Conducting Online Faculty and Student Research

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ConductingOn-line Faculty and StudentResearch

• Lisa Santucci University Libraries
• Peter Magolda Department of Educational
  Leadership

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Agenda
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Information Literacy/Competency

• Fundamental skills necessary for academic
  achievement and lifelong learning.
• Ability to identify and resolve ones own
  information needs.
• Prerequisite to success in education, work, and
  personal life.

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Some Perspective

• More new information has been produced in the
  last 30 years than in the previous 5,000 years.
  The total of all printed knowledge doubles every
  eight years.
• Proficiency at generating information has
  exceeded our abilities to find, review, and
  understand it.
• Information is everywhere, but not the time to
  think.

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Current State of Affairs

• Everything is on the Web.
• The library is not needed.
• Google search of the Web research.
• Students commonly begin their research on the
  computer.

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Research Cycle

• Questioning
• Planning
• Gathering
• Sorting and Sifting
• Synthesizing
• Evaluating
• Reporting

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Survey Results Search Engines

• Google
• Dogpile
• Altavista
• Yahoo

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Survey Results

• Never 0
• Seldom 0
• Occasionally 57
• Always 43

I use the Internet to conduct my scholarly
research
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Survey Results MiamiLINK Usage

• Research indexes
• Ohiolink Sherlock
• Digital library, journal database
• LEXIS
• Science citations

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Assigning Students On-line Research

• Lisa Santucci University Libraries
• Peter Magolda Department of Educational
  Leadership

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Agenda
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There is a danger of starting with technology
and asking what it can be used for, rather than
starting with goals and asking how they can be
best achieved. Gary T. Marx,
Sociology Department, MIT
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Survey Results
I encourage students to use the Internet for
their Research

• Never 0
• Seldom 0
• Occasionally 57
• Always 43

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Tensions

• Teaching and learning techniques versus
  foundational beliefs about teaching and learning
• Curricular overhauling versus tinkering
• Process (i.e., amount of time) versus outcomes
  (i.e., learning outcomes)
• Technology versus disciplinary content

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Student Research Examples

• Underground Railroad high school students
  Project
• Career Development and the College Student (EDL
  100) undergraduate students
• College Student Teaching Practicum (EDL 656)
  graduate instructors
• Program Evaluation Seminar (EDL 684) graduate
  students

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Underlying Assumptions About Teaching and Learning

• Validate Students as Knowers
• Situate Learning in Students Own Experiences
• Define Learning as Mutually Constructing Meaning
  Baxter Magolda
  (1994 2001)

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Assumptions About Students

• Students are intellectually curious and
  interested in learning.
• Students are computer web savvy (although not
  always proficient researchers).
• Students recognize the difference between a
  passionate instructor and an instructor who is
  going through the motions.
• Students recognize the difference between
  meaningful assignments and busy work.

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Student Involvement in Web-Site Design

• Involve students in designing the need
• Involve students in the analysis of content and
  appropriate delivery strategies.
• Involve students in the verification of learning.
• Involve students in the evaluation process to
  verify that needs have been met.

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Assumptions About Students

• Students are intellectually curious and
  interested in infusing technology with learning.
• Students are computer web savvy (although not
  always proficient researchers).
• Students recognize the difference between a
  passionate instructor and an instructor who is
  going through the motions.
• Students recognize the difference between
  meaningful assignments and busy work.

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Technology Advantages for Students

• Encourages self-directed learning.
• Allows students to teach and learn from each
  other.
• Improves students writing (e.g., sharing drafts
  of papers on-line).
• Redefines participation.
• Accommodates diverse learning styles.
• Frees up time during class meetings.

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Technology Challenges For Students

• Some students perceive technology as impersonal,
  awkward, and time-consuming.
• Sharing work with peers creates high anxiety for
  some students.
• Procrastinators are exposed.
• A digital divide between technogeeks and
  technophobes emerges.

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Technology Advantages for Instructors

• Technology expands teaching roles.
• Technology provides new and different ways for
  faculty to connect with students.
• Technology provides professors a wealth of useful
  information to assist in class preparations.
• Technology increases Faculty-Student interactions
  inside and outside the classroom.

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Technology Challenges For Instructors

• Technology is time consuming.
• Technology alters the rhythm of the instructors
  week.
• Sufficient institutional support or encouragement
  does not exists to create and implement a truly
  cohesive and well-supported technology-supported
  classroom.
• Organization ongoing maintenance of technology
  infrastructures are non-negotiable (requiring
  conceptual, technological design skills).
• Some teaching tasks must be eliminated to make
  room for technology enhancements.