Librarian/Faculty
Partnerships and Library Technology Resources Integrated into the Ethnic
Studies Curriculum
By Mary Wrighten and Laurie A. Rodgers
Mary G. Wrighten
Multicultural Services Librarian
Jerome Library, Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403
Email: mwright@bgnet.bgsu.edu
Dr. Laurie A. Rodgers
Instructor, Ethnic Studies Department
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403
Email: laurier@bgnet.bgsu.edu
ABSTRACT:
“Course-related
instruction is the most effective approach to meeting the objectives of library
instruction, thereby making faculty-librarian collaboration all the more
significant.” (Farber, 1999, p. 231). This observation has been demonstrated by
the collaborative efforts of an Ethnic Studies librarian and instructor through
the development and integration of library technology--class web pages—into
course curriculum. In the process of creating this technology, there are
certain things for which one may and may not expect class web pages to do.
Class web pages can be an efficient and effective tool in the assignment
completion process, provide learning opportunities through several formats and
media, present extended learning opportunities that are initiated by the
teacher. Class web pages cannot be a substitute for the teacher or librarian be
effective or efficient unless they are integrated into the curriculum, be
effective or efficient if their utility does not complement the course’s
learning objectives.
I. Introduction
Course-integrated library
instruction or Bibliographic instruction (BI) refers to “library instruction
that is incorporated into the regular academic program.” (Kirk, 1974, p. 84) It
is considered to be the most effective approach to meeting library instruction
but is highly dependent upon librarian-faculty collaboration for its success.
This paper will examine how one librarian-faculty partnership at Bowling Green
University Library integrated library technology into course curriculum through
the creation and use of class web pages.
What
is Bibliographic Instruction? Despite wide variation, all BI programs share
three common characteristics. (Carlson and Miller, 1984) The first
characteristic is integration with the curriculum such that “instruction is
given as part of subject-specific classes in the curriculum.” (Carlson and
Miller, 1984, p. 484) The second characteristic is faculty involvement.
Bibliographic instruction that is integrated in subject-specific classes
requires extensive cooperation and collaboration between librarians and
faculty. The third characteristic is group instruction whereby “lectures are
given by librarians to groups of students in a class and not individual
students,” however, this does not preclude small-group instruction or
individual assistance. (Carlson and Miller, 1984, p. 484) Of the three traits
shared by BI programs, perhaps, faculty commitment and involvement is most
significant. (Carlson and Miller, 1984)
II. The Importance
of Librarian-Faculty Partnerships in BI
Faculty
commitment to and involvement in BI is critical to the success of such
programs. (Carlson & Miller, 1984; Farber, 1999; Gilbert, 2001; Gwinn,
1978; Ivey, 1994; Kirk, 1974; Lederer, 2000; Meldrem, Johnson, & Spradling,
2001; Nesbitt, 1997; Smith, 2001) “Librarians must work extensively with and
have the cooperation of the faculty who teach these classes. (Carlson &
Miller, 1984, p. 484) “The most sensible, most practical relationship is a
cooperative one, in which teaching faculty work with librarians.” (Farber,
1999, p. 2) Unfortunately, academic faculty tend not to recognize that
librarians play a legitimate role in the educating of students and research
which usually results in a lack of much needed cooperation and support. (Ivey,
1994)
According
to Gilbert (2001), faculty-librarian collaboration must be a “symbiotic
mutually beneficial relationship existing before it can even be called a
‘partnership.’” (p. 76) A partnership should consist of librarian involvement
in curricular discussions as well as active instructor involvement in
discussion regarding library service provisions (Gilbert, 2001; Meldrem,
Johnson, & Spradling, 2001) Several constant factors that affect this
relationship include the number of academic librarians, the strength or
weakness of the collection, the size of the institution, the faculty, the
student body, and the library faculty. (Ivey, 1994)
It
should be noted that tensions in this relationship may arise as faculty and
librarians clash due to the roles they play, competing ends, and character
differences. (Ivey, 1994) One scholar (Maurice Marchant, 1969) traced conflict
between faculty and librarians to “anything that diminished faculty’s control
over students.” (Ivey, 1994, p. 69) Another source of frustration is the
inability of faculty to easily differentiate between librarians and support
staff. (Ivey, 1994) Furthermore, faculty view librarians only in a service role
and focus more on which journals and monographs are not being provided by the
library.
