University of Wyoming has created a very good tutorial that will benefit students of all levels. It provides multiple levels of information on the services provided by the library, how to use these services, how to evaluate different formats of information, and how to request help from library staff. Useful for students writing their first research paper and in need of sources.
Type of Material:
This material is a tutorial. It provides in sequential format information and activities to teach the student how to use the library and the different materials and formats.
Recommended Uses:
In class, homework, individual, team, distance learning.
Technical Requirements:
PowerPoint
Identify Major Learning Goals:
The student will be able to evaluate and describe the differences between various research sources. Able to locate sources online in databases and physically in the stacks They will also develop a deeper understanding of what the library can provide for them personally and their research. Students will be able to evaluate resources for their research.
Target Student Population:
This tutorial is beneficial to many people. From student, to faculty, to special interest groups and levels. At the student level it is most beneficial to academic freshman, lower division, returning students, or anyone needing a refresher on research skills.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
The student must already know how to create a search strategy and execute a search in a library catalog or database.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
- Content is valid/accurate/reliable
- Very detailed research skills that provide tools on evaluation of sources
- Content is current & up to date
- Content is easy to learn
- Content is of use to all disciplines
- Content contains screen shots of databases for illustration that is appropriate and valid.
Provides a very good, detailed strategy for finding books organized by Library of Congress subject headings
Concerns:
- Some of the screen shots are difficult to read especially with highlighting.
- This highlighting may be a problems with students with disabilities and those that are color blind.
• It would be useful if there were some way to track progress through the tutorial and/or have a list of sections within the tutorial to easily come back later and find information again. • Students should not be able to click the ‘next’ button instead of participating in an interactive exercise.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
- Information can be applied to many situations to describe how to search for sources in multiple formats
- Learners will be able to effectively achieve the learning goals using the tools they are taught
- It engages multiple senses through images and text
- Information is interactive, provides immediate feedback and allows the student to learn from incorrect answers. Builds easily upon prior modules (Investigating and Searching) and leads well into later modules (Evaluating and Utilizing) that discuss additional steps in information literacy process.
Concerns:
• Much of information is specific to the institution for which tutorial was created, to the point where some sections will not be usable at all at other institutions (e.g., ‘How do you locate articles when the link says "Find It @ UW?" Click this link to check the library for availability. The article could be available in paper, online, or both.’).
• Quiz at end is for set of modules; test for each module would be more useful.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
- Information is provided in a way that is familiar to students & is easy to navigate
- The tutorial is interactive in sections & provides feedback to students
- The tutorial is self-contained and requires no instructions
- Clearly states correct & wrong answers
- No major bugs, non-working links, nor required plug-ins for the user to navigate
Very clear instructions and reinforces concepts progressively.
Concerns:
Some of the interactivity is specific to the institution of origin (e.g., the exercise where the student must find where in the UW library a particular book is).
Other Issues and Comments:
None.
Creative Commons:
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