Lesson Plan: 3

Advanced Research Techniques: Active Learning Lesson Plan

Jacqueline Frank; email

Methods of active learning:

• Group & class discussion
• Pair & share
• Hands-on research

Learning Outcomes (assessment questions at the end)

Concrete skills: after this class, students will be able to:

• Conduct research using the library website
• Employ Boolean operators when searching
• Employ truncation techniques when searching
• Effectively evaluate sources of information
• Cite sources accurately

Critical Thinking Objectives:

• Explain different contexts in which sources of information would be appropriate or not
• Find appropriate sources to support  your research question
• Recognize how preliminary research can shape the direction your claim/counterclaim may take

LESSON PLAN INTRO (5 mins)

• Show of hands: How many of you feel comfortable doing research using the library website?
• If needed:
  • How many of you know what criteria to consider, when evaluating sources of information?
  • How many of you feel comfortable with citations, formatting & citing all your sources correctly?
• In class feedback/questions – Introduce padlet for anonymous questions
• Pre-class assessment survey: online survey in class (public copy for website)

INSTRUCTION & GROUP DISCUSSION (20 mins)

• LibGuide Intro & concept review
  • review resources on Assignment Guide
  • Articles – What is Peer review??
  • evaluating sources with CRAAP – Bias – what does that mean?
  • citation resources on assignment guide
• Subject/assignment specific Library Resources
  • Topic exploration in subject-specific databases
    • subject databases
  • Advanced search techniques – use example topic from class to show:
    • Boolean operators – who has used/can explain what these are?
    • Truncation techniques – who can explain?
    • Thesaurus in databases – who can explain?
    • Subject headings & keywords – who can explain?
    • Pearl referencing – who can explain?
    • Search by format – media, newspaper, etc.
    • Site:.gov
  • Google Scholar to find Library Resources
    • Connecting to Library resources
    • Using GS to Evaluating sources – scholar is better than google, but still need to think
    • Number of citations, look at other publications by the author, reputable journals
  • Evaluating Sources – discuss how sources can be useful in different contexts (i.e. biased piece would not be appropriate for a factual overview, but would be appropriate for paper showing the range of human opinions on a topic)
  • What questions do you have at this point?
    • Review padlet – have other students answer the questions if the remember/know the answer

ACTIVITY & HANDS ON RESEARCH (20 mins)

• Part B: Pair & Share activity
  • Individually – Students will start their preliminary search to:
    • Write research statement
  • With a partner
    • Share topic
    • Identify search strategy for each topic – keywords with truncation, Boolean operators, etc.
    • Start research & share results with partner – brainstorm strategies to find
    • Evaluate sources with CRAAP

LESSON PLAN WRAP UP (5 mins)

• Show citation resources on assignment guide

Assessment of instruction session – online survey take

Flipped Classroom Option:

Assign the following video as homework to students prior to class, or after the instruction session, depending on student needs.

• Video: Primary & Secondary Sources. Module from Credo Reference (subscription service we utilize at MSU library)
• Video: How to Read Scholarly Materials. Module from Credo Reference (subscription service we utilize at MSU library)
• Video: CatSearch Basics (Primo Discovery Layer at MSU Library)
  • Download transcript of CatSearch Basics
• Video: Searching with Google Scholar
  • Download transcript for Searching with Google Scholar 
• Video: Open Access

Assessment Questions mapped to Learning Outcomes & the ACRL Framework

*Student questions are from ACRL; Professor questions are received from the instructor after the assignment has been graded

Concrete skills: after this class, students will be able to:

Learning Objective	Framework Concept	Assessment questions
§  Conduct subject-specific research using the library website	Searching is exploration	Student: “I am more aware of the library’s resources & services” Professor: “student used appropriate sources of information for their topic”
§  Employ Boolean operators when searching	Searching is exploration	Student: “I intend to apply what I just learned” Professor: “student used appropriate sources of information for their topic”
§ Employ truncation techniques when searching	Searching is exploration	Student: “I intend to apply what I just learned” Professor: “student used appropriate sources of information for their topic”
§  Effectively evaluate sources of information	Authority is constructed & contextual	Student: “I intend to apply what I just learned” Professor: “student used appropriate sources of information for their topic”
§  Cite sources accurately	Information has value	Student: “I feel more confident about completing my assignments” Professor: “student cited sources accurately, according to guidelines”

Critical Thinking Objectives:

Learning Objective	Framework Concept	Assessment questions
§  Explain different contexts in which sources of information would be appropriate or not	Authority is constructed & contextual	Student: “I feel more confident about completing my assignments” Professor: “student used appropriate sources of information for their topic”
§  Find appropriate sources to support  your research question	Searching is exploration	Professor: “student sufficiently developed their topic into an appropriate research question/statement”
§  Recognize how preliminary research can shape the direction your claim/counterclaim may take	Research as inquiry; searching is exploration	Professor: “student sufficiently developed their topic into an appropriate research question/statement” OR “student used appropriate sources of information for their topic”