Interactions
between librarians and administrators do not fare much better. (Ivey, 1994) Too
often, administrators think about libraries and not librarians. Relations
between administrators and librarians are frequently described as distant,
ineffective, and frustrating. Some suggestions for improving faculty-librarian
relationships include “increased dialogue between faculty and librarians,
increased knowledge by librarians; serving on curriculum committees; working in
tandem with university departments seeking new approaches to common problems of
limited resources and heavy workloads, and librarians and faculty teaching
courses in information literacy.” (Ivey, 1994, p. 70)
In
summary, a successful if not ideal cooperative faculty-librarian relationship
is one in which “both the teacher’s objectives and the librarian’s are not only
achieved but are mutually reinforcing—the teacher’s objectives being those that
help students attain a better understanding of the course’s subject matter, and
the librarian’s objectives being those that enhance the student’s ability to
find and evaluate information.” (Farber, 1999, p. 5)
III. Integrating Learning Outcomes
One
of the first steps taken in the process of integrating the class web pages into
the curriculum was to examine the learning outcomes that had been established
for the courses. Three categories of outcomes were considered—University,
Knowledge domains (General Education-Cultural Diversity), and Course-specific.
The
University outcomes represent the strategy for achieving the institutional
mission of Bowling Green State University (BGSU). As a four-year, Midwestern
public institution with an enrollment of over 20,000 undergraduate and graduate
students combined, BGSU “aspires to be the premier learning community in Ohio,
and one of the best in the nation. Through the interdependence of teaching,
learning, scholarship and service we will create an environment grounded in
intellectual discovery and guided by rational discourse and civility.”
(University Vision and Core Values) Specific University learning outcomes were
initially developed by separate offices and subsequently coordinated to ensure
goal alignment. The aligned learning outcomes are listed below:
1. Investigate
and Connect / Analysis and Integration
2. Write and
Present / Communication
3.
Participate and Lead / Interaction
(University
Learning Outcomes)
Knowledge
domains, which describe knowledge and skills unique to respective disciplines,
form an additional component of University outcomes. Although housed in
different departments, all three of the classes used in this project are
general education courses that meet the institution’s cultural diversity
requirements, and therefore the goals attached to these courses must be
considered. General education courses in cultural diversity should:
1. Investigate
the ways in which ethnic cultures have shaped American political, social,
economic, and cultural life and identifies issues and problems from the
perspectives of diverse cultures
2. Foster
critical inquiry into the problems engendered, the challenges presented and the
positive possibilities inherent in a multicultural democracy
3. Foster an
understanding of the concepts of race and ethnicity
(University
General Education Curriculum-Cultural Diversity in the United States)
In addition to
University and general education requirements, each class is expected to
satisfy course-specific outcomes as identified by their respective departments
or programs. The first course included in this project is offered by the
American Culture Studies Program and is titled ACS 250 Cultural Pluralism in the United States. This class is described as
an “interdisciplinary exploration of race, ethnicity,
class, gender and sexual orientation in the United States, emphasizing imaginative
expressive forms, such as fiction, poetry, film and the visual arts.”
(BGSU Course Descriptions) Students completing this course should be able to:
1.
Think in an interdisciplinary way, drawing on holistic, critical and connective
models of analysis.
2.
Communicate orally and in writing about the cultural contexts of human
expression and behavior.
3.
Discuss the multicultural and pluralistic nature of American culture and the
diversity of our national cultural heritage.
4.
Investigate relationships among theories of culture and various cultural
traditions.
(University General Education
Curriculum-Cultural Diversity in the United States)
The other two
classes in the project are offered by the Ethnic Studies Department. ETHN 101 Introduction to Ethnic Studies gives an
“introduction to the discipline of ethnic studies,
including methods and approaches to studying major ethnic groups in the United
States.” (BGSU Course Descriptions) It is also described as focusing on
the “social relations of ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Its
survey includes studies of the historical development and construction of race
relations within America, social policy, and conceptions of race, class, and
ethnicity.” Learning objectives for this course are to:
1. Develop an
understanding of race and ethnicity as social constructions in the United
States.
