EDUCATION: COLLEGE: STUDENTS : RESEARCH: SKILLS AND TRAINING : EDUCATION: COLLEGE: CURRICULUM: Study Shows Universities May be Failing to Sufficiently Teach Basic Research Skills
David P. Dillard
.
EDUCATION: COLLEGE: STUDENTS :
RESEARCH: SKILLS AND TRAINING :
EDUCATION: COLLEGE: CURRICULUM:
Study Shows Universities May be Failing
to Sufficiently Teach Basic Research Skills
Study Shows Universities May be Failing
to Sufficiently Teach Basic Research Skills
November 8, 2010
by Catherine O'Donnell
PHYSORG.COM
http://www.physorg.com/news/
2010-11-universities-sufficiently-basic-skills.html
A shorter URL for the above link:
Colleges and universities may be failing their students at a time when
research skills and collaborative learning are becoming more and more
important. In today's information-driven workplace, people spend much of
their time formulating questions, finding relevant information and drawing
conclusions, often working in virtual teams scattered across the globe.
College students are among the savviest users of Web 2.0, right?
Well, yes and no. New research finds plenty of students use social
networks, like Facebook, to find information in their everyday lives, but
few are using other Web 2.0 tools -- blogs, wikis, video sharing sites --
to manage or collaborate on course research assignments.
The latest Project Information Literacy report sees this as part of a
larger problem: colleges and universities may be failing their students at
a time when research skills and collaborative learning are becoming more
and more important. In today's information-driven workplace, people spend
much of their time formulating questions, finding relevant information and
drawing conclusions, often working in virtual teams scattered across the
globe.
SNIP
They found that many students fumble research assignments. According to
Head and Eisenberg, their new report is the largest scholarly analysis of
information literacy among college students.
The researchers found that although many students consider themselves
fairly adept at finding and evaluating information, especially from the
web, 84 percent were often stymied at the outset of a research assignment.
SNIP
Nearly half of students, 49 percent, sought professors for help with
course research. Almost two-thirds, 61 percent, reported checking personal
research with friends and/or family members. Few students turned to campus
librarians.
The complete article may be read at the URL above.
=====================================
I discussed this issue on a related list providing examples of the kinds
of remediation librarians can provide to this research skill gap in a post
on this topic to a library related list and made these observations
I think it is very important to change any perceptions students may have
that public service librarians are involved with tasks and duties that
include anything but assistance with their information needs. There are a
number of ways that these kinds of perceptions can be altered. Spending
time at student help centers such as the Russell Conwell Center for
student workshops and tutoring at Temple in my case. I prepared a
research guide for this group with source links for writing, reading,
english language, technology, math and science skills amongst other
content under the college learning center tab.
Russell Conwell Center Guide
http://guides.temple.edu/Russell-Conwell-Center
College Learning Center
http://guides.temple.edu/aecontent.php?pid=22756&sid=198763
So that students can benefit from quality resources without having to
learn at the outset how to deal with the complexities of databases, I also
stress the use of Meet the Googles types of research for students newer to
research or in IM chat encounters, so that they have one or more links
leading to content pertinent to their research topics as a starting point.
Meet the Googles
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22meet+the+googles%22+and+
%22net-gold%22&hl=en&rls=DAUS,DAUS:2006-11,DAUS:en&filter=0
A shorter URL for the above link:
AND
http://sites.google.com/site/searchtoolsfamily/
I also include tools like SCIRUS in some of these encouters as well as
Google search tools.
I have put huge chunks of information on Google Sites with links from my
appropriate research guides, such as links from the guides to several
published articles regarding where and how to search databases and "the
Googles".
Search Tools for Scholars 2010
DATABASE: SEARCH: TECHNIQUE
Database and Internet Search Tools
Search Tools for Scholars 2010 :
Database and Internet Search Tools
of Use to Scholars and Students in Sport Psychology
https://sites.google.com/site/searchtoolsforscholars2010/
Search Tools for Scholars 2006
SPORTS: PSYCHOLOGY :
RESEARCH: METHODS AND TECHNIQUES :
DATABASES:
Database and Internet Search Tools of Use
to Scholars and Students in Sport Psychology
http://sites.google.com/site/searchtoolsforscholars2006/
Search Tools for Scholars 2008
DATABASE SEARCH TECHNIQUES :
SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY :
RESEARCH TECHNIQUES:
Electronic Resources for Bibliographic Research i
n the Field of Sport Psychology
http://sites.google.com/site/searchtoolsforscholars2008/
https://sites.google.com/site/
generalinternetprintresources/Home/main-site-map
A shorter URL for the above link:
I also place links from my guides to substantial content regarding the
link on my Net-Gold discussion group including webliographies,
bibliographies and detailed information and links to various parts of a
specific resource.
WEBBIB1011
Most importantly, I share this information with handouts to classes and to
students I encounter with invitations to phone me or to make an
appointment for help with research in my office. In short, one can make
inroads into changing the perception of irrelevance that some students
hold of librarians by aggressive outreach in the form of both resources
shared and personal involvement with students individually to help them
with their research.
================================
It is also my recollection that the article in Physorg.com does not
mention teaching the use of bibliographic databases or teaching about
Google Scholar, Google Books, Google News Archive or Google Government in
the general discussion of investigating the lack of research skills
amongst many college students. Training students to use the Googles and
search tools like those provided by OVID, EBSCOHost, Cambridge Scientific
Abstracts, ProQuest, FirstSearch and other such databanks is critical in
the creation of research skilled graduates of colleges and universities.
