Library Assignment Tips

Librarians often become aware of class assignments when large numbers of students approach the reference desk asking the same question. Unfortunately students become discouraged when they cannot locate the source mentioned, do not understand what they need to do, or do not see the importance of the assignment. These tips, based on similar pages from the UT Digital Library site, were created to help instructors design more effective research assignments. Bear in mind that the accountability initiatives at the K-12 level over the last 10 years or so, have often meant "teaching to the test." Effectively, most students will have had relatively little experience with in-depth research of the type that supports college-level long paper production.

1. Avoid these common problems

The mob scene
A large class looking for one piece of information or researching one topic.

The shot-in-the-dark assignment
Students working from incomplete or incorrect information; materials assigned that the library does not own; inappropriate methods given in instructions; impossibly vague topics assigned.

The scavenger hunt
Students given obscure factual questions and told to find the answers.

The web trap
Students given instructions which absolutely curtail or absolutely require that all their sources must / must not be available electronically or via the web.

2. Set objectives and make them clear to students

Objectives are statements of what the student should be able to do as a result of the assignment.

Example - Students should be able to develop a list of appropriate subject headings for their topics by using the Library of Congress Subject Headings volumes.

3. Teach research strategies

A research strategy   is an appropriate step-by-step method for organizing a research project, taking into account the kinds of information sought and the sequence in which sources should be consulted. Research strategies often seem obvious to experienced researchers but are generally unknown to students.

Example:

1. Define your topic using an encyclopedia article or textbook chapter for background information.
2. Use appropriate electronic indexes to find more recent information in magazines and journals.
3. Use the online library catalogue (Millennium) to find books on your topics.

4. Provide students with resource lists

Resource lists give students a beginning point by listing specific information sources (or types of sources) for a particular assignment. Libraries often have ready-made lists of reference sources in various subject areas that can be used for this purpose. If you focus on one topic all semester, we can collaborate with you to design a resource list for your students.

5. Consider alternative designs for the assignment

• Students choose and define their own topics (with instructor guidance).
• Students prepare an annotated bibliography on information sources on their topics.
• Students write an abstract of a journal article.
• Students locate a popular magazine article through a general periodical index, then find a scholarly journal article on the same topic through a specialized periodical index, and compare the two articles.
• Students prepare a guide that introduces other students to information sources in the subject field.
• Students seek information in simulations of real-life projects (e.g.: business students evaluate a proposal to automate an office).
• Students read and evaluate a case study of an information search and suggest alternatives to faulty procedures portrayed in the study.

6. Consult with librarians and use their services

The library offers a variety of services to instructors. We can teach a library research seminar tailored to your course. You may contact Bobbie Williams (Coordinator of Library Instruction) at 552-2398 to arrange for a research session taught by a librarian, or to discuss research concepts or specific information sources useful in this particular library. You may also use the reserves services to set aside copies of materials likely to be needed by large numbers of students. Finally, we can meet with you individually about the creation of assignments, outlining of student research strategies, or recommendation of appropriate library resources available to your students.