2. Apply the
concepts of prejudice, discrimination, stereotyping to racial and ethnic
population groups.
3. Develop an
understanding of the importance of ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity as
defining forces in American history.
4. Critically
engage key issues such as immigration, affirmative action, and racism in the
formation of social policy in the U.S.
5. Understand
the U.S. multicultural experience in its global and diasporic context.
6. Develop
critical skills of analysis, problem solving, communication, and interpretation
in a variety of educational formats (such as written papers/exams, group
activity, individual presentations, etc).
(L. A. Rodgers, personal
communication, April 10, 2003)
The second
course offered by the department is ETHN 120 Introduction to Black Studies. It introduces students to the
“dominant perspectives about the Black/African American experience in the
United States with special emphasis upon contemporary issues confronting Black
Americans” (J. Taylor, personal communication, March 2001) and has six
objectives:
1. The student
will be able to describe the current social, educational, political, and
economic status of Black Americans.
2. The student
will be able to analyze contemporary issues affecting Black Americans and show
their relationship to historical events.
3. The student
will be able to demonstrate the ability to critically analyze, explain, and
make an informed opinion of selected controversial issues.
4. The student
will be able to demonstrate his/her general knowledge of a selected topic
relevant to the Black experience in America.
5. The student
will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the causes and effects of the modern
Civil Rights Movement on the American society.
6. The student
will be able to discuss the impact of race on Black-White relations, public
policy, education, and the economy.
(J. Taylor,
personal communication, March 2001)
Assignments in these classes are
designed to help students acquire the knowledge and skills outlined by the
learning outcomes. Class web pages were created to facilitate these objectives.
This was accomplished through the collaborative efforts of the authors of this
article, a subject librarian and an ethnic studies instructor. The following
sections will provide separate librarian and faculty perspectives that describe
how the class web pages were incorporated into the course curriculum.
IV. Librarian and
Faculty Perspectives on the Incorporation and Use of Class Web Pages into
The Librarian Perspective
(Mary’s Wrighten’s view):
The class web pages (CWPs) are
a worthwhile project. As a subject librarian and liaison to a department I need
to connect to that unit’s faculty in order to give them the best support and
service. Therefore, I need to have knowledge of the course’s learning outcomes
because they provide the foundation for the content of the class web pages.
Moreover, the content is more likely to encompass multiple course sections
since all sections of a given course must satisfy certain institutional
learning outcomes. It is also helpful for me to know or at least be aware of
the specializations, and research and teaching interests of the faculty assigned
to my subject department.
The
basic structure has been to introduce faculty to the use of CWPs for the course
and inform them of how the use of the class web pages can accomplish three
specific goals:
1. To help
faculty and students achieve the course learning outcomes through the use of
library resources by making them aware of and providing access to resources
that support these courses.
2. To inform
faculty and students that use of the resources at the class web page can help
them to complete assignments and projects which include access to resources and
information on issues from the perspective of the under represented groups and
people of color.
3. To help the
students better understand the course content and achieve the learning outcomes
of the course by providing these resources.
CWPs comprise a
small part of the resources in the library’s collection that support course
curriculum in the department. They were designed in cooperation with faculty
teaching these courses to ensure these resources support what is being included
in the syllabus, such as research assignments, papers, and projects. But, there
is an interconnectedness that’s necessary for CWPs to work. The faculty needs
to encourage their students to use the resources found at the web site. This is
accomplished by incorporating CWP resources into the syllabus as well as
informing the librarian of any content changes made to the course and syllabus.
A few faculty
members have found the CWPs to be an efficient tool for accessing resources
that may not fit into the electronic reserves category. Some faculty members
have expressed frustration (as have some students) when students did not use
the CWPs. In tasks where students did not use CWPs, faculty reported that the
assignments lacked understanding and inclusion of the perspective of people of
color and other underrepresented groups.
We also found that students
are more likely to use the resources found at the class web pages when the
librarian gives an introduction to the class web pages. 'The instructor must
give up precious class time for this purpose but the librarian gets to meet the
class and inform the students of her availability to provide both academic
support and services to them. In my interactions with them, students have
acknowledged that class web pages are effective in helping them to efficiently
complete their assignments, papers, and projects. Even more importantly, CWPs
allow students to access sources that present the perspective of people of
color and other underrepresented groups.
