Browsing by Author "Snajdr, Eric"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 29
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    Assessment of Information Literacy Instruction Mapped to a STEM Degree Curriculum
    (2020-10-26) Snajdr, Eric
    The chemistry librarian at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) collaborated with faculty from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in mapping information literacy and chemical information components into the curriculum for undergraduate degrees in Chemistry. The curriculum mapping involved scaffolding information skills instruction throughout the degree programs. Mixed assessment methods were used to determine whether or not the learning outcomes of the information literacy program were met. Assessment results were also used to identify gaps, identify student misconceptions, and revise future instructional sessions and learning activities in order to improve student learning.
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    Behavioral data - management, archiving, and sharing: advantages of using a library online repository
    (2011) Snajdr, Eric
    An often-overlooked aspect of scientific research in animal behavior has been the preservation of data and gray literature (unpublished products) that lie behind the scenes of the research.  If preserved, many of these materials could likely be of use to the present and future scientific community.  Institutional repositories of college and research libraries can play an important role in this regard.   Unlike lab web pages, institutional repositories provide a permanent location for research products.  Files are stored in optimal formats and are managed such that access will be possible far into the future.  In addition, repositories provide support for the creation of descriptive information (metadata) for making mounted works findable by others (e.g. through search engines).  Restrictions on access (embargo periods) can be placed. A research lab at Indiana University is using their campus institutional repository to archive data and gray literature from long-term studies on songbird behavior.  Examples of items preserved are protocols, yearly goals, and field notes.  The group is currently working to preserve various data, summaries, and media related to their research.     
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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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    Building more bonds and widening our reach: strategic expansion of chemical information skills instruction for undergraduates using the online environment
    (2021-04-08) Snajdr, Eric
    The Chemistry librarian at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis worked closely with the Department of Chemistry over many years in developing a library educational curricular plan where chemical information skills instruction was inserted into strategic points of the chemistry undergraduate degree programs. This included library instruction in various courses (first-year intro course, cornerstone, lab courses, and capstone). Prior to COVID-19, this instruction, was almost entirely provided by the librarian face-to-face. In mid 2020, the pandemic forced the transition completely to the online environment. This presented numerous challenges but led to important opportunities as well. The librarian was not only able to successfully transfer the entire curricular plan to the online environment, but the transition allowed the librarian to increase instructional involvement in places that would not have been feasible in a face-to-face setting. Additionally, during the transition to online teaching, the librarian increased the quality of specific assignments by implementing the Transparency in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (TILT) format. This resulted in learning experiences that were clearer in purpose to the students, and more equitable for students to achieve success. The end result was a more robust curricular approach to chemical information skills instruction.
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    By and For Us: The Development of a Peer Review of Teaching Program by and for Pre-Tenure Librarians
    (Collaborative Librarianship, 2012) Alabi, Jaena; Huisman, Rhonda; Lacy, Meagan; Miller, Willie; Snajdr, Eric; Trinoskey, Jessica; Weare, William H., Jr.
    Seven pre-tenure librarians at the University Library at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), concerned about the effectiveness of their library instruction, created a peer review of teaching (PROT) group. This article provides an overview of the LIS literature on PROT and identifies the commonalities and variations found in PROT programs. The authors then describe the development, implementation, and benefits of the PROT program at IUPUI. The program outcomes are discussed, including benefits for the observed, the observer, and for the PROT group as a whole. The authors also found that the implementation of a PROT program can enhance the sense of community among colleagues.
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    Connecting Library Instruction to Web Usability: Improve User Experience
    (2015-02-01) Lee, Yoo Young; Snajdr, Eric
    The digital user experience librarian conducted an experiment with one of the instructional librarians at IUPUI in order to investigate the intersection between user's web behavior and library instruction. They thought that library instruction plays a key role in web usability and affects the ways students behave on the library website, yet very little research has combined these two realms. During instructional sessions, freshman students were asked to perform a series of information seeking tasks on the library website both prior to, and immediately after, instruction. A usability tool - Verify - recorded individual student use of the website during the completion of each of these tasks. We'd like to share the results we found. The results allowed us to investigate how students behaved on the library website to complete the tasks and how the steps demonstrated by the librarian during instruction strongly influenced how students completed the tasks afterward.
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    Connecting Library Instruction to Web Usability: The Key Role of Library Instruction to Change Students' Web Behavior
    (2015) Lee, Yoo Young; Snajdr, Eric
    The presentation was delivered at the International Conference of Asian Special Libraries (ICoASL) 2015 held in Seoul, South Korea.
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    Connecting Library Instruction to Web Usability: The Key Role of Library Instruction to Change Students’ Web Behavior
    (2015-04) Lee, Yoo Young; Snajdr, Eric
    This article is a conference proceeding for the 4th International Conference of Asian Special Libraries. Library instruction plays a key role in web usability. During instructional sessions, librarians shape the ways students behave on the library website (user’s web behavior). They teach students how to use the library website and demonstrate various pathways by which students can access library resources and services. Although library instruction and user’s web behavior are closely intertwined, very little research has combined these two realms. Many usability studies have focused only on the library website itself without considering the various contexts in which students use it. Few usability studies have had any connection with library instruction. This study investigated the intersection between user’s web behavior and library instruction. During instructional sessions, freshman students were asked to perform a series of information seeking tasks on the library website both prior to, and immediately after, instruction. A usability tool – Verify – recorded individual student use of the website during the completion of each of these tasks. The results allowed us to investigate how students behaved on the library website to complete the tasks and how the steps demonstrated by the librarian during instruction strongly influenced how students completed the tasks afterward. This paper suggests how these techniques could be used to improve library websites.
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    Curricular Library Educational Services Plan for Undergraduates in Chemistry
    (2020) Snajdr, Eric
    This document outlines the curricular library educational services plan for information literacy instruction for undergraduate chemistry students at Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis. Learning outcomes, teaching strategies, assessment strategies, as well as the rational for the inclusion of each course are included.