teaching the teachers: building information literacy into the biology curriculum
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Teaching the Teachers: Building Information Literacy Into the Biology Curriculum. Meris Mandernach James Madison University LOEX 2008. Introduction. Why IL is important for science Expectation upon graduation Questionable scientific information Transferable skill - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
TEACHING THE TEACHERS: BUILDING INFORMATION LITERACY INTO THE BIOLOGY CURRICULUM
Meris Mandernach
James Madison University
LOEX 2008
INTRODUCTION
Why IL is important for science Expectation upon graduation Questionable scientific information Transferable skill
How to integrate information literacy into science curriculum…
THE COURSE
BIO 114 – Organisms BIO 124 – Ecology and Evolution BIO 214 – Cell and Molecular Biology BIO 224 – Genetics and Development
BIO 124 Offered every semester Typical students
INFORMATION LITERACY WORKSHOP: SUMMER 2006
One-on-one collaboration between faculty and librarians
Led by facilitator Stipend (and lots of food)
What they do to get the money Alter assignment to include IL Objectives Design effective active-learning assignment Plan instruction Summarize success of the implementation of changes
OBJECTIVES OF BIOLOGY INSTRUCTION
Sources Research strategy Credible sources Evaluate quality Organization of library Use library resources
SEMESTER ONE: TEACHING THE STUDENTSFALL 2006
Pilot Study Librarian taught 4 lab sections Some lecture, some hands-on
Background of scholarly literature Scholarly vs. Popular articles Review vs. Research articles Searching Biology databases Search syntax Evaluating information sources
Assessment Test Approach for Spring semester
Collaboration (Miller and Bell1 )
1. Miller, W. & Bell, S. (2005) A new strategy for enhancing library use: Faculty-led information literacy instruction. Library Issues, 25 (5), 1-4.
SEMESTER TWO: TEACHING THE TEACHERSSPRING 2007
Rationale: Eight lab sessions More student buy-in Librarian available for appointments
Self-guided tutorial Handouts
Assessment test to determine effectiveness.
CREATING AN ASSESSMENT TOOL
30 item test Fall 2006, test questions Spring 2007, full cycle
6 Content areas Selecting reference sources and databases Searching databases Retrieving full-text books and articles Evaluating information Understanding and using the internet Citing sources
ASSESSMENT TOOL (CONT.)
Analysis by Center for Assessment and Research Study (CARS) at JMU After first complete cycle:
Increase in overall score Few questionable items
Withdraw question Revise question Remove entirely
Overall tips: Shorten the correct answer Fewer choices for multiple choice questions
SEMESTER THREE: UNDERSTANDING THE ASSESSMENT
FALL 2007
Same instructors teaching lab sections No “teaching the teacher” refresher All instructors gave pre-test Post-test hiccup
Assessment test examined again by CARS No significant differences observed
Student cohorts Faculty unaware of test content and objectives Refresher of “teach the teachers”
SEMESTER FOUR: TEACHING THE TEACHERS IISPRING 2008
Refresher for instructors Faculty took assessment test
Length of test No-point value Wording
REFINING THE ASSESSMENT TOOL
Tweaking the test Point-value assigned Given different week than other course
assessment
Anecdotal evidence
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
Evaluate assessment tool Examine possibilities of expansion Develop additional learning objects to
support course
THANK YOU
JMU Libraries and Educational Technologies JMU Biology Department
Dr. Reid Harris Prof. William Flint Instructors of Biology 124
Center for Assessment and Research Study Donna Sundre and graduate students
MORE INFORMATION…
http://www.lib.jmu.edu/biology/ http://
www.lib.jmu.edu/biology/Bio124class.aspx
Meris Mandernach [email protected]