I would do this project again
because CWPs help me to make library resources for this subject area more
readily available to both students and faculty. Information and access to
information has quadrupled with the evolution of the World Wide Web and librarians
have mastered the ability to access this information. CWPs are one of many
tools that librarians use to help faculty and students navigate this vast
amount of information.
As one form of
course-related library instruction provided by librarians at BGSU, class web
pages may be used throughout a term in classes with specific and/or complex
needs and in courses for which multiple sections are frequently offered. Three
courses—ACS 250 Cultural Pluralism in the
United States, ETHN 101 Introduction
to Ethnic Studies, and ETHN 120 Introduction
to Black Studies—fit this description. These courses have specific learning
objectives intended to satisfy certain university cultural diversity
requirements. In addition, multiple sections of these courses are offered each
academic term. The sections may contain as many as 35 students each and are
taught by different instructors—graduate students, full and part-time
instructors, as well as regular faculty. These attributes make it very
difficult to provide consistent library instruction for all course sections.
(Lederer, 2000; Meldrem, Johnson, and Spradling, 2001) Class web pages are a
useful and convenient tool that may be used to facilitate library research and
learning by students given these conditions. In addition to fulfilling
students’ course-specific needs, the librarian and instructor participating in
the project wanted to make both the faculty and students aware and encourage
use of our growing collection in the areas of cultural diversity and ethnic studies.
The access that was provided through OhioLINK to resources in this area was
growing as well and the need to create a central point of access for
information and materials in our print and electronic formats, gave greater
impetus for this class web page.
The ACS 250 and ETHN 101
courses share the same class web page. This web page is divided into several
parts. (See Figure 1) First, reference books create awareness of the overall
subject and general collection in this area. Second, the indexes/abstracts in
this subject area list resources in print and electronic format with direct
links. Third, the web sites give a brief annotation and link directly to each
web site listed. Of lesser importance are two other parts—Additional Research
Assistance and Research Aids. Additional Research Assistance includes direct
links to information that provides help to some specific research questions.
Research Aids are sources of information from our collection in various forms
and formats—print and electronic format, reference books, indexes and
abstracts, internet resources and terms for that specific subject area/topic of
the research aid. Each class web page also includes direct links to the library
and OhioLINK Catalogs.
The main
goal/intent of this class web page is for students to use it as a vital and
efficient tool for completing class assignments and projects. Review and
revision of the class web pages are made prior to the fall and spring semesters
unless otherwise necessary. Both the faculty and the students are encouraged to
give input to the content and design of the class web pages.
A class web page
was also created for ETHN 120 Introduction
to Black Studies. The ETHN 120 web page borrows its basic format from the
ACS 250/ETHN 101 page but includes some alterations and additions. Changes were
made to the original format to better reflect orientation to the ETHN 120
course content. The Indexes and Abstracts section includes more print indexes
and a list of direct links to all of the library’s research databases and
electronic journals. A new section—Black Studies Web sites—was added that
provides 15 direct links to relevant topics. Other parts that were also added
include Web Sites for Debate Topics, Searching the World Wide Web, Evaluating
Web Sources, and Citing Electronic Documents. As a result of these changes the
web page has increased in size from two to five pages.
For some
sections of ETHN 120, this web page is incorporated into the syllabus, thereby
requiring a more flexible collaboration with faculty concerning its content.
This incorporation also makes it necessary to introduce the class web page to
the class at the beginning of the semester in a library session. This session serves the dual purposes of
exposing students to the class web pages as well as introducing the students to
the librarian, the person most familiar with both the course and the library resources. These web pages were designed to assist
students in their completion of certain class assignments. One assignment was
to research the history and current status of African American/Black
organizations. Information on these organizations was located on websites from
the Civil Rights Museum, the Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP, and the
National Urban League among others and links to these sites were added to the
class web page.
A library user
education session was conducted to inform students of these resources. The
Ethnic Studies librarian demonstrated to students how to research both the
mainstream and African American perspectives and gain information by using web
sites, print and electronic resources (accessible through electronic journals
and research databases). Students were also made aware of newspapers and
magazine articles found in the Ethnic NewsWatch Database and the African American
Publications found in the Black Quest Power Resource Links, which has a direct
link to African American newspapers in the United States. Information at these
web sites are mostly full text, therefore students can immediately do critical
thinking in evaluating a source or the information presented.
