Program
The online landscape is the information environment most familiar to incoming college freshmen: research data suggest that as many as two-thirds of all sources cited in freshman composition papers are websites. The consistent message presented by most academic librarians -- to stick to trusted and verified academic scholarship available from the library -- is increasingly out of touch with the actual choices made by our students. This presentation addresses that problem directly by sharing data from a research-tested model for analyzing and describing sources used by students, regardless of media format or type of publication.
This model is built on a faceted taxonomy first published by Leeder, Markey, and Yakel in 2012. The presenters have streamlined that taxonomy for use in analyzing student research papers and bibliographies, and tested it in two cross-institutional studies. The presentation begins by sharing our findings and demonstrating the kind of insights that are possible into both traditional and non-traditional sources through this simple classification method.
The second half of the presentation is focused on practical application of the method. Participants will engage in a brief exercise that clarifies the potential uses of this taxonomy for initiating dialogue about source authority in the library and composition classrooms. The focus for this portion is on how a simple yet robust language for classifying all source types will enhance the information literacy skills of the students in composition classes, and will deepen their understanding of the principle that all authority is constructed and contextual.
Participants will then engage in a second brief exercise that demonstrates the potential uses of the taxonomy for assessment -- both traditional classroom assessment for the purpose of evaluating student work, and internal library assessment for the purpose of learning how library instruction may have impacted students’ selection of source material. All program attendees will leave with hands-on experience using the taxonomy, and a clear understanding of how to implement it in their own institutional contexts.
Speakers:
Mary Thill – Associate Professor and Humanities Librarian, Northeastern Illinois University, Ronald Williams Library
James Rosenzweig – Associate Professor and Education Librarian, Eastern Washington University Libraries
Frank Lambert – Assistant Professor & Program Director, Middle Tennessee State University
ALA Unit/Subunit: ACRL
Meeting Type: Program
Cost: Included with full conference registration.
Open/Closed: Open
Mary Thill
Associate Professor and Humanities Librarian
Northeastern Illinois University, Ronald Williams Library
James Rosenzweig
Associate Professor and Education Librarian
Eastern Washington University Libraries
Frank Lambert
Assistant Professor & Program Director
Middle Tennessee State University