Effective Assignments Using Library and Internet Resources Facul

Effective Assignments Using Library and Internet Resources
    Through the assignments they make, faculty have the power to influence students’ development as seekers and users of information. Many students are not "information literate" when they arrive at the University or begin work in a new subject area. They may not understand how to locate relevant information, or how to think critically about the information sources they encounter. Their coursework is often the only opportunity for them to learn the difference between "surfing the Net" and substantive research.     A well-designed assignment can teach students valuable research skills and improve the quality of their papers. Unfortunately, assignments also have the potential to confuse and frustrate students, leading to a poorly-written product. Here are some suggestions to keep in mind when developing assignments that require library or Internet research.
    Firstly, the faculty should set objectives and make them clear to students. A statement of objectives helps students focus on the research-related skills they should learn as a result of the assignment. Students should learn to:develop a suitable topic for research, using the library reference collection and other sources of background information; select and use the most appropriate library catalogs, article databases and printed indexes, and Internet search tools to locate relevant and timely materials; distinguish between popular and scholarly sources and detect signs of bias, whether the material is in printed form or on the Internet; and quote and cite sources in a way that gives proper credit and avoids plagiarism.
    Secondly, it’s the faculty’s duty to teach research strategies. Research strategies may seem obvious to experienced researchers but are often unknown to students. Breaking down the assignment into research strategy steps will help them accomplish your stated objectives. The following research strategy might be appropriate for the term paper described above.
    —Define your topic using an encyclopedia article or textbook chapter for background information.
    —Develop a list of relevant keywords and phrases to use in searching.
    —Use the library catalogs to find books on your topic.
    —Use article databases and printed indexes to find more recent information in magazines and journals.
    —Use Internet directories and search engines selectively to locate authoritative, high-quality web sites.
    Research, whether in a library or on the Internet, is a complex process that requires—and teaches—flexibility and adaptability. Students benefit from opportunities to reflect on their research strategies and think critically about what they are doing.
    In addition, the teaching staff should provide resource lists. Resource lists give students a starting point, directing them to the most useful information sources for a particular assignment. Because so many reference sources are moving from printed to electronic formats, you may want to check the library’s listings of article databases and electronic resources to be sure you are including the latest versions. Many of our subject specialty libraries and collections offer web pages listing important sources in their subject areas. Feel free to print and distribute these, copy from them, or link to them if you have a course-related web page.
    One more thing I want to mention is for teaching staff to avoid the following common problems.
    —Students forbidden to use anything from the Internet, when in fact many scholarly resources are only available online.
    —An entire class looking for one piece of information or researching the same specific topic; especially difficult when printed materials are involved.
    —Students required to use printed materials the library does not own (or does own, but not in sufficient quantity), or online sources they are not licensed to access.
    —Students working from incomplete/incorrect information.
    —Students assigned excessively vague or general topics, e.g., "women in America", without guidance on narrowing a topic.
    —Students given obscure trivial questions and told to find the answers.
    Resentment toward rather than appreciation of library research is the likely result of these assignments. Library assignments are more meaningful if students use the information they find for an authentic task related to the topics covered in the course.
    As for the use of Internet, many faculty members are justifiably concerned about the deteriorating quality of student papers caused by overreliance on Internet search engines and unquestioning acceptance of "the first web site they see".
    However, forbidding all use of the Internet may not be the best solution. Some scholarly journals are only available online, and there are reliable, teachable ways to find and identify high-quality web sites. Encourage students to find scholarly material through the article databases available on the library web site. These will lead them to both online and printed copies. Accept the online versions if they are properly cited. If appropriate for your class, advise students to use selective directories of high-quality web sites. Remind students that there are techniques for evaluating web sites. Consider having them evaluate sites as part of the assignment.
    At last, the teaching staff should learn to consult with librarians and use their services. Librarians are regularly available to meet with faculty who are designing or revising library-related assignments. This collaboration helps to generate assignments that refer to the best possible sources, and also lets us make arrangements within the library to accommodate the needs of the assignment. For example, in some cases we may be able to obtain needed items or set materials aside in a special area.
    OK. So much for today. Hope my suggestions could provide some help for effective assignments for both teaching staff and students.