Context of the Teaching/Learning Situation

This Fall Semester, I’m teaching an online, 1-unit, 16-week credit course, Library 1A Introduction to Library Research, at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC), a two-year community college in California. The online course is deployed using Moodlerooms learning management system. My class currently has 23 students.

General Context of the Learning Situation

The purpose of the course is to help students become effective academic researcher who think critically about information sources and research strategies. Even though the information resources covered in this course are sometimes Mt. SAC Library specific, students, on a larger scale, are expected to be able to apply critical thinking and research skills beyond their college research assignments - later when they transfer to a four-year college or university, and in their own life-long learning experience.

Nature of the Subject

I think information literacy is primarily practical in subject with some concepts.

Characteristics of the Learners

The students in my class are with various backgrounds as one would typically find in community college classrooms. For most of them, this is their first online class. A couple of the students have tried the LIBR 1A in face-to-face format, but didn’t finish the course successfully. At the beginning of the semester, almost all of them said to get better in research was what brought them to the course.

Characteristics of the Teacher

I’m an instructor who reflects on my own instruction, actively seeks feedback from my colleagues and students, and always looks for ways to improve my teaching.

I’ve taught the 3-unit Library 1 Research Methods and Information Sources credit course in classroom setting for three semesters, but this is my first time teaching the 1-unit credit course and my first time teaching online. I’m familiar with some of the features of Moodlerooms, but I’m new to features typically used in online classes.

Step 2. QUESTIONS FOR FORMULATING SIGNIFICANT LEARNING GOALS

“A year (or more) after this course is over, I want and hope that students will be able to select appropriate research tools and resources, and find reliable sources for the type of information that they need.”

Foundational Knowledge

I would like my students to remember that not all information is created equal. They must remember to evaluate information sources and strategies to help they evaluate information for reliability.

Application Goals

Critical thinking skills are crucial skills for students to gain in this class so that they will be able to evaluate information, select reliable sources, analyze what they find, and make informed decisions or solve problems. Students also learn how to manage a research project following the steps in a research process and how to present creatively their research findings to their peers and their instructor.

Integration Goals

I hope my students recognize that using effective research strategies to identify and select credible information is what they should do in all their lives (school, personal, and/or work).

Human Dimensions Goals

From this online class, my students could have a chance to find out if they have the skills (time management, self-discipline, etc.) necessary to be successful in online learning.  I would like my students to learn that online learning doesn’t have to be lonely. Interacting with their peers through online discussions, seeking help from their instructors and librarians, and using other campus support services are all part of the learning process.

Caring Goals

I hope students will become interested in libraries, and in conducting research based on their own interests. They will learn to use research as basis to formulate their own opinions and check others’ claims on issues in life.

“Learning-How-to-Learn” Goals

I would like my students to learn time management skills by setting a specific time and day to work on the online class each week. I would also like them to know independent learning means self-motivation and self-discipline.