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First-Year Programs and Information Literacy

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Instead of program improvement, ... ENGG (NS) DESIGN & THE HUMAN BODY. 91L ... First Year Connections Retention & Pre-College Academics. – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: First-Year Programs and Information Literacy


1
First-Year Programs and Information Literacy
  • Challenges and Opportunities

Alan Bailin alan.bailin_at_hofstra.eduElena
Cevallos elena.cevallos_at_hofstra.edu Ann
Grafstein ann.grafstein_at_hofstra.edu Hofstra
University
2
Background at HofstraFirst Year Programs (FYP)
Library 001
  • 2001 Library offered 2 sections of Library 001,
    a 1-credit standalone course
  • Aimed atbut not restricted to1st 2nd year
    students
  • Pass/fail grading
  • 2002 expanded to 4 sections
  • Learning communities first initiated in late
    1990s
  • Began as 6 clusters 3-4 thematically-related
    courses
  • Standalone seminars introduced in 2003
  • 42 seminars and 20 clusters projected for fall
    2008

3
Goals of FYP
  • To foster appreciation of the intellectual
    structure of different disciplines
  • To strengthen academic skills
  • To provide increased connection with faculty
  • To promote social cohesiveness and connections to
    the university community
  • Program includes extra- and co-curricular
    activities with faculty both on campus and in NYC

4
Goals of Library 001
  • To equip beginning students with the research
    skills that would enable them to
  • Pursue their academic careers successfully
  • Fulfill expectations of future employers, who
    increasingly expect research and critical
    thinking skills

5
Standalone Library 001 Issues
  • Did not reach target constituency
  • Most students were juniors or seniors in need of
    1 credit
  • Implications of a standalone course
  • Students did not see its relevance
  • Assigned research was perceived as artificial
    make work
  • Upper-class students felt that the course would
    have been useful for freshmen

6
Relationship between FYP and Library 001
  • 2003 FYP program approached library about
    attaching Library 001 to FYP clusters
  • Wanted students to acquire concepts taught in
    Library 001 early in their academic career
  • Proposed link would address 2 library concerns
  • Course would be open only to 1st year students, a
    constituency that had eluded the standalone
    course
  • Would eliminate problems associated with
    standalone nature would contextualize course
  • a. within a disciplinary structure and
  • b. as an integral component of other courses in
    students clusters

7
Tentative Beginnings
  • Fall 2003 piloted integration of Library 001
    with 4 FYP clusters
  • Coordinated syllabi to achieve consistency across
    courses
  • 1-credit library class would begin as students
    were starting research for the other courses in
    their FYP cluster
  • Library faculty participated in extra-curricular
    activities

8
After the Pilot Assessment
  • Students did not always take library course
    seriously
  • Still viewed it as marginal, not relevant
  • Collaboration between library and FYP faculty was
    tenuous
  • FYP faculty did not assign research appropriate
    to library course
  • FYP faculty changed syllabi so that assigned
    research did not coincide with library course

9
After the Pilot How We Responded
  • Collaboration considered overall success
  • Added additional sections with attached library
    course
  • Attempted to attach library course to appropriate
    clusters
  • Replaced pass/fail with letter grades to
    encourage more serious attitude among students
  • Encouraged FYP faculty to synchronize their
    research assignments with the library course

10
New in 2007
  • Added 3 sections of Library 001 embedded in a 4
    semester hour seminar
  • 75 of grade assigned by the seminar faculty
  • 25 of grade assigned by the library faculty
  • Change initiated in order to
  • Encourage students to view library course as an
    integral component of the seminar, rather than a
    marginal add-on
  • Promote seamless integration between the focus of
    the library course and research assigned in the
    seminar

11
Assessment Loop Assessing the Program
  • Each year, structural changes were made in the
    relationship based on feedback from the previous
    year
  • Examples
  • Letter grades replacing pass/fail
  • Reduction in class size to allow for more input
    from instructor during classes
  • Experimented with beginning the 9-session library
    course at different points in the semester
  • 4-semester hour embedded model based on
    identification of systemic problems

12
Evaluating the Success of the Program
  • Evidence exists that a 1-credit library course
    has a long-term impact on students academic
    performance
  • Hofstras data suggests a similar conclusion
  • Retention rate is higher for students enrolled in
    FYPs than for the freshman class as a whole
  • Retention rate is higher still for students with
    an attached library class

13
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14
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15
Assessment of Individual Classes
  • Pretest/Posttests
  • Interactive exercises using Blackboard
  • Other in-class exercises
  • Direct assessments research assignments
  • Course Teacher Ratings

16
Example of Pretest/Posttest Longitudinal
Performance
17
Example of an In-class Exercise
18
Example of Corrections Posted to Blackboard
19
Research Assignment Annotated Bibliography
20
Annotated Bibliography Questions
21
Sample Research Questions Based on Research for
Law Philosophy Class
22
The Challenges
  • How do we expand the program?
  • How do we change the program without lowering
    academic standards?
  • How do we identify those aspects that are
    especially helpful to students?

23
Two Different Approaches
  • Use the same pedagogical strategies but expand
    the number of people teaching.
  • Use technology and different pedagogical
    techniques to reach more students.

24
Both approaches have advantages and
disadvantages
25
Personnel Expansion Advantages
  • Retention of a successful pedagogical approach
  • Possible enrichment of the program by including
    more faculty with new ideas.

26
Personnel Expansion Disadvantages
  • Adjuncts may not have the same commitment to the
    program. Instead of program improvement, the
    result may be program deterioration.
  • The present structure is very labor intensive.
    How long can this commitment level be sustained?

27
Technology Advantages
  • The ability to reach far more students with the
    same number of faculty.
  • The possibility of creating more effective means
    of teaching.
  • The possibility of freeing faculty from rote
    teaching and providing the opportunity for more
    quality interactions with students.

28
Technology Disadvantages
  • Technology could lead to dumbed down
    instruction focusing only on what can easily be
    taught by computers.
  • Reliance on computers could lead to less contact
    with library faculty, contact that may be the key
    to the present successes.

29
A Technological Approach
  • Computer-based tutorials
  • Computer-based learning exercises on Blackboard
    that are linked to the tutorials and other online
    resources.

30
Computer-based Exercises
  • The goal of the Blackboard exercises is not to
    test but to encourage students to find the
    information to answer the questions.
  • A minimum level score must be obtained in order
    to pass
  • Tests use a selection of the exercise questions.

31
The Structure of Exercise Questions
  • Each question uses either multiple choice,
    true-false, or multiple match format.
  • Each question has one or more hyperlinks to
    resources that will provide the information
    needed to answer the questions.

32
A Sample Blackboard Exercise Screen
33
More Sample Exercise Questions
34
Answering Questions An Online Tutorial Screen
35
Answering QuestionsQuick Tips Sheets
36
Using TechnologyA Blended Approach
  • Brief introductory discussions and/or lectures.
  • Online exercise begun in-class where questions
    can be answered.
  • One third fewer classes. Students are expected
    to engage in independent work.

37
The Unknowns
  • Could the freshman library course be more focused
    on the online component if students did not have
    a research bibliography?
  • What is the minimum number of class hours that
    can be required without reducing pedagogical
    impact?
  • Can faculty effectively teach a blended course?
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