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Keeping the Conversation Alive: Maintaining Students' Research Skills Throughout Their College Careers. Drexel University Jay Bhatt, Larry Milliken, Lloyd Ackert and Eleanor Goldberg ASEE ELD (2011) - session T530 . Engineering information.
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Keeping the Conversation Alive: Maintaining Students' Research Skills Throughout Their College Careers Drexel University Jay Bhatt, Larry Milliken, Lloyd Ackert and Eleanor Goldberg ASEE ELD (2011) - session T530
Engineering information • Library instruction for engineering students for freshman • ENGR101-103 sequence • ENGR102-ENGR103 Engineering design • Understanding fundamentals • ENGL101 during the Fall term • Main emphasis on scholarly papers • Senior Design
Challenge….. • No formal library instruction between freshman and senior years • Except a few courses where a faculty member requests instruction • More and more new resources are added • Eresources updated • Students need reinforcement to make senior research for engineering design more productive • Practicing and refining students’ information gathering skills is critical for Senior Design
Challenge • True innovation cannot occur without a solid understanding of the ethical, legal, social, and technical contexts • Well developed library research skills are integral to students’ success • Students tend to forget research skills if not used • HIST285 – a possible solution? Literature supported integrating library instruction in curriculum
HIST285 – Technology in Historical Perspectives • Course offered by the Department of History and Politics in the College of Arts and Sciences. • Examines the interrelationship betweentechnology and its economic, social, intellectual, and political context. • Research intensive • Engineering students take this course in prejunior year
HIST285 -Technology in Historical Perspectives • Addresses contemporary historical issues as the relationship between technology, government, and culture • Incorporates a variety of media, guest lectures, and weekly discussion sessions • Students are required to write • a 1500–2000 word research essay • or alternative product, e.g. website, • or short documentary film, • or digital library project exploring a focused topic in the history of technology
HIST285 – Library Instruction • Students are required to include: • Scholarly secondary sources, including journal articles • Monographs • Primary historical documents such as patents, diaries, and engineering publications • Other credible print and web based resources. • Library Instructional sessions planned address these requirements • Senior design projects may benefit
Instructional activities • Direct instruction by librarians • Humanities and social sciences librarian conducts a library instructional session highlighting the important resources • Direct instruction by faculty • Faculty members reinforce library resources while teaching content • Important resources and tools are also linked from their course web pages
Instructional activities • Video based instruction • Instruction for students in Burlington County Community College • These sessions will be videotaped and made available online for students • Possible instruction through Adobe Connect system • Virtual chat for simple questions
Instructional Activities • Research Guides • Help students in navigating through core resources • Available from the Library web site • Linked from course management software • Consultations • For more in depth research help • Examples include: history and invention of the ball point pen, the jet engine, the steam engine, Plexiglass, and the electric guitar.
Future Activities • Field Trip • Students explore history, science and technology • Franklin Institute Museum • Students, librarians and faculty members visit museum together • Explore historical aspects of invention together • Museum has exhibits on: computing, flight, electricity, automation and more • Instructional activities • Brainstorm research topics after the visit • Group discussion where peers help each out for selection of their research topic
Future activities • Journal Groups • Students explore their research topic in a group • Active discussion among students and librarians • Dialog based inquiry to help learn more about: • Scholarly papers • Web resources • Patents • Primary resources • Peer review
Conclusions • Students need information skills before Senior Design Project • Heavy research demands • Need for ethical, social, legal context of inventions • HIST 285 provides unique opportunity to address student needs • Collaboration of librarians and History faculty • Both direct library instruction and information skills-building activities • Students using tools and sources needed for Senior Design Project
Thank You! • Jay BhattLibrarian for Engineering Drexel University bhattjj@drexel.edu http://www.library.drexel.edu/engineering 215-895-1873Gmail IM drexeleng • With Larry Milliken, Dr. Lloyd Ackert and Eleanor Goldberg