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First-Year Programs and Information Literacy. Challenges and Opportunities. Alan Bailin alan.bailin@hofstra.edu Elena Cevallos elena.cevallos@hofstra.edu Ann Grafstein ann.grafstein@hofstra.edu Hofstra University. Learning communities first initiated in late 1990s
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First-Year Programs and Information Literacy Challenges and Opportunities Alan Bailin alan.bailin@hofstra.eduElena Cevallos elena.cevallos@hofstra.eduAnn Grafstein ann.grafstein@hofstra.edu Hofstra University
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 2001: Library offered 2 sections of Library 001, a 1-credit standalone course Aimed at—but not restricted to—1st & 2nd year students Pass/fail grading 2002: expanded to 4 sections Background at HofstraFirst Year Programs (FYP) Library 001
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
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
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”
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
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
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
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
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
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
Evaluating the Success of the Program • Evidence exists that a 1-credit library course has a long-term impact on students’ academic performance • Hofstra’s 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
Assessment of Individual Classes Pretest/Posttests Interactive exercises using Blackboard Other in-class exercises Direct assessments: research assignments Course & Teacher Ratings
Sample Research Questions: Based on Research for Law & Philosophy Class
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?
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.
Personnel Expansion: Advantages Retention of a successful pedagogical approach Possible enrichment of the program by including more faculty with new ideas.
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?
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.
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.
A Technological Approach Computer-based tutorials Computer-based learning exercises on Blackboard that are linked to the tutorials and other online resources.
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.
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.
Using Technology:A 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.
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?