Another web site of particular interest was
the How Race is Lived in America
series that appeared in the New York
Times during the summer of 2000. This series provided students with the
latest version of an educational web site. The articles were current and
included a variety of formats for one site. In addition to the web-based
articles themselves, the site provided direct links to related web sites for
further information. Interviews with individuals and visuals from the series
make this version far more informative than the print version. The web site
includes a variety of formats such as the print/text of the articles, the
visuals/images related to the articles, and audio versions of the reader’s
opinion responses. There are biographies for the authors of each of the
articles, which generate further interest.
The web site “How Race is Lived in America” is a good example of a web
site that works for education because it does a good job of integrating the various
formats of the web site for learning.
Two other web sites that use several aspects of the web learning formats
for students are the Multimedia Scrapbook, which has links to a variety of
media and content types (photographs, stories, facts, quotations, and sound
clips), and Web Quest, which provides students with various perspectives of
current topics. The How Race is Lived in America site was also
added to the ACS 250/ETHN 101 web page and both faculty and students have found
it to be an invaluable source of information on current race issues in America.
The Group Debate Project is another assignment for which the class web
pages were used. The class was divided into groups. Each group was responsible
for researching the issues of the debate topic and argue a “yes” or “no”
position of pre-determined topics such as racism, hate crimes, capital
punishment, transracial adoption, and racial profiling. Instructions for using the class web page to
research these debate topics were also delivered in a library user education
session. In this way, the class web pages supplied a central point of access to
resources for this assignment.
Figure 1
Additional
|
ACS 250 &
ETHN 101
|
|
Figure
2
|
|
Additional Research Assistance
Boole
an Operators |
ETHN 120
Reference
Books | Finding
Books | Indexes/Abstracts
| Black
Studies Web Sites Reference Books
Finding Books Indexes/Abstracts Index
to Periodicals By and About Blacks. 1950 - 1994 Index Area
A13.O4 Sage
Family Studies Abstracts. 1979 to Present Index Area
Q546.S23 Sage
Race Relations Abstracts. 1975 to Present Index Area T1501.S23 Social
Work Research and Abstracts. 1965 to Present Index Area
HV1.A2 See also: Ethnic
NewsWatch
Black Studies Web Sites Black Studies: Historical Text
Archive: African American History http://historicaltextarchive.com/ Sites
pertaining to the history of African Americans. Center for Afroamerican and African
Studies http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/caas/
The Center
utilizes multidisciplinary approaches to the comparative study of people of
African descent living in Africa and the Americas. University of
Maryland Diversity Database http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Topic/Diversity/
A comprehensive
resource index of multicultural and cultural divesity resources. Multicultural
Pavilion: Cultural Diversity: Multicultural Resources http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/index.html
General
resources for minority groups and diverse language populations. The Ohio State
University Libraries Black Studies Library Website http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/OSU_profile/bslweb/ http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/ http://www.house.gov/ebjohnson/cbcmain.htm African
American Women Health Information http://www.4women.gov/ African
American Health Issues and Information http://www.healthgap.omhrc.gov/ Against Their Will: North
Carolina's Sterilization Program http://againsttheirwill.journalnow.com/ National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) http://www.naacp.org/ http://www.nul.org/ African
American Literature Book Club (AALBC) http://aalbc.com/ Association
for the Study of African American Life and History http://www.asalh.com/ Black
Quest Power Resource Links http://blackquest.com/link.htm http://sln.fi.edu/tfi/hotlists/blackhistory.html The Schomburg Center for
Research in Black Culture http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html http://nytimes.com/library/national/race/web-guide.html A series of
articles from the New York Times. The series focused on racial issues and
identity. Web Sites for Debate Topics http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/index.htm American Pictures: racism,
oppression http://www.american-pictures.com/english/ http://www.udayton.edu/~race/ ACLU
American Civil Liberties Union http://www.aclu.org/ New York Times
article series: How Race is Lived in America http://nytimes.com/library/national/race/web-guide.html http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/ National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) http://www.naacp.org/ http://www.nul.org/ Southern
