Counterfeit InfoLit
Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
Room 212
Abstract
Engaging with students in a large-enrollment biology class can be a challenge, particularly in a one-shot lecture format. In order to overcome these shortcomings, we tried an innovative approach: we wrote a fake scientific article and asked students to enumerate its errors. On the surface, this two-page article displayed the hallmarks of scholarly scientific research. However, it contained numerous "red-flags" ranging from citation blunders to a less-than-transparent methods section to rhetorical overreach. In small group discussions, students drew upon their experiences writing lab reports and conducting experiments to identify and explain the article's many flaws. These groups then participated in a class-wide discussion of the various problems the article presented. This process of reflection helped students map their own personal experience to the culture and conventions of published scientific research. Furthermore, it encouraged them to develop information literacy skills based on discipline-specific context and reasoning. In our presentation, we will discuss the “fake article” method's successful impact on student engagement, its usefulness as an assessment tool, and the implications of teaching by counter-example.
Presentation Description
In order to engage students in a large-enrollment biology class, we tried an innovative approach: we wrote a fake scientific article and asked students to enumerate its errors. In small group discussions, students drew upon their experiences writing lab reports and conducting experiments to identify and explain the article's numerous "red-flags,” ranging from citation blunders to a less-than-transparent methods section to rhetorical overreach. In small group discussions, students drew upon their experiences writing lab reports and conducting experiments to identify and explain the article's many flaws, a process that encouraged students to develop information literacy skills based on discipline-specific context and reasoning. In our presentation, we will discuss the “fake article” method's successful impact on student engagement and its value as an assessment tool.
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Thomas, Ian and Christoffel, Chandler, "Counterfeit InfoLit" (2015). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 55.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2015/2015/55
Counterfeit InfoLit
Room 212
Engaging with students in a large-enrollment biology class can be a challenge, particularly in a one-shot lecture format. In order to overcome these shortcomings, we tried an innovative approach: we wrote a fake scientific article and asked students to enumerate its errors. On the surface, this two-page article displayed the hallmarks of scholarly scientific research. However, it contained numerous "red-flags" ranging from citation blunders to a less-than-transparent methods section to rhetorical overreach. In small group discussions, students drew upon their experiences writing lab reports and conducting experiments to identify and explain the article's many flaws. These groups then participated in a class-wide discussion of the various problems the article presented. This process of reflection helped students map their own personal experience to the culture and conventions of published scientific research. Furthermore, it encouraged them to develop information literacy skills based on discipline-specific context and reasoning. In our presentation, we will discuss the “fake article” method's successful impact on student engagement, its usefulness as an assessment tool, and the implications of teaching by counter-example.
