CARLI Instruction Committee- "Creating a Student-Centered Alternative to Research Guides" Discussion

CARLI Instruction Committee- "Creating a Student-Centered Alternative to Research Guides" Discussion

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Friday, April 1, 2022 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm

Notes from April 1 event are available below. This discussion was not recorded.

Featured article: Paschke-Wood, J., Dubinsky, E., & Sult, L. (2020). Creating a Student-Centered Alternative to Research Guides: Developing the Infrastructure to Support Novice Learners. In the Library with the Lead Pipe.

Article Summary: The authors explored patron interactions with LibGuides to determine how effectively subject-specific guides support completion of coursework and student research. An examination of the existing literature, and usage data from University of Arizona, showed that students are often hindered by specialized terms and problems with navigation, and they most often gravitate toward guides dealing with a specific topic or course. The article outlines the authors’ redesign of FAQ pages and guides and their rationale for the changes—based on a need for clarity, simplicity, and context, as well as a focus on student-led research processes.

See the redesigned FAQ pages here. See the redesigned research guides here.

CARLI Instruction Committee Article Discussion Notes:

4/1/22 | 1-2 PM CT | Instruction Committee

Don’t miss our upcoming Instruction Showcase and consider proposing something for The Kitchen Asynch!

LibGuide Examples Shared

LibGuide Design Tools Shared

Other Readings Shared

Questions asked during discussion:

  • OPENING / Platforms / Tools / Who
    • In your library, who creates and maintains your guides? How much time is dedicated to maintaining and updating guides?
    • What have you found is successful in your guides currently? What strategies do you have to encourage folks to return to your guides?
    • Do you have research guides broken down by subject area, by class, or both? Do you feel one method is more successful than the other?
    • What assessment do you do for LibGuides? What shows success? How do you measure success?
  • Pedagogy / Design
    • How would you approach a re-imagining of LibGuides at your institution that moves away from pathfinder lists towards a pedagogical approach? Could you see ways in which that would benefit your instruction efforts at your institution?
    • Are there any other ways that you have helped students become, “thoughtful contributors to the scholarly conversation”? (Paschke-Wood, Dubinsky & Sult 2020).
    • A summary of the quote from Thompson and Stevens (1985) states that the majority of research guides are a list of resources, and  do not allow students to develop their own search strategies. Do you agree?
    • Learning from the article that adult learners want to see relevance, like problem-based learning, and prefer self-directed learning, what are some ways you could envision adding in more opportunities for self-guided learning and flipped instruction into your existing guides?
    • After reading this article, what are some things you’d like to explore in your own institution? What may be some barriers? Can you imagine good places to start or points of collaboration with colleagues?
    • What strategies do you currently use to incorporate information literacy and instruction into your LibGuides rather than just pathfinder lists?
  • Collaborations / Feedback
    • Do you elicit faculty feedback when creating course/assignment guides?
    • What reaction do your students have to guides? Do they use them? Do they find them helpful?
    • Have you fostered any successful LibGuide collaborations that have helped you shape content or create new guides to best meet user needs?