In collaboration with participating faculty at California State University Northridge, Oviatt Library Research Fellows have developed a pilot that facilitates both course and information literacy objectives. Using Scalar, an open source semantic Web-authoring program, the Guided Resource Inquiry Tool (GRI) combines assignment prompts, digitized primary sources and digital information literacy media into a single online interface. The GRI leverages renewed pedagogical interest in ‘knowledge synthesis’ by placing documentary evidence as the point of departure for critical inquiry. The tool incorporates materials from archival and digital collections repositories to supply content for course assignments. The GRI contains links to existing archives and information literacy resources that teach students as they complete the assignment. Specific benefits include: 1) archives and information literacy instruction within an applied research context; 2) course learning through critical analysis of primary documents, 3) extended outreach for digital collections and archival repositories; 4) 24/7 access to the GRI assignment online; 5) no limits on class size, 6) integrated exposure to finding aid and secondary source databases as well as Special Collections patron protocols. Presenter: Steve Kutay

1. I N T E G R AT I N G C O U R S E AN D AR C H I V E S L I T E R AC Y
AS S I G N M E N T S O N L I N E
Guided Resource Inquiries:
Steve Kutay, Digital Services Librarian
Pilot Design by Ellen Jarosz and Steve Kutay
California State University, Northridge
August 15, 2016Endless Images, Laguna, CA

2. Trends at CSUN (and beyond)
 Electronic resources
 Expensive eTexts
 Learning Management Systems
 Online and hybrid courses
 Higher student enrollments
 2 of 5 Core Competencies (WASC*):
 Information Literacy
 Critical Thinking
* Western Association of Schools and Colleges (accreditation)

3. Objectives
 Integrate primary sources into course learning
 Stimulate critical thinking and analysis
 Contextualize course subject matter
 Emulate non-linear research process
 Motivate students to visit archives
 Leverage Digital Learning Objects
 Targeted information literacy instruction
 Modular and programmable
 Extend reach of archives to more students online

4. Guided Resource Inquiry Tool (GRI)
o Pilot instructional tool (template)
o Conceived as sandbox to deliver:
 Prompts
 Primary media
 External resources
o Utilizes Document-Based Questions (DBQ)
 Requires document analysis
 Uses primary and secondary sources
 Synthesizes knowledge

5. Example DBQ
Consider documents A, B and C. What evidence do
you find that supports or challenges claims made by
the founders of the United Farm Workers (UFW)?
Credit: Max Mont

6. GRI Delivery Platform
 Scalar
 Alliance for Networking Visual Culture
 Open Source semantic web publishing
 Media rich
 Full metadata
 Visualizations
 http://scalar.usc.edu/

7. GRI Front Page
Sections/
Chapters
Media
Instructions Prompts

8. GRI Resource Links
Links to
item,
collection
and
repository
information

9. GRI Info Lit Tutorials
Links to
tutorials and
databases

10. GRI Media Viewer

11. Scalar Visualizer

12. GRI Courses
 Lower division
 English (2)
 Upper division
 English (1)
 History (1)
 Communication (1)
 Graduate
 English (1)

13. Method
1. Instructors select source materials for prompt
2. GRI tool (Scalar) populated with sources, prompts,
and links to tutorials and databases*
3. Assess prior knowledge (Pre-Test)
4. Complete GRI assignment
5. Assess knowledge and feedback (Post-Test)
*Some instructors requested in-class primary source literacy instruction

14. Data

15. Results
 Primary source identifications – ratio
of correct to incorrect IDs
 Pre-Test (overall) 1/1 (1 correct/1 incorrect)
 Post-Test (overall) 3/1
Subgroups:
 In-class instruction 7/1
 Tutorials only/No instruction 1.8/1
 Lower division 1.2/1
 Upper division/grads 4.8/1

16. Student Feedback
 6-point Likert scale (1=disagree, 6=agree)
 GRI tutorials helped me locate materials in Special Collections.
 GRI tutorials helped me to understand primary sources.
 GRI tool helped me integrate archival sources into assignments.
 I’m more likely to use primary and historical materials in the future.
1 62 3 4 5
1 62 3 4 5
1 62 3 4 5
1 62 3 4 5
4.8
4.8
4.6
4.8

17. General Lessons learned
 Successes
 Assignments are challenging, but rewarding
 Effective for helping teach primary sources
 Mediates the primary research process
 Students generally like primary sources!
 Needs work
 Streamline GRI assembly process
 Simplify/customize GRI tool for Freshmen
 Create & test specialized tutorials
 Does not replace in-class instruction

18. Thank you!
Stephen D. Kutay
Digital Services Librarian
stephen.kutay@csun.edu
California State University, Northridge