Browsing by Author "Lowe, M. Sara"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 51
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    Academic Integrity as a Learning Opportunity for Our Students
    (2016) Londino, Gina; Wendeln, Ken; Thedwall, Kate; Acheson, Doug; Lowe, M. Sara
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    The Boolean is Dead, Long Live the Boolean! Natural Language versus Boolean Searching in Introductory Undergraduate Instruction
    (2017) Lowe, M. Sara; Maxson, Bronwen K.; Stone, Sean M.; Miller, Willie; Snajdr, Eric; Hanna, Kathleen A.
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    Boolean Redux: Performance of Advanced versus Simple Boolean Searches and Implications for Upper-Level Instruction
    (2020) Lowe, M. Sara; Stone, Sean M.; Maxson, Bronwen K.; Snajdr, Eric; Miller, Willie
    Building off an earlier study, which examined whether or not it was beneficial to teach Boolean logic to introductory students, the present study examines the efficacy of Boolean OR searching in more advanced search strategies, for example, capstone projects and graduate theses and dissertations. Results show that both simple and advanced Boolean searches yield relevant results. Based on relevance, there is no compelling evidence that either search is superior. To capture all the literature on a topic, however, it is important that upper-level students know the relevant databases for their discipline and perform multiple searches. Results can help inform whether teaching Boolean search skills to upper-division students in disciplinary contexts is time well spent.
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    Bridge 2018 Information Literacy Curriculum Report
    (IUPUI University Library, 2018-08) Lowe, M. Sara; Orme, William A.
    A uniform curriculum has been in place in Bridge Information Literacy (IL) sessions since Fall 2015. To assess the curriculum and student learning, multiple evaluations are implemented: a student end-of-class evaluation; a faculty end-of-Bridge evaluation; and an in-class worksheet. This report summarizes student performance in Bridge as well as student and faculty evaluation responses.
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    Building positive learning experiences through pedagogical research guide design
    (2018) Lee, Yoo Young; Lowe, M. Sara
    Library research guides are traditionally designed in a pathfinder-style format by resource type. However, would a pedagogical-style guide, which moves students through the research process, better support the student learning experience? This study sought to answer the question: Which guide design best supports the student information literacy learning experience outside of a classroom setting? This article reports results of a usability study (n=22) of first-year to graduate students who interacted with either a pedagogical or pathfinder-style research guide through a simulated research assignment. Results indicate that although there is no statistically significant performance difference between guide type, students using the pedagogical guide reported a more positive experience than those using the pathfinder guide. As a result, this led them to spend more time on, interact more with, and consult more resources on the research guide. Librarians who wish to enhance the usability of research guides may get greater student engagement by designing their guides pedagogically.
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    Coming and Going: Assessing Information Literacy to Shape Curriculum
    (2018-10-22) Lowe, M. Sara; Currier, Abby; Stone, Sean M.; Graunke, Steve
    In the era of fake news, assessing students’ Information Literacy competencies is especially important. Understanding first-year and senior students’ ability to find, evaluate, and use information provides powerful assessment data to capture what students come to college with, how they leave, and how that can shape the curriculum. This poster details the results of a project which combined indirect (survey, n=630) and direct (rubric analysis of final papers, n=775) measures to assess students’ Information Literacy competencies. Attendees will learn about implementation, results, and lessons learned as well as strategies for instituting a similar ground-up assessment project.
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    Commuter Campus in Transition: Meeting the Changing Needs of Students through Mixed-Methods Assessment
    (ALA Editions, 2018-06) Lowe, M. Sara; Miller, Willie; Moffett, Paul
    Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is an urban research university with approximately 30,000 commuter and residential students. This chapter discusses the space assessment done at University Library, the main campus library, which attempts to analyze and quantify the needs of both types of students. Two studies will be outlined, which started separately, but have since merged, both informing student use of library space. While both contain quantitative and qualitative elements, their methodologies are different. One used SMS (texting) in combination with one-on-one de-briefs to track student movement over the course of an entire day. The other uses in-library assessments to gauge student space use and preference. One limitation of in-library assessments is they only tell you about students who already use the library, not those who do not come to the library. The combination of these studies allows University Library to better plan library space, not only for current users, but also to target students who are not in the library (non-users).
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    Contingent teaching through low-tech audience response systems: Using Plickers to support student learning and assessment
    (2019) Lowe, M. Sara; Macy, Katharine V.; Stone, Sean M.
    For one-shot instruction sessions, formative assessment is the most feasible method for gathering data to aid contingent teaching, the practice of adapting to learners’ needs. Various technologies aid in the quick and efficient gathering of data on student learning in the classroom that can be used for formative assessment. Outside of a library teaching space or computer classroom, it is difficult to know what technology is available, what technology students can access, and how best to aid data collection that engages students, provides meaningful data to allow for contingent teaching, and is not dependent on student technology ownership. A low-tech audience response system has provided an opportunity to collect data on student learning and enable contingent teaching. This project report contributes to the field of information literacy research describing how a low-tech audience response system supports contingent teaching and innovates practice in different classroom situations.
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    Degrees of Impact: Analyzing the Effects of Progressive Librarian Course Collaborations on Student Performance
    (College & Research Libraries, 2015-07) Booth, Char; Lowe, M. Sara; Tagge, Natalie; Stone, Sean M.
    The Claremont Colleges Library conducted direct rubric assessment of Pitzer College First-Year Seminar research papers to analyze the impact of diverse levels of librarian course collaborations on information literacy (IL) performance in student writing. Findings indicate that progressive degrees of librarian engagement in IL-related course instruction and/or syllabus and assignment design had an increasingly positive impact on student performance. A secondary indirect analysis of librarian teaching evaluations and self-perceived learning gains by students and faculty showed no correlation to rubric IL scores, suggesting the importance of “authentic” assessment in determining actual learning outcomes. This mixed-methods study presents findings in each area and examines their implications for effective IL course collaborations.
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