Poverty Law Center Intelligence Report http://www.splcenter.org/cgi-bin/goframe.pl?dirnames=/intelligenceproject&pagename=ip4.html Race and Ethnicity Resources,
American Studies Web http://www.georgetown.edu/crossroads/asw/race.html Balch
Institute For Ethnic Studies, Philadelphia,PA http://www.balchinstitute.org/ The
Urban Institute, Washington, D.C., USA http://www.urban.org/ Measuring Racial and
Ethnic Discrimination in America http://www.urban.org/civil/report_card.html Divorce and the
Family in America http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/family/divorce.htm The
Breakdown of the Family-The Consequences for Children and American Society
http://www.acfc.org/ Divorce Reform: An Idea Whose
Time is Coming http://www.frc.org/fampol/fp97ims.html http://www.childstats.gov The Madness of the
American Family http://www.policyreview.com/sept98/family.html http://www.childrensdefense.org Women's
Employment and Care of Children in the United States http://www.ethno.isr.umich.edu/ Readers' Guide to Adoption-Related
Literature: Transracial Adoption http://members.aol.com/billgage/ Multiethnic
Placement Act and Interethnic Placement Provisions http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/ Administration
for Children and Families http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/ Adoption
and the African-American Child: A Guide for Parents http://www.calib.com/naic/ Barriers
to Same Race Placement http://www.nysccc.org/ Selected
Articles on Transracial/Transcultural Adoption http://www.nysccc.org/ http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/ Sources of
Death Penalty Statistics http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/just/death/stats.html#sources
Executions by race of defendants executed:
http://www.essential.org/
http://www.essential.org/ http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/just/death/debate.html#debate Organizations
and Sites, Pro and Con http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/just/death/procon.html#retention Racial
Disparities in Federal Death Penalty Prosecution, 1988-1994 http://www.essential.org/ The
Death Penalty in Black and White: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Decides http://www.essential.org/ Faculty Attitudes Toward
Regulating Speech on College Campuses http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/rhe/20.1dey.html Academic Freedom VS. Civil
Rights http://www.csulb.edu/~crsmith/acadfree.html War of
Words: Speech Codes at Colleges and Universities in the United States http://www.fac.org/publicat/warwords/warofwrd.htm http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/hatecm.htm Research Aids
Searching the World Wide
Web
Evaluating Web Sources You
must be very careful when using documents found on the Web for research.
Check out Evaluating
Web Pages for tips on how to evaluate a web site. Citing Electronic
Documents It's
very important to cite sources used in a project, and electronic documents,
like web pages, are no different. Citation guides for APA and MLA are below.
Click on the other link for guides on additional style formats. |
|
|
|
Any questions? Contact Mary Wrighten (mwright@bgnet.bgsu.edu)
01-01-12/ Pagemaster
/ Disclaimer
Faculty Perspective (Laurie’s Rodger’s
view):
My
partnership experience confirmed many of the main points discussed earlier in
this article. Many of the students have limited knowledge of library resources
so class web pages (CWPs) helped to increase their awareness of those resources
and strengthen their research skills in addition to completing their
assignments. This limited knowledge of library resources may be one reason why
students didn’t seem to remember that they could use CWPs as a resource.
Therefore, it is very important that the instructor constantly redirect
students to the web pages when they are first introduced and continue to remind
them until they remember to use them on their own.
Since
this collaboration initially focused on creating the CWPs and then getting
students to use them, there was little formal attention given (e.g. a survey)
to assessment. Therefore, we have no student comments on record to use as
examples. However, it seems that the students must find the CWPs satisfactory
since they do use the CWPs once they remember that they are available. Also,
assignments completed by students who use the CWPs tend to be of better quality
than by those who do not. Furthermore, students seem to have a better library
research experience when they use the CWPs. I also noticed that students seemed
less frustrated when searching for appropriate material. Internet searches can
yield literally thousands of hits which can cause a student to feel
overwhelmed. CWPs seem to alleviate this burden.
As
an instructor, CWPs helped my teaching because they serve as a sort of personal
library. They are an excellent resource to which I can turn to do research—for
classes or projects—or to quickly look something etc. which saves time as well.
In addition, CWPs are flexible in that they can be fairly quickly and easily
updated or changed.
