Transitioning to college: Expectations for freshman research

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Transitioning to college Expectations for
freshman research

• Conversations_at_Belmont Spring 2009

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New Steering Committee!

• Judy Bivens, Trevecca Nazarene University
• Alice Bryant, Harpeth Hall
• Brenda Gideon, Franklin Road Academy
• Gwen Hines, John Overton High School
• Jeanette Lambert, Pearl Cohn High School
• Joan Lange, John Paul II High School
• Hannah Little, Webb School
• Courtney Stephens, Belmont University
• Jenny Rushing, Belmont University
• Stephen Womack, Franklin High School

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Center for Innovative Educators

• Donna Clark, Harpeth Hall
• https//www.harpethhall.org/podium/default.aspx?t
  36644rid1564

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Welcome FYS and FYW faculty!

• First Year Writing
• Linda Holt, English
• Caresse John, English
• Andrea Stover, English
• First Year Seminar
• Mike Pinter, Math
• Regine Schwarzmeier, Foreign Languages

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Information Literacy_at_Belmont

• IL is a university learning goal
• Integrated into General Education
• Freshman Courses
• First Year Seminar and First Year Writing
• Junior Courses
• Third Year Writing and Junior Cornerstone
• http//bunchlibrary.pbwiki.com/InformationLiterac
  yAcrosstheCurriculum

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First Year Seminar

• Each section has its own sub-topic which
  focuses on some aspect of ways of knowing
• Goals intellectual inquiry, critical thinking,
  and drawing connections
• Common assignment argument paper
• Course descriptions
• http//www.belmont.edu/bellcore/pdf/CDFall08.pdf

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Argumentative Paper

• Must include at least five substantial sources,
  which relate, in a credible way, to the research
  paper/project. These (library and/or internet)
  sources must be researched by the student, not
  provided by the professor or extracted from the
  regular course readings.
• Must make intentional use of the sources in the
  argument

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Argumentative Paper

• Must take an informed position on a complex
  issue/topic
• Must introduce and carry through an argumentative
  thesis
• Must conduct argument in such a way that
  demonstrates awareness of complexity of topic

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Argumentative Paper

• Must take audiences needs into account i.e.
  argument follows logical sequence, transitions
  are used to guide reader, tone is measured and
  reasonable, etc.
• Must draw paper to a logical and effective
  conclusion

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First Year Seminar IL instruction

• Research Process
• Preliminary research
• Narrowing the topic
• Formulating the research question
• Types of publishing
• Scholarly
• Popular
• Trade
• Evaluating articles

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First Year Writing

• students practice recognizing, evaluating, and
  constructing written arguments, in the process
  developing their reading and research skills.

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FYW Research

• One major assignment should involve secondary
  research how to conduct library research how to
  conduct Internet research how to evaluate source
  materials (particularly those resulting from a
  search of the World Wide Web) how to integrate
  summaries, paraphrases, and quotations into the
  text of a research paper how to document source
  materials.

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First Year Writing IL instruction

• Fundamentals of using Bunch Library
• Online Catalog
• Periodical Databases
• Search Strategies
• BILS Tutorial

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Not just a library thing

• Ultimate goal
• Together, librarians and classroom faculty can
  prepare students for lifelong learning.

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• Information literate people are those who have
  learned how to learn.
• They know how to learn because they know how
  knowledge is organized, how to find information,
  and how to use information in such a way that
  others can learn from them.

Source ALA Presidential Committee on Information
Literacy
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ACRL Standards

• Identify the information need
• Find needed information
• Evaluate information
• Use information effectively
• Use information ethically and legally

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Challenges

• Overestimate search skills
• Reporting syndrome difficulty narrowing a topic
  and posing researchable questions
• Unfamiliar with academic publishing process and
  how to evaluate sources
• Hard time synthesizing information from various
  sources
• Plagiarize unintentionally-dont know the rules,
  how to paraphrase, or take notes

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What information literacy skills should freshmen
have?

• What skills do they actually have and what do
  they lack?
• Are they prepared for freshman level research
  projects?