3. About UNH Manchester
The University of New Hampshire’s urban,
commuter campus
Approximately 1,500 degree and continuing
education students
33 residential faculty members in the college; 3
instruction librarians at the UNHM Library
4. About UNH Manchester
Small size lends itself to collaborative efforts
Good relationship with First Year Writing, First
Year Experience, and the Center for Academic
Enrichment (CAE)
100 % of Developmental and Freshman English
classes receive library instruction
Focus on STEM fields has led to influx of science
and technology students and collaboration
between science faculty and librarians
5. About UNH Manchester’s Students
Students diverse in
Age and academic experience
Native cultures and languages
Preparedness for college
Many transfer from other institutions, especially local two-
year community colleges
6. Our Collaboration
Prof. Halpin and the UNHM librarians have worked
together for years to provide library instruction to
students in biology classes
This year we collaborated to teach information literacy
skills to non-science majors in two sections of a
Diseases of the 21st Century course
Our global goal is to ensure that students taking
biological science classes meet or exceed the ACRL’s
Information Literacy Competency Standards for
Higher Education
7. Two Sections, Two Class Formats
8 Week Hybrid-Spring 2014
Librarians came into class and did a workshop
on finding topics and references
5 Week Online-Summer 2014
Librarians posted videos online
on finding topics and references
In both classes, the UNHM Librarians used Twitter to
field students’ questions
8. The Study
Used UNH’s Qualtrics survey software
Students took an online pretest and posttest
Quantitative questions and short reflective essays
Small sample size
9. Which forms of social media/communication have you
used before?
11. 8 Week Hybrid-Spring 2014
Date Assignment
Jan. 23 #1 Introduction, Bacteria vs. Virus, pretest
Librarian visit-Finding Topic Workshop 1:20 pm.
Homework #1 due in class
CAE tutor visit 3:15 pm.
Jan 23-26 #2 Insect borne diseases (online)
Jan. 28 Abstract topic due via Twitter
Jan. 30 #3 News Articles, Viral and Bacterial Meningitis
Librarian visit-Database workshop 1:30-2:15
Homework #2 due in class
Jan. 30-Feb.2 #4 HIV and STDs (online)
February 6 #5 Food safety, Guest Speaker, News Articles
February 6-9 #6 Heart disease and hypertension (online)
February 13 #7 Diabetes and Obesity
February 13 APA References due by midnight via Bb assignment tool
February 13-16 #8 Malaria (online)
February 20 #9 Elder issues
February 20-23 #10 Sanitation links to disease (online)
February 27 Research abstracts due in Bb assignment tool by midnight
February 27 #11 Abstract Presentations
February 27-March 2 #12 Skin Cancer, Vitamin D deficiency (online)
March 6 #13 Presentations, Posttest completion
13. Pretest: What makes a source credible?
“If they are from a reliable source such as a University
website or research institution.”
“A source is credible if the author is qualified to write
on the subject, if it pertains to your topic, if it is
relatively recent, if it was published by a reputable
source.”
“I find sources to be credible if they’re through a
database.”
“A source is credible if you can check the sources and
check the validity of the information being presented.”
15. Pretest: Talk about your experiences
conducting research
“redundant”
“repetitive”
“too many”
“In the beginning of the education, the instruction was
helpful.”
“The library instruction sessions have helped me as a
researcher, but the sessions are redundant and there
are too many of them.”
18. 8 Week Hybrid-Spring 2014
Two in-class team-taught librarian visits
Used class Research Guide as a springboard
First visit discussed resources for finding a topic
Students tweeted their topics & where they found
them
Instructor graded the assignment
19. 8 Week Hybrid-Spring 2014
Second visit began with a brainstorming exercise
In class, students filled out a “Creating a Search
Strategy” worksheet
Librarians briefly demonstrated how to use Academic
search premier
Students looked for articles on their topics and
completed the worksheet
Worksheet handed in at end of class and graded by the
instructor, with feedback from the librarians
21. Posttest: What makes a source credible?
“Coming from a database/ reputable website.
Important because in college, professors are looking
for more precise and exact answers.”
“Sources are credible when they have sources and they
can be proven true. A random blog on the internet is
not credible.”
23. Posttest: Reflect on how research skills
developed or were enhanced
“To be honest the information literacy instruction did
not help significantly with my research for the abstract
as it was mostly all knowledge and search techniques I
already knew. However I am more comfortable and
confident as a science researcher now having had to
dive into a number of articles and databases to find
information on my disease. If I need to do it again I
will have a better process in place and be much less
intimidated when approaching real scientific
literature.”
24.
25. 5 Week Online-Summer 2014
Date Assignment
May 19-22 #1 Bacteria vs. Virus Twitter Discussion
May 22 Pretest and Study Consent Form Due
May 24 Global Abstract Topic Library Homework #1 Due
May 23-May 25 #2 Insect Borne Diseases (not Malaria) Twitter Discussion
May 26-28 #3 Malaria Twitter Discussion
May 28 Library Research Homework #2 Due
May 29-31 #4 Cancer Twitter Discussion
June 1-3 #5 HIV and STDs Twitter Discussion
June 4 APA References due
June 4-6 #6 Food Safety Twitter Discussion
June 7-9 #7 Heart Disease and Hypertension Twitter Discussion
June 10-12 #8 Diabetes and Obesity Twitter Discussion
June 14 Last day to meet online or in person with CAE tutor
June 13-15 #9 Sanitation links to Disease Twitter Discussion
June 14 Research Abstracts due via Assignments in Bb
June 16-19 Research Abstracts discussion.