Commitment
from and inclusion of all participants in such a collaboration is crucial to
its success. We were fortunate in that our relationship was not strictly
professional but a friendship as well. I think this helps us to better avoid
personality clashes and makes us more willing to listen and cooperate.
Friendship or no, the importance of communicating, especially listening, can
not be overemphasized.
Overall,
I would say that this project was very worthwhile and we continue to work
together on the CWPs. The structure of our partnership works very well and I
don’t think that I would change it. At the time of our initial collaboration, I
received this teaching assignment unexpectedly, which meant that there was
little time to plan ahead. Continued use of the CWPS requires that we still
meet, although less time is needed for planning now that the CWPs are up and
running. But with respect to future projects, I would definitely allow more time
for advance planning.
Finally,
this librarian-faculty collaboration has been very rewarding and productive. It
has lead to other projects and partnerships, all of which are thriving. In
fact, we have taken steps to increase awareness of the usefulness of CWPs
within my department and to establish similar collaborations between the
faculty and librarians. We are also currently conducting an assessment survey
of student satisfaction with the CWPs and hope that the results will further
assist us in providing CWPs that are a truly valuable library resource tool. I
would definitely recommend that other faculty and librarians form their own
collaborative relationships.
When
the librarian-faculty partnership first came into being, the semester had
already begun and planning for the course had been completed. As a result,
circumstances made it prudent to integrate library instruction into the
curriculum, which focused on the use of reference tools that are particularly
helpful to a specific assignment. Two separate assignments—Debate and Reading
Cards—were chosen for integration of library instruction into the course. Both
assignments are given out to students taking the ETHN 101 Introduction to Ethnic Studies and ETHN 120 Introduction to Black Studies courses. The debate requires students
to research controversial issues for analysis and discussion within the
discipline. Some debate topics are used with both ETHN 101 and 120 while others
are used for only one course. An instruction sheet is provided that explains the
assignment, reports the point distribution for grades, provides a format and
structure that may be used as a guide in organizing the paper and presentation,
and delineates the criteria that must be satisfied in order to receive a
passing grade. Students should be able to demonstrate a cumulative
understanding of the concepts and theories presented throughout the term and
their application to a given debate topic.
Alignment
of this debate project with learning outcomes is apparent on the instruction
sheet (See Figure 3). Overall, the debate assignment requires students to
fulfill the general education cultural diversity objectives previously listed.
In preparing and presenting the assignment, students demonstrate the abilities
outlined by the course objectives. Finally, each section of the instruction
outline addresses particular University learning objectives.
Although
less in-depth in terms of time needed for completion, the Reading Cards
incorporate objectives similar to the Debate. Students examine newsworthy
events and apply various theories during a class discussion. Again, the
instruction sheet illustrates the desired learning outcomes of the assignment
(See Figure 4). Corresponding institutional, library user, and course
objectives are displayed with each assignment instruction sheet.
Figure 3
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Introduction
to Black Studies Debate |
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Associated
Learning Outcomes
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General
Education-Cultural Diversity Objectives ETHN 120 Course Objectives (These objectives apply to the overall
assignment) |
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I. The Debate |
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Investigate and
Connect
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A. The Issue |
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1. Identified the
issue, its origin, and purpose |
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2. Identified which
social group(s) (along the lines of
race, class, gender, etc.) would be most
directly affected and how |
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3. Introduced and
defended the group’s position
(For/Yes or Against/No) on the issue |
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Analysis and Integration
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B. The Arguments FOR
(Yes) /AGAINST (No) the issue |
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1. Clearly
identified and explained arguments
supporting or opposing the issue. |
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2. Provided
satisfactory evidence to substantiate
claims |
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Investigate and Connect
Participate and Lead
Analysis and Integration
Interaction
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C. The Response |
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1. Sufficiently
addressed criticisms presented by the
opposing argument position |
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2. Provided
satisfactory evidence to substantiate
claims |
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Investigate and Connect
Participate and Lead
Analysis and Integration
Interaction
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D. The Recommendations
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1. Presented
realistic recommendations or alternatives for
change or improvement |
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2. Discussed the
advantages/disadvantages of the
recommendations |
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Write and Present
Communication
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II. The Presentation |
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A. Overall
presentation was clear, easy to understand and
follow |
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B. Speakers explained
concepts clearly and knowledgeably |
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C. Speakers used
appropriate language, vocal tone, and
eye contact |
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D. Speaker provided
reasonable answers to questions |
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Write and Present Communication |
III. The Report |
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A. Overall appearance
of report was satisfactory |
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B. Contained few or no
typing errors |
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C. Used correct
grammar |
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D. Used correct spelling |
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Figure 4
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Introduction to Ethnic
Studies Reading Cards |
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Associated Learning Outcomes
|
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Investigate and Connect
Write and Present
Analysis
and Integration Interaction |
1. Summary: ·
Brief description of current event, stating the
significant points. |
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·
What racial/cultural issues were addressed in the article or report? |
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2. Appraisal: ·
Give your reactions to the article/report. |
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3. Impact: ·
How does this impact racial/cultural relations in the US? Globally? |
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4. Questions: ·
List some questions that were generated
from reading this article. |
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V. Conclusion
“Course-related
instruction is the most effective approach to meeting the objectives of library
instruction, thereby making faculty-librarian collaboration all the more
significant.” (Farber, 1999, p. 231). This observation has been demonstrated by
the collaborative efforts of an Ethnic Studies librarian and instructor through
the development and integration of library technology--class web pages—into
course curriculum.
