Keep Calm and Try Again

1. Keep Calm and Try Again The Evolution of a Library Research Assignment 2013 Missouri Library Association Annual Conference

2. Assignment – Version 1.0 Assignment Learning Objective: • Demonstrate basic proficiency in nursing literature search Assignment Structure: • Guided application of nursing literature search • Selected topic of interest in nursing science • Searched within 4 different library resources • Summarized articles retrieved to demonstrate proficiency

3. Assignment – Version 1.0 Outcomes • Students focused on writing summaries, not mechanics of search process • Student focus and anxiety centered on writing, not search • Faculty became editor of article summaries • Learning objective of demonstrating basic literature search proficiency not demonstrated at all in the assignment outcomes

4. Collaboration

5. Assignment – Version 2.0 Nursing faculty and Librarian collaborated to revise the classroom learning experience and assignment • Focused on nursing science and library science • Capitalized on opportunity with new curriculum, new course • Connected nursing education standards with information literacy standards • Delivered class content with integrative team teaching approach

6. Assignment – Version 2.0 Objectives Updated Assignment Learning Objectives: • Demonstrate basic proficiency in nursing literature search • Introduce skills for assessing quality of information • Develop foundation for professional nursing skills • Reduce anxiety about accessing library resources • Increase familiarity with library staff, resources

7. Assignment – Version 2.0 Structure • Guided application of nursing literature search • Print journals • Subject databases: CINAHL and Medline • Google and Google Scholar • Selected topic of interest in nursing science • Completed worksheet specific to search method • Evaluated quality of the article/source • Evaluated search process

8. Assignment – Version 2.0 Worksheet • What made you select the reference from all the choices? • Is your reference from a trusted source? What is the source? • Do you think your reference is a popular article or a peer reviewed/scholarly article. Why or why not? • Would you use the resource for a research paper? Why or why not? • Would you share this resource with friends, family or patients? Why or why not? • What did you like about this search method? • What did you not like about this search method? • Of the 5 methods, was this your least favorite? Most favorite? Why?

9. Assignment – Version 2.0 Outcomes • Question: Is this article popular or peer-reviewed? • Answer: It’s both! http://buddhajoy.wordpress.com/2012/05/

10. Popular or Peer Reviewed? • “I think it is peer reviewed because it is based off a case study. It might be a popular article because what it discusses is quite interesting…” • “Yes, I believe my article is both a popular article and a peer-reviewed article for several reasons. One, it was the first one. Two, it was written and reviewed by several men and women with high academic standards.”

11. Popular or Peer Reviewed? • “Considering the article I found is in a magazine, I believe it is a popular article. If it was a just peer reviewed sort of thing, it probably wouldn’t have got published for the world to see and use as a resource.” • “I don’t think this article is very popular because it took me a while to find.”

12. Popular or Peer Reviewed? • “I think it’s peer reviewed because there are seven authors.” • “I think [it] is peer reviewed a little bit because there are two authors.” • “I think it’s a scholarly article. It was published in a journal that has many volumes to it.” • “Peer-reviewed/scholarly article. It is on a medical website. The authors also have various degrees.”

13. Assignment – Version 2.0 Outcomes Recognized weak evaluations of information quality • Academic meaning of “peer review” and “popular” • Implicit trust – believed it if read it • PhD = know what he/she is doing, must be credible • Multiple authors indicates credibility • All resources in library or library databases must be credible/peer-reviewed

14. Assignment – Version 3.0 • Adjusted our terminology • “reviewed by experts” instead of “popular or peer-reviewed” • Removed redundant question • “use for a research paper” = “share with friends, family, patients” • Added questions requiring and documenting library visit for the print journal article

15. Assignment – Version 4.0 • Adjusted terminology again • Emphasized academic use of “peer reviewed” • Used “peer reviewed or reviewed by experts other than the authors before it was published” instead of “reviewed by experts” • Removed Google search and added search using UMSL discovery tool (Summon) • Added pre- and post-assignment survey

16. Still searching for the point… • “After choosing the first reference I didn’t have to go searching for anything…” • “It is harder to find articles on here [Medline] than on something like google, because you actually have to read some of the article to see if it is in fact the one you need.” • “What I liked about this search method [Google] is that is shows the most creditable sources first, so I do not have to search a lot for a creditable source.”

17. Assignment – Version 5.0 • Achieved peer reviewed learning objective • Terminology unchanged from Version 4.0 • Removed Medline search, added PubMed search • Enhanced Librarian feedback to students • Added Librarian as faculty user in course • Submitted worksheets via Blackboard Assignment Manager • Improved turnaround time to students

18. Benefits of collaboration • Assignment 2.0+ jointly developed • Blends nursing and library science • Achieves updated learning objectives • Focuses on library resources and evaluating information • Improves students’ appreciation of librarian as a resource Celebrate Excessively!

19. Future Directions • Scaffold information literacy throughout nursing curriculum • Build new collaborations between library and nursing faculty • Coordinate information literacy development plan • Create a campus-wide focus on information literacy • Model collaboration based on success of library/nursing science collaboration

20. Contact Us • Betsy Williams Senior Reference Librarian University of Missouri-St. Louis betsy.williams@umsl.edu • Jennifer Taylor, PhD, RN Associate Professor Lindenwood University jtaylor1@lindenwood.edu Please give us your feedback at goo.gl/lBHHLA