The Library can be involved at many different stages of your students' learning process. We offer various instruction opportunities to meet your students' research needs at the appropriate time during the semester. Examples include, but are not limited to:
This two-year study, detailed in Inside Higher Ed, examined student research skills at 5 Illinois universities. It found amazing disconnects between the students information skills and the resources available to them
From the study:
Throughout the interviews, students mentioned Google 115 times -- more than twice as many times as any other database...but students were not very good at using Google.
Today’s college students might have grown up with the language of the information age, but they do not necessarily know the grammar.
“Many students described experiences of anxiety and confusion when looking for resources -- an observation that seems to be widespread among students at the five institutions involved in this study,” Duke and Asher wrote.
librarians are more relevant than they have ever been, since students need guides to shepherd them through the wilderness of the Web. Indeed, students who had attended library orientations or tutorials showed more proficiency than those who had not.
"In the absence of an established structure ensuring that students build relationships with librarians throughout their college careers, professors play a critical role in brokering students' relationships with librarians,"
“It’s not about teaching shortcuts, it’s about teaching them not to take the long way to a goal.”
Librarians at the Harper College Library share your concern about students' research skills and information-finding habits. We are always happy to talk with you about your class, your assignments and how the library can work to help your students find appropriate resources for your classes!