In
the process of creating this technology, it should be noted that there are
certain things that one may expect class web pages to do. First, class web
pages can be an efficient and effective tool in the assignment completion
process. Second, class web pages can be the tool that provides learning
opportunities through several formats and media. Third, class web pages can be
the tool that provides extended learning opportunities that are initiated by
the teacher.
In
contrast, there are also things which one may not expect class web pages to do.
First, class web pages cannot be a substitute for the teacher or librarian.
Second, class web pages cannot be effective or efficient unless they are
integrated into the curriculum. Finally, class web pages cannot be effective or
efficient if their utility does not complement the course’s learning
objectives. Having successfully designed and implemented this research tool, we
will now begin to focus on the evaluation and assessment of these efforts as
part of our future research.
References
BGSU Course Descriptions.
Retrieved April 03, 2003 from Office of Registration and Records Web site:
http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/result.php
Carlson,
David, and Miller, Ruth, H. (November 1984). Librarians and teaching faculty:
Partners in bibliographic instruction. College
and Research Libraries, 45(6), p. 483-491.
Farber, Evan
(1999). Faculty-librarian cooperation: A personal retrospective. RSR:
Reference Services Review 27(3)
p. 229-234.
Gwinn,
Nancy, E. (September 1978). The faculty-library connection. Change, 10(8), p. 19-21.
History
and setting of the University. Retrieved April 03, 2003 from BGSU Undergraduate
Catalog 2003-2004 Web site: http://www.bgsu.edu/catalog/University/ University12.html
Ivey,
Robert, T. (January 1994). Teaching faculty perceptions of academic librarians
at Memphis State University. College and
Research Libraries, 55(1), p. 69-82.
Lederer,
Naomi. (2000). New form(at): Using the Web to teach research and critical
thinking skills. RSR: Reference Services
Review, 28(2), p. 130-153.
Meldrem,
Joyce A., Johnson, Carolyn, and Spradling, Carol. (2001). Navigating knowledge
together: Faculty-Librarian partnerships in web-based learning. In Barbara I.
Dewey’s (ed.) Library User Education:
Powerful learning, powerful partnerships. p. 30-36. Lanham, Maryland:
Scarecrow Press:
Nesbitt,
Renee. (1997). Faculty-Librarian partnerships. Education Libraries, 21(1-2), pp. 5-10.
University General Education
Curriculum-Cultural Diversity in the United States. Retrieved April 03, 2003
from BGSU Undergraduate Catalog 2003-2004 Web site:
http://www.bgsu.edu/catalog/Acad_policies/Acad_policies19.html#Cultural_diversity
University Learning Outcomes.
Retrieved April 03, 2003 from BGSU Undergraduate Catalog 2003-2004 Web site:
http://www.bgsu.edu/catalog/Acad_policies/Acad_ policies20.html
University
Vision and Core Values. Retrieved April 08, 2003 from BGSU Undergraduate
Catalog 2003-2004 Web site: http://www.bgsu.edu/catalog/University/University8.html