A Moveable Feast: Learning Objects, Learning Spaces, and Students

Jim Nichols, Daniel Preston, Shannon Pritting , Karen Shockey SUNY OSWEGO May 28, 2010 A Moveable Feast: Learning Objects, Learning Spaces, and Students

Where have the walls gone? • Breaking down the library walls • Core processes of library as a social and institutional space • Breaking down the classroom walls • Core processes of course as a social and institutional space • Building “learning spaces” without walls • Virtual and real; interactive and active; reaching learning goals

To integrate into course, the tutorial was converted from <html> to Angel content.

Angel content facilitates inclusion in grading and course shell.

Integrating content into classes allows for exploring overlapping disciplines. • Most useful in 1st and 2nd year students in which overarching concepts cross disciplines. • Shared practices such as research, reading, writing, can be taught with more synergy.

There are often key principles that disciplines share before becoming more discipline specific.

Information Literacy and Composition stress many of the same concepts, but in different contexts. • Evaluating Arguments/Sources • Integrating the Ideas of Others • Entering Academic Discourse/Reference

An activity such as research has many points of intersection that can be capitalized on with interdisciplinary objects.

A good learning object that can be used in the course is a hybrid between a web tutorial and a brief learning object. • A common student comment is that tutorial is too long. • Definition (Students are used to “1-shot” classes. • Integration into course and taking place of other assignments. • Make the assignment directly relevant to other assignments.

Modularity is key to making a learning object that can fit into classes. Instructors can select what piece of the tutorial is most relevant to their class. For example, an upper division class may focus only on “Finding Journal Articles.”

What do English Teachers Look For? • Clearly articulated ideas of the student’s choosing and interest. • A thesis statement that makes a claim about the research that has been/is being done • Integration and fusion of other research into their own work. • Proper use of bibliographic and citation techniques

The Assignments • Debate Assignment – Using a list of topics generated by all students, groups were formed for a debate assignment. Each group took sides within the topic and debated among themselves (in front of others) for ten minutes. Required four sources and a thesis. • Research Essay – With a topic of their choosing students write a 5-7 page research paper (minimum of six sources) with a strong thesis that they develop.

Research Learning Object Use • Over Spring Break, (between assignments) students from both classes were asked to work withthe LERC to determine topics and start theses for the research assignment. Later, once they had topics, they were urged to use it a second time. Data collected reflect total usage per student.

Usage – Class A

Grade/Usage Correlation – Class A

Usage – Class B

Grade / Usage Correlation – Class B

What Students Want • Students reported that the tool was too wordy, and not enough like a website. • They also felt that “they needed to spend time with the tool and already have a topic” • Many said that a thesis generator would be helpful

In hybrid courses, students are used to coming to Angel to be prompted to learn, but not spending large amounts of time online.

Learning Objects vs Websites

K1 A Moveable Feast Communities of practice

J2 Entering Communities of Scholarly Practice • Novice scholars sit on the edge of COPs • As one works their way into the inner circles of a COP, they become an expert • First year students learn to be college students • College students learn to be participants in their disciplines

J3 3 Directions to Information Literacy • Information literacy integrates reading, writing, discovery of sources, and learning • Actions and Products • Cognition • Participation

The Information Literacy Matrix • The Matrix • Information Literacy Learning Outcomes for SUNY Oswego Undergraduates • Maps out specific aspects of information literacy to be addressed by level • Outlines faculty and librarian roles and shared responsibilities • Suggests possible courses within the major for specific information literacy instruction

The Information Literacy Matrix • Why did we create it? Background: • Saw faculty frustration with students’ lack of linking research with scholarship • Recognized a need to connect information literacy with the research process • Partner with faculty in developing and nurturing communities of practice within and between disciplines • Basic research concepts shared by all disciplines

The Information Literacy Matrix • Faculty value: • Time -- in and out of the 4 walls of the classroom • Research and scholarship – having access to and making proper use of a variety of print and electronic sources • Good results from their instruction • Graduates should be life-long learners

The Information Literacy Matrix • Librarians: • Have a shared interest with faculty in having students become literate (reading, writing and producing) in the literature of their field • Graduates should be life-long learners • The Matrix maps out a pathway to accomplish this

The Matrix – Course Instruction • Emphasis placed on transferable knowledge • Broad concepts taught as opposed to a “click here” approach. • May be applied to all disciplines • View goes beyond college years – use of information literacy in everyday lives and professional lives/career

The Matrix – Course Instruction • Librarians teach in a variety of spaces • Meet students “where they are” • Variety of learning objects created and in the ANGEL LOR: • Lake Effect Research Challenge tutorial • Other tutorials • Multimedia objects – videos, content enrichments, iTunesU • Basic class handouts – may be added to resources in ANGEL

The Matrix – Course Instruction • Learning Objects: • Address point of need instruction • Easily inserted where desired • Many may be used in any course • Subject specific resources also available

Recap • What we did • Why we did it • How well it worked • What could be different?

Questions?

A Moveable Feast: Learning Objects, Learning Spaces, and Students