(This is part two of my thoughts on issues brought to mind by the first module. Unlike the first part, this post is on just one subject: the library. Big surprise, right?)
Since we are starting the group project, I've been looking over the course quality rubric for the college and something stuck out to me... the provision within a course of "appropriate supporting resources" is relegated to the Enhancements section, and the explanation of what those are is: "Writing center, Academic support services, etc."
Nowhere is the library mentioned in the three pages of rubric. Is that because the presence of the library is assumed? (It is, after all, one of the "Important Links" on every course home page... unless the instructor opts to move/remove it.) Or is the library never thought of specifically? (How much is the library thought of during the preparation for any course, really? I honestly don't know. I only know which instructors have me work with their classes in one form or another.)
How can I as a librarian help instructors make the connection between students in their online classes and the library resources?
For face-to-face and hybrid classes, making the connection is easier: I bother barrage remind instructors via email (and in person, where possible) of the services the library offers. Sometimes that means materials are placed on reserve--which gets students into the library. Sometimes that means the instructor brings the class to the library (or I go to the classroom) to talk about what's available for their assignment--which gets students into the library and/or onto the library website. Sometimes students come to the library with questions about assignments either because the assignment mentions the library or because they know they can get help here--which gets students into the library and onto the library website.
These things rely on physical presence. The question of how to transfer these things to the online context is something I have been thinking about/grappling with/trying to read up on for as long as we've been talking about fully online programs for the college, which amounts to basically all two years I've been here. And I don't feel like I have good answers yet, despite seeking out and reading a large number of things on that very topic (to be fair, I'm not done reading all the stuff I've found, and I keep finding more...). The trouble is, much of the literature I've read about librarians in online classes assumes more time/resources than we have available, which I see as related to the fact that the librarians writing the articles/books have way more librarians on staff than we do.
I wholeheartedly resist the notion that online students should have less access to library services simply because they're online rather than on campus. There are possibilities that might work for us, but I'd need to experiment with various classes to find out what works while being a reasonable time investment. Have a library-specific discussion forum when the students are working on an assignment where library use is expected/encouraged? Perhaps. Post more basic how-to information on the library website so students can get answers to typical questions on their own? Definitely on my to-do list, but I'm still figuring out things like format (a list of steps? a short video tutorial?), what to cover, how to post them, where to link them... and that still relies on the students finding the library site in the first place. And so on and so forth.
It's a complicated issue. All I know for certain at this point is that my personal guiding goal remains the same: to make information-finding easier for the campus community. I hope to make that true for any member of our community no matter where they are physically located, but right now I have to admit we're not there yet.
Colleagues, I welcome your feedback and insight on this and any other library-related matter!
I'm so glad that you are part of this OL 101 group and that you get us thinking about these issues from your librarian perspective. I know that in a totally online program, students are likely not going to want or expect to physically come to the library for any reason, especially if they live far from it. I know that personally I don't come into the library nearly as often as I used to. I remember well searching the card catalogue and perusing the stacks at Calvin and Purdue. Now I find that I get online and search data bases instead, finding many more relevant things in much less time.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to the insights others have and look forward to more of your own thoughts, Cindy.
Thank you!
DeleteOh, yes, it's highly unlikely that online students will make their way to the campus library! The internet has done wonderful things to make finding and using library resources easier for everyone, regardless of location.
But for those who've never used, say, databases before, how can we make sure 1) they figure out where to go to get there, and 2)they get the help they need to use those resources effectively? And then there's the issue of Google and evaluating what you get from any source...
Some students don't need any help, just point them to the databases and they'll go to town (I was one of those students). But some do need more assistance, and it's them I worry about when it comes to online courses. (Then again, perhaps that's the sort that wouldn't elect to take an online course in the first place? It's hard to say.)
When I first came to Trinity as a student, I did not even realize that we had the online database. I really wish that this was something teachers tell you not only online, but in person. Since I had taken AP English, I did not take a course that involved mush research till I was a second semester Freshman. I went my whole first semester without really knowing about the online library we had. I now use this tool all the time since I learned about it. But I really do agree with you that it is an undervalued tool for students. And we should really give access to that in all moodle courses. It would be great if that was one of the links that was provided for students at the top of the moodle page with a how to video about using it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing this to my attention. I will definitely try to make this a part of my future online courses.
The library is one of the links in the "Important Links" box that's on the home page of every course, but I suspect most students don't even notice it because they're too focused on what they have to do for the course. And that's totally understandable! It's just a problem when what they have to do for the course would be a lot easier to do if they knew about the library, as you said.
DeleteSometimes I think we take it for granted that because on campus students know where the library *is* that they know what the library *does*. It's a disconnect I try to address from my end--to this point most of my efforts have been focused on communicating with faculty--but there's still more to be done, especially now that we're introducing all online programs to the mix! Instructors advocating the library is absolutely vital, so I very much appreciate your comments. :-)