Do You Know What They Don’t Know? : How Students Conduct Research
Type of Presentation
Poster Session (45 minutes)
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
Room 1005
Proposal
When developing student research assignments, many faculty may make the assumption that the current generation of computer-savvy students will intuitively determine how to effectively use library resources, and incorporate that information into a thoughtful and properly cited research paper -- after all, students frequently express a high level of confidence in their research abilities. But is this realistic? Do students understand the difference between a keyword and a subject search and how that understanding can help them? Do students really understand that research is a process rather than a scavenger hunt?
Any faculty member who has received student research papers which are heavily reliant on content obtained through Google searches, sprinkled with quotations from the course textbook knows the harsh reality. Students come to college without ever having been taught how to do research, which is an essential component of information literacy and critical thinking. And it’s not likely that a research assignment requiring a certain number of resources will enlighten them.
This poster presentation will discuss how students approach research based on information we obtained from students themselves, from exploring literature on college student research habits, and from the combined real-world Reference Desk experience of two University of Central Florida librarians. We will discuss ways to make the process less frustrating and more productive, as well as ways that librarians and classroom faculty can work collaboratively to ensure that research assignments will help students to develop the essential critical thinking skills which will serve them now and well beyond graduation.
Short Description
As a faculty member, have you ever been disappointed in the student research assignments submitted to you? Are you aware of how students interpret your research assignments, and how they go about working on a research paper? Would you like to know what they ask librarians? Are you interested in learning how to better design library research assignments? Join two University of Central Florida librarians for a candid conversation, and pick up ideas so your own campus librarian can help you achieve the student learning outcomes you seek.
Keywords
Critical thinking, Information literacy, Assignment design, Research, Students, Faculty, Librarian, Collaboration
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Nuhn, Peggy L. and Tong, Min, "Do You Know What They Don’t Know? : How Students Conduct Research" (2016). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 63.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2016/2016/63
Do You Know What They Don’t Know? : How Students Conduct Research
Room 1005
When developing student research assignments, many faculty may make the assumption that the current generation of computer-savvy students will intuitively determine how to effectively use library resources, and incorporate that information into a thoughtful and properly cited research paper -- after all, students frequently express a high level of confidence in their research abilities. But is this realistic? Do students understand the difference between a keyword and a subject search and how that understanding can help them? Do students really understand that research is a process rather than a scavenger hunt?
Any faculty member who has received student research papers which are heavily reliant on content obtained through Google searches, sprinkled with quotations from the course textbook knows the harsh reality. Students come to college without ever having been taught how to do research, which is an essential component of information literacy and critical thinking. And it’s not likely that a research assignment requiring a certain number of resources will enlighten them.
This poster presentation will discuss how students approach research based on information we obtained from students themselves, from exploring literature on college student research habits, and from the combined real-world Reference Desk experience of two University of Central Florida librarians. We will discuss ways to make the process less frustrating and more productive, as well as ways that librarians and classroom faculty can work collaboratively to ensure that research assignments will help students to develop the essential critical thinking skills which will serve them now and well beyond graduation.
