| On Effective, Meaningful Library Assignments |
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An Annotated Webliography
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Guidelines for Designing Effective Internet Assignments (St. Louis Community College Library Services)
This is a straightforward list of suggestions, with links to other documents as appropriate. The tips include the following: "For an initial Internet assignment provide one or more URLs (and specific navigational instructions) to help students get started on their research." The instructor is also encouraged to provide specific navigational instructions. This exercise assumes that the instructor has already "test-driven" the assignment, to ensure that the required information can really be found on the website! What a concept! Open-ended assignments in which students are simply instructed to navigate the online world, are discouraged, as are "scavenger hunt assignments" - they are confusing, teach little, and result in library staff doing most of the work. Under "Additional Guidelines and Sample Assignment Sites" are links to excellent assignment templates for instructors, and a primer on "cut-and-paste plagiarism."
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Designing Effective Library Assignments (Lane Community College Library)
These guidelines are also presented in a checklist of brief statements, e.g.
· "Assume your students have minimal knowledge of the library."
· "Make sure your students have done some thinking about their topics before attending a library orientation."
· "Try out assignments yourself, to make sure they can be completed realistically."
A standard, customizable library assignment is provided, as are examples of "less effective assignments," i.e. the scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt is described as "roaming around the library looking for trivia." It is to be avoided because it "is not research and tends to promote learned helplessness."
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Developing Research Assignments (Jackson State Community College Library)
Instructors are advised here to prepare students for the assignment, tell them why they are doing it, give them a list of sources (if appropriate), and make arrangements with the library to ensure that the sources are available. If the whole class must use the same set of sources, the instructor should work with a librarian to put the materials on reserve. This ensures that the sources are available to all students who need them. Librarians are described as partners to the instructional faculty, available for consultation on assignments, and other assistance. The all-too-popular "scavenger hunt" is described here as the "least effective assignment possible." Similar to ineffective teaching strategies, the scavenger hunt "lacks a clear purpose, teaches little, and is very frustrating." And the real-world description of what happens in a scavenger hunt is given: "Frequently librarians, not students, end up locating the information." Ideas for ALTERNATIVES TO A LENGTHY PAPER** are provided.
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Information Literacy
My annotated webliography about the nature of information; what information literacy is; resources for library users and faculty; and other goodies...
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