Enhancing Student Research in Biomaterials Course

1. Increasing the effectiveness of Student Research in a Biomaterials Course Drexel Engineering Perspectives Dr. Elisabeth Papazoglou Dr. Donald McEachronSiddharth Gadkari Chetana Sunkari Jay Bhatt Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA Workshop: Measuring the Lifelong Learning Outcome in Terms of Information Literacy ComponentsEngineering Libraries Division, ASEE 2007

2. User needs and users’ skills • To understand what our users want, we must know • Who our users are • What their information needs are • Use Drexel’s Engineering Programs as an example / case study • Describe our efforts to meet their needs • Improve through user feedback

3. User community • Understanding the user community • Undergraduate and Graduate Students(today Drexel educates 17000 students) • Co-op students • International students representing several countries • Awareness of new initiatives helps in projecting new emerging information needs • Meetings with Department Heads • University Web Sites • Newsletter articles

4. User community • Doctoral programs are growingNumber of doctoral students increased by 40% in the last five years • Faculty members: As new programs evolve, more faculty are hired. • 75 new faculty members hired in the last three years • So …..more users than ever before…. • What do they want? • How do they let us know what are they looking for?

5. Drexel’s Engineering Programs • All major engineering disciplines • Biomedical engineering, Science, and Health systems • Interdisciplinary focus is increasing(Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, Bionanotechnology, Biomechanics, etc.) • Undergraduate Research • Graduate Research

6. Case Study - Biomaterials • Course Sequence • 3 Quarters = 2 Semesters • Challenges • Interdisciplinary Field • Diverse Student Background • Lack of appropriate textbooks

7. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term • Prof. Papazoglou teaches the three course sequence • 60-70 students • Biomaterials properties • Various types of materials such as polymers, hydrogels, ceramics, and glasses • Controlled Drug Release systems • Nanotechnology

8. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term • Research intensive courses • Students need to search across a variety of literature • Type of literature students need to consult • Handbooks • Encyclopedias • Books at the library • Electronic books • Standards such as those from ASTM or ISO • Scientific Literature

9. Skills targeted • Develop basic understanding of various types of biomaterials, their properties and their biomedical applications • Develop awareness of both print and electronic resources to find information on Biomaterials • Use library blogs efficiently to successfully find information needed for assignment questions • Locate relevant research papers by using a variety of but appropriate resources • Find patents and Intellectual Property for biomedical devices

10. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term • Dr. Papazoglou’s email earlier in the Fall term shows what problem she and her students were facing • Problems • Several Students were not familiar with a number of databases and resources available through the library • Google appeared to be the choice even when the specific property of a particular material was needed • Some students thought they knew about the resources but what they knew was only about 20% of what they actually can use

11. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term • Information Needed • Biomaterial Properties – Handbooks. • Find inventions reported in news • Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe medical news • Follow up research on new inventions(find research papers) • RSS feeds and alerts from databases • Use Refworks or Endnote( required to create a bibliography)

12. ABET Criteria met by Biomaterials courses • Criterion k (Outcome) • Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice • Criterion i (Outcome) • Recognition of the need for, and ability to engage in, life-long learning • These Outcomes were further mapped into Performance Criteria

13. Performance Criteria for Outcome ABET i • (ABET i) Recognition of the need for, and ability to engage in, life-long learning • PERFORMANCE CRITERIA • Ability to use library and online resources for research purposes – addressed here directly • Membership and participation in professional organizations • Ability to identify and take advantage of learning opportunities – addressed here indirectly

14. Performance Criteria for Outcome ABET k • (ABET k) Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice • PERFORMANCE CRITERION • Ability to use computers and computer software for analyzing and solving problems – addressed indirectly

15. Performance Criterion Rubric relevant to library resources for Outcome ABET i

16. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term What did we do? • Library Instruction Session • Blog web site- Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering • Research Guides • Online tutorials – Ei Compendex, Knovel, RSS feeds, Refworks • Consultations

17. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term

18. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term

19. How students communicated • Email questions • Personal visits • Appointments (consultations) • Virtual chat using IM • Instruction during lecture time (classes) • Informal communication • Frequently asked by users even while walking on campus

20. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials II – Winter Term • Patents and Intellectual property • Students needed to use what they learned in the Fall term as well as search for patents • Cancer nanotechnology as an example • Group Projects • Blog site for patents

21. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials II – Winter Term • Information NeededList 5 patented technologies for controlled drug delivery of cancer chemotherapy (last 7 years) • List any patent on drug delivery based on nanotechnology for drug delivery of cancer chemotherapy (last 5). • Determine uniqueness of each patent • Find research literature using sources learned during the Fall term

22. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials III – Spring Term • a) List 3 FDA approved devices for artificial valves • b) List 3 FDA approved devices for stents and drug eluting stents • c) Intellectual property protection for 2 of the artificial valves • d) Intellectual property protection for 2 of the drug eluting stents • e) Select the valve with the best chance of success – discuss reasons in detail • f) Select a drug eluting stent with the best chance of success – discuss in detail

23. Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials II – Winter Term

24. Assessment – Objective II • Familiarity of use of electronic and other library resources in order to complete an independent Biomaterials project At the beginning of the class = 20% of students At the end of the class = 88% of students

25. Assessment – Open Question • Do you feel knowledgeable and comfortable in transferring what you learned from the Biomaterials / library use modules to your research? • Question was asked at the end of the term: • 62% of students answered – Very Comfortable • 28% of students answered – Comfortable • 10% of students answered – Need more practice

26. Conclusion • Interaction between students, faculty and the librarian promotes increased awareness about the sources of information. • Information seekers must utilize the help provided to take maximum advantage of the library resources. • Last but not the least, collaboration of the users and the library personnel would reduce effort and increase the effectiveness of information search. • Students have shown increased use of relevant library resources as evident from their interaction with the librarians and faculty members

27. Conclusion • Continued learning environment is a lifelong skill that can help the graduating students succeed in the fast, competitive global environment. • Drexel has a quarter system. Quarter was just finished last week. • Some data evaluation still needs to be done • Proactive approach for faculty collaboration is essential • Faculty members’ Information Literacy awareness is crucial in order for such collaboration to succeed.

28. Thank You! Our contact information: Dr. Elisabeth Papazoglou School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University esp25@drexel.edu Dr. Donald McEachron School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University mceachdl@drexel.edu Jay Bhatt W. W. Hagerty Library, Drexel University bhattjj@drexel.edu Suggestions and recommendations most welcome!