27. Pretest: What makes a source credible?
“It is important to find credible information because any
one can post information on the internet and whether or
not it is true is never fully known. I would say a credible
source would be found through the library website and has
authors whose credentials are listed.”
“I think a facet that makes a source "credible" is knowing
that it came from an official group, and has been analyzed
and edited before being published. The more eyes that see
a piece of work before it is published, the more credible it
becomes.”
29. Pretest: Talk about your experiences
conducting research
“I have had library instruction in both high school and in
college, it has always helped me make better use of the
resources and informed me about tools I didn't know were
available (book loans, etc). The library has also helped
broaden the types of resources I use.”
“The library instruction helped me as a researcher because
it showed me what I needed to look for and how I needed
to look for it.”
“While I cannot say the library instruction helped me
reevaluate my research methods, it did help familiarize me
with what is available at UNH, with specific regard to the
online databases and where to go for primary sources.”
39. Posttest: What makes a source credible?
“A source is most credible if it is peer-reviewed. This is
credible because other scientists, doctors, etc. have
reviewed and accepted the information presented.”
“A credible source is one that is supported by empirical
evidence and has the support and consensus of the
scientific community.”
“I feel what makes a source credible is the author
having evidence to back up his ideas or thoughts.
Credible sources are important because you want to be
sure you have accurate information.”
41. Posttest: Reflect on how research skills
developed or were enhanced
“The literacy instruction was very helpful to me. I really
enjoyed that it was step by step and showed you where to
go and where to find the information…This was my first
time ever writing and abstract and I did really well,
definitely because of the online guidance by the librarians.
I would say now that I have finished the course I have a
much better understanding of how to search science
related topics. I am much more comfortable using the
databases and using keywords to help narrow down my
search…This class was very helpful in broadening my
understanding of science research. I feel as though I learnt
a lot from this class in such a short amount of time.”
42. Posttest: Reflect on how research skills
developed or were enhanced
“I used the information provided by Carolyn Gamtso
to guide my research, specifically looking for available
information before selecting a topic…I believe I am a
much better scientific researcher now that I have gone
through the exercise, I am not a science major but
many of the research skills could be applied to other
fields. I am more comfortable now researching
scientific information, mainly because I now know
what makes a source credible and what information
would be relevant.”
43. Posttest: Reflect on how research skills
developed or were enhanced
“Before this class I would have described myself as very green when it
comes to science research. Being a Liberal Arts student, I have steered
away from science classes up to this point in college. However, I do feel
that I have improved as a science researcher. The videos posted in class,
along with the resources provided helped me very much. I now feel
that I have somewhat of a handle on researching for science, whereas
before I would have trouble knowing where to start.”
“When I first started this class I had no basic concept of how to
research for credible science information. To be honest I did not even
know what credible information was. Being able to see the different
trusted websites and the amount of information that is out there was a
huge help to me throughout the semester. Because of everything I have
learned I am have developed my research skills and now feel very
confident writing scientific papers and abstracts.”
45. Moving Forward
Pretest determines instructional approach
“Flipped classroom” model for hybrid classes
Add a video and homework assignment on APA
formatting
Video homework rather than worksheet
Scaffolded instruction by academic year
Librarian as research consultant
46. Bibliography
Gamtso, Carolyn White; Rachel Blair Vogt; Nicole Chartier; Gail Fensom; Natalie Glisson; Jennifer
Jefferson; and Dorothy Sherman. "Research Mentoring: Expanding the Role of Writing Tutors."
Writing Lab Newsletter. 38.1-2 (2013): 10-13.
Halverson, Kristy, Marcelle Siegel, and Sharyn Freyermuth. “Non-Science Majors' Critical
Evaluation of Websites in a Biotechnology Course.” Journal of Science Education & Technology. 19.6
(2010): 612-620.
Junco, R., G. Heigberger & E. Loken. “The Effect of Twitter on College Student Engagement and
Grades.” Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. 27 (2011): 119-132.
Paterson, Susanne F. and Carolyn White Gamtso. “Guiding Students from Consuming Information
to Creating Knowledge: A Freshman English Library Instruction Collaboration.” Communications
in Information Literacy (CIL). 5:2 (2011): 117-126.
Paterson, Susanne F., and Carolyn B. White. “Rethinking the Paradigms: Toward a New Vision of
Libraries and Student Learning.” The International Journal of Learning. 12.5 (2005/2006).
Paterson, Susanne, and Carolyn White. “A Collaborative Approach to Information Literacy.”
Academic Exchange Quarterly (AEQ). Volume 8, Issue 4, Winter 2004.
Williams, D.L., V.L. Crittenden, T. Keo & P. McCarty. “The Use of Social Media: An Exploratory
Study of Usage by Digital Natives.” Journal of Public Affairs. 12:2 (2012): 127-136.
47. Tailoring Library Instruction for
Non-Science Majors Taking Hybrid and
Online Science Classes
Patricia A. Halpin, (603) 641-4140,
patricia.halpin@unh.edu
Carolyn Gamtso, (603) 641-4172,
carolyn.gamtso@unh.edu