Consider the number of sources found by Google for a search of the phrase
information literacy
About 1,390,000 results
Google finds even more results when limited to discussions of information
literacy combined with the words database or databases, underscoring the
critical importance of bibliographic databases when search accuracy is
important.
"information literacy" and (database OR databases)
About 1,820,000 results
Clearly Google at this moment considers information literacy in
conjunction with databases to be more important than just plain old
information literacy. <g>
Some Links to Net-Gold Resources on Related Topics
DATA MINING
http://tinyurl.com/klka25
DATABASE OR DATABASES
http://tinyurl.com/mx7p97
DATABASE SEARCHING
http://tinyurl.com/m8chay
DATABASE SEARCHING TECHNIQUES
http://tinyurl.com/llvhyb
DATABASE SECURITY
http://tinyurl.com/lmwndn
DATABASE THESAURUSES
http://tinyurl.com/m95gsm
DATABASE TRAINING
http://tinyurl.com/nq8lxo
DATABASES FULLTEXT
http://tinyurl.com/lm4pux
INFORMATION LITERACY
http://tinyurl.com/njotxf
INTERNET RESEARCH
http://tinyurl.com/n8mokd
INTERNET SEARCH
http://tinyurl.com/lbacf9
INTERNET SEARCH COUNTRY SPECIFIC TOOLS
http://tinyurl.com/mhjj8p
INTERNET SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)
http://tinyurl.com/lfktts
INTERNET SEARCH GUIDES
http://tinyurl.com/mh4pax
INTERNET SEARCH LANGUAGE SPECIFIC TOOLS
http://tinyurl.com/lktkyj
INTERNET SEARCH MEDIA SPECIFIC TOOLS AND RESOURCES
http://tinyurl.com/njqfed
INTERNET SEARCH SUBJECT SPECIFIC TOOLS
http://tinyurl.com/l6rj23
INTERNET SEARCH TECHNOLOGY
http://tinyurl.com/mn62pw
INTERNET SEARCH TOOLS
http://tinyurl.com/melawb
RESEARCH
http://tinyurl.com/m62m4t
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
http://tinyurl.com/lnn828
RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
http://tinyurl.com/lc398w
RESEARCH ARCHIVES
http://tinyurl.com/l8kkfy
RESEARCH FACT CHECKING
http://tinyurl.com/neofav
RESEARCH GOVERNMENT
http://tinyurl.com/ksnqe6
RESEARCH GUIDES
http://tinyurl.com/lntd5q
RESEARCH METHODS
http://tinyurl.com/l959er
RESEARCH NEWS
http://tinyurl.com/m65h5u
RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS
http://tinyurl.com/m75bdr
RESEARCH PERIODICALS
http://tinyurl.com/l8s8f5
RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS
http://tinyurl.com/ll297p
RESEARCH REPORTS
http://tinyurl.com/lbt3ab
RESEARCH SKILLS
http://tinyurl.com/mxvl74
RESEARCH SOURCE CREDIBILITY
http://tinyurl.com/ksc3tp
RESEARCH STATISTICS
http://tinyurl.com/lcgemw
RESEARCH TECHNIQUES
http://tinyurl.com/na7373
RESEARCH TOOLS
http://tinyurl.com/nqp93v
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jw...@temple.edu
http://daviddillard.businesscard2.com
Net-Gold
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold
http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html
Index: http://tinyurl.com/myxb4w
http://groups.google.com/group/net-gold?hl=en
General Internet & Print Resources
http://guides.temple.edu/general-internet
COUNTRIES
http://guides.temple.edu/general-country-info
EMPLOYMENT
http://guides.temple.edu/EMPLOYMENT
TOURISM
http://guides.temple.edu/tourism
DISABILITIES
http://guides.temple.edu/DISABILITIES
INDOOR GARDENING
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndoorGardeningUrban/
Educator-Gold
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/
K12ADMINLIFE
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12AdminLIFE/
The Russell Conwell Learning Center Research Guide:
THE COLLEGE LEARNING CENTER
http://tinyurl.com/yae7w79
Nina Dillard's Photographs on Net-Gold
http://tinyurl.com/36qd2o
and also http://gallery.me.com/neemers1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neemers/
Twitter: davidpdillard
Bushell, R. & Sheldon, P. (eds),
Wellness and Tourism: Mind, Body, Spirit,
Place, New York: Cognizant Communication Books.
Wellness Tourism: Bibliographic and Webliographic Essay
David P. Dillard
http://tinyurl.com/p63whl
http://tinyurl.com/ou53aw
INDOOR GARDENING
Improve Your Chances for Indoor Gardening Success
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndoorGardeningUrban/
http://groups.google.com/group/indoor-gardening-and-urban-gardening
SPORT-MED
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/sport-med.html
http://groups.google.com/group/sport-med
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sports-med/
http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/sport-med.html
HEALTH DIET FITNESS RECREATION SPORTS TOURISM
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/healthrecsport/
http://groups.google.com/group/healthrecsport
http://healthrecsport.jiglu.com/
http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/health-recreation-sports-tourism.html
Please Ignore All Links to JIGLU
in search results for Net-Gold and related lists.
The Net-Gold relationship with JIGLU has
been terminated by JIGLU and these are dead links.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/30664
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/healthrecsport/message/145
.