Wendy Holliday

Instruction by the Numbers: Using Data to Improve Teaching and Learning

Wendy Holliday et al. — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 10:31:07 PST

Outcomes assessment has been a mandate across higher education for at least a decade, and instruction librarians are no strangers to the call to show what their students have actually learned. Most libraries keep general statistics on instruction, including the number of class sessions librarians teach and the number of students in attendance. These numbers, however, reflect only "outputs" of an instruction program. Administrators call upon librarians (and other faculty) to measure student learning and the impact of specific programs on student retention. Educational theory and practice provide models for assessment, yet librarians face significant challenges in this environment. Librarians often teach only single sessions of courses conceived, created, and controlled by traditional teaching faculty members, with little control over course pedagogy or learning outcomes, and limited opportunities to assess students.

An Entrepreneurial Approach to Librarianship

Flora G. Shrode et al. — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:43:00 PST

Librarians from Utah State University explain recent efforts to encourage subject librarians to take a more holistic view of their roles. We are shifting from a traditional emphasis primarily on collection development and refocusing on natural connections between collections, instruction, liaison, and reference service. The poster provides background about Utah State University’s situation and explains our approach to analyzing local needs and culture to inform development of a new organizational structure. We describe our vision of subject librarianship, the process by which we assessed librarians’ ideas and goals for performing as subject librarians, and the actions we are taking to accomplish our goals.

Re-framing information literacy: Problem-based learning as informed learning

Wendy Holliday et al. — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:42:55 PST

This study explores an online information literacy module that uses problem-based learning (PBL). The goal was to enable students to experience information literacy in a richer way, by moving away from a focus on locating information sources to one of information use in the construction of knowledge. A content analysis of the research journals and reflection papers of students (N = 15) in a distance education school library media administration endorsement program suggests that PBL was an effective approach for some students, but not others. Some students were motivated by working on authentic problems, and at least half the students engaged deeply with information and discovered new questions and angles for research during the process. These students applied more sophisticated evaluation strategies and were more metacognitive in their thinking, assessing their progress and shifting strategies as they progressed through the module.

The Role of Information Architecture in Designing a Third-Generation Library Website

Jennifer Duncan et al. — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:13:41 PDT

Library web sites have evolved over the past decade, from simple pages with a few links to complex sites that provide direct access to hundreds of different resources. In many cases, this evolution occurs with little overall planning, often resulting in web sites that are hard to manage and difficult for users to navigate. This article outlines the process of using Information Architecture (IA) to re-design a third-generation library web site from the ground up. The result was a much more usable and cohesive library web site that meets the needs of a broad range of users.

Instruction in a Virtual Environment: Assessing the Needs for an Online Tutorial

Wendy Holliday et al. — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:13:41 PDT

In 2002, librarians at the Utah State University (USU) Libraries were awarded a grant to develop online tutorials. The major design challenge was to create tutorials specific to USU resources and students, including distance learners, while also making them flexible so that other Utah colleges and universities can adapt them for their own needs. The tutorials also needed to address the information behavior of a new generation of students accustomed to using computers and the Internet. While recent studies have begun to address some gaps in our knowledge of the information behavior of the Web Generation, we conducted a needs assessment to help us create a tutorial that more accurately addresses the existing knowledge and behavior of undergraduates at USU. We used multiple methods to determine the learning needs of our audience and to provide guidance for the design process.

Extending the Reach of Librarians: Library Peer Mentor Program at Utah State University

Wendy Holliday et al. — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:13:40 PDT

In January 2004, Utah State University Libraries (USU) launched its Library Peer Mentor (LPM) Program. The program was designed to hire students to assist at the reference desk and in the classroom, extending the reach of librarians. Research suggests that students often ask fellow students for help when using the library.1 We wanted to use peer teaching as a way to engage USU students and make them more comfortable using USU Libraries.

Understanding the Millennials: Updating our Knowledge about Students

Wendy Holliday et al. — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:13:40 PDT

Brings together recent research on undergraduate information behavior, including preliminary findings of a qualitative study testing Kuhlthau's Information Search Process (ISP) model. The main methods include a literature review of undergraduate attitudes and information behavior and a qualitative study of 35 undergraduates. The data were coded into the original ISP model to test how it holds up with a new generation of students. Finds that the Millennial Generation increasingly turns to the web rather than the library as its primary information resource and also that the ISP model holds up for many of the students in the study. The easy access to information, however, suggests some changes to the model. It enables some students to skip steps in the process, especially focus formulation, because many students stop after their preliminary searches, thinking that they have completed the research process. The study is a qualitative study with a small sample, so findings cannot be generalized. The findings are also preliminary. The paper brings together a wide range of literature and can provide instruction librarians with a more coherent and updated view of the Millennial Generation in order to improve instruction for this group of students.

An Entrepreneurial Approach to Subject Librarianship

Jennifer Duncan et al. — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:49:11 PDT

Librarians from Utah State University explain recent efforts to encourage subject librarians to take a more holistic view of their roles. We are shifting from a traditional emphasis primarily on collection development and refocusing on natural connections between collections, instruction, liaison, and reference service. The poster provides background about Utah State University's situation and explains our approach to analyzing local needs and culture to inform development of a new organizational structure. We describe our vision of subject librarianship, the process by which we assessed librarians' ideas and goals for performing as subject librarians, and the actions we are taking to accomplish our goals.

Integrating Information Literacy with a Sequenced English Composition Curriculum

Wendy Holliday et al. — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:49:11 PDT

This article details the process of implementing a sequenced information literacy program for two core English composition courses at Utah State University. An extensive needs assessment guided the project, leading to a curriculum design process with the goal of building a foundation for deeper critical thinking skills. The curriculum development and implementation process highlights several of the advantages of using the course-integrated model of instruction to develop a more comprehensive information literacy program.

From Active Learning to Activity: Getting Beyond Busy Work and into Deep Learning

Wendy Holliday — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:21:29 PDT

This session will report on an ethnographic study of an English composition class. The researcher observed the class for an entire semester and conducted focus groups and interviews with students and the instructor. The session will describe key activities from the class, including reflections on motivation and learning by both instructors and students. It will conclude with a discussion of how the research findings can help librarians design instruction that engages learners more deeply.

Teaching Information Literacy with Authentic Problems: Creating and Using an Online Module

Heather Leary et al. — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:02:53 PDT

The American Library Association defines information literacy as a “set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information.” Students in an academic setting need to learn how to learn about all kinds of information. Committed to finding innovative ways to teach students information literacy skills, Utah State University’s Library Instruction Program created a free online course to teach these skills. This presentation will explain the course, why and how it was created, the problem based approach using authentic scenarios, the value it adds to library instruction, and how it can be integrated into a curriculum.

Information Literacy: Finding and Using Information, January 2009

Anne Diekema et al. — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:11:47 PDT

This course is for learning information literacy skills, especially those related to using an academic library and the Internet for college-level research. The course uses a modified problem-based learning approach to give you an authentic and hands-on experience with the subject matter. The purpose of this course is to help you learn about information, the tools that can be used to find, evaluate, and share it, and to practice the skills you have learned.

It is designed for students and teachers in higher education, but can be modified easily for other learners. The course assumes basic Internet capabilities (browser navigation and using search engines).