Instruction

Library Instruction Goals and Mission Statement:

Staley Library’s instruction program exists to support the academic curriculum of Millikin University. Our mission is to empower students to become information literate adults who are confident in their information seeking abilities and able to apply critical thinking skills in the retrieval, evaluation, and ethical use of information.

This is accomplished through:

• Research instruction integrated into the University Studies and Honors Program sequential core classes (University Seminar, Writing Practicum, Honors University Seminar, and Honors Writing Studio)
• Integration of instruction into courses in the majors
• Individualized research consultations
• Instructional information available via the Library's web pages

Student Learning Outcomes

Staley Library's instruction program has four learning outcomes:

1. Students will identify the use and purpose of potential information sources and formats.
2. Students will develop and implement search strategies to retrieve resources using library and non-library tools.
3. Students will evaluate the information that they find to determine its context, value, and to identify bias or deception.
4. Students will understand ethical aspects of information and information technology.

These goals correspond with the University-wide learning goals:

1. Millikin students will prepare for professional success.
2. Millikin students will actively engage in the responsibilities of citizenship in their communities.
3. Millikin students will discover and develop a personal life of meaning and value.

Information Literacy Classroom

The Staley Library Information Literacy Classroom (University Commons room 146) is primarily a space for library faculty to provide information literacy instruction, but it is also used by library faculty and staff for training, demonstrations, workshops, and other library-related activities. The Information Literacy Classroom Policy defines the purpose and policy for this room.

Research Instruction for University Seminar and Writing Practicum:

University Seminar (IN 140): 

Library instruction in IN 140 consists of one in-person session. This session introduces strategies that students can use for evaluating websites, and other sources, to determine their authority and credibility. Students are given opportunities to practice applying the techniques. University Seminar students also complete a self-guided library tour to familiarize them with the services and collections offered by Staley Library.

University Writing (EN 181)

Library instruction in EN 181 consists of 100 minutes of in-person instruction. In the sessions, librarians explain the importance of good research questions, discuss brainstorming topic-relevant vocabulary, explore the strengths and weaknesses of different source types, and help students begin to use library resources to do research. Using their own topics, students complete a worksheet on formulating a research question and generating keywords. The librarians provide feedback to the students either during the session or in writing afterward.

Writing in the Disciplines (EN 281)

Library faculty work with EN 281 students over 100 minutes of in-class instruction time. The sessions cover disciplinary scholarly conversations, ways to find and engage in those conversations, and strategies for reading sources and incorporating them into scholarly writing. The focus on the instruction in these sessions may shift depending on students' majors and the needs of the class.

Research Instruction for Honors University Seminar and Honors Writing Studio:

Honors University Seminar (HN 183)

Like with IN 140, library instruction in HN 183 consists of one in-person session that introduces strategies that students can use for evaluating websites, and other sources, to determine their authority and credibility. Students are given opportunities to practice applying the techniques. Honors University Seminar students also complete a self-guided library tour to familiarize them with the services and collections offered by Staley Library.

Honors Writing Studio I (HN 150)

Honors Writing Studio I consists of two in-person library instruction sessions. The first session covers an introduction to scholarly research at Staley Library, and the second session instructs students on source types and keyword development. Using their own topics, students complete a worksheet on formulating a research question and generating keywords. The librarians provide feedback to the students either during the session or in writing afterward. 

Honors Writing Studio II (HN 151)

Honors Writing Studio II has one in-person library session. The content is largely driven by the needs of the instructor and students. Students may receive instruction in research management tools like Zotero, explore strategies for using AI to conduct a literature review, discuss the anatomy of a scholarly article, practice advanced keyword development, or review using library resources for scholarly research. 

If you have further questions, contact Matthew Olsen, Instructional Services Coordinator, ext. 6719, e-mail molsen@millikin.edu.

Assessment of Student Learning:

While the library faculty provide information literacy instruction at all levels of the curriculum, our primary emphasis is on the core University Studies and Honors Program courses described above. Since it is in these courses that we do most of our instruction, they are where we focus our assessment efforts. Through pre- and post-tests, artifact review, a worksheet, and survey we assess the effectiveness of our library instruction. The library's annual assessment reports for the past five years are linked below: 

• Millikin Assessment of Student Learning Annual Assessment Update - Library Report 2023-24
• Millikin Assessment of Student Learning Annual Assessment Update - Library Report 2022-23
• Student Learning in Library Research Instruction for CWRR, HWS & Seminar - 2021-22
• Student Learning in Library Research Instruction for CWRR, HWS & Seminar - 2020-21
• Student Learning in Library Research Instruction for CWRR, HWS & Seminar - 2019-20

Discipline-specific Research Instruction:

Through our instruction in the University Studies and Honors Program core classes students receive a strong foundation in a scholarly research and information literacy; subject-specific research skills and concepts need additional development. At a faculty member's request, librarians will be pleased to teach these advanced skills in individually tailored sessions. This service is available to any class offered at Millikin University.

If you would like to request library instruction for your class, please call or e-mail the liaison for your subject area. We ask that requests be made as soon as possible to allow us time to adequately address the needs of each individual class and to reserve computer lab space when needed.

If you have further questions, contact Matthew Olsen, Instructional Services Coordinator, ext. 6719, e-mail molsen@millikin.edu.

Library Research Assignment Creation Assistance:

The research librarians at Staley Library are happy to provide you with assistance in constructing research assignments for your courses.

The purpose of this service is to assist you in creating assignments that integrate the library's resources into your classes. Our goals are twofold: to help students gain information literacy skills and confidence in using the library, and to assist faculty in furthering their familiarity with the library and its evolving resources. Each year brings changes in both the resources available to us and the interfaces for using them. It can be very difficult to keep abreast of what is available.

Through library assignment assistance we will:

• Brainstorm ways to integrate research into an existing course.
• Make sure the information can be found via one of our available databases.
• Confirm sources listed on your assignment are available at Staley Library.
• Test the library research portion of the assignment to assist you in developing a successful library research assignment.

Whether you are integrating or creating new library assignments, or you have assignments already constructed, we can give you an idea of how successful they will be before your students attempt to complete them. A successful assignment will avoid unanswerable research questions and frustrated students and will produce great results.

Tips for Designing Effective Research Assignments:

When designing a library or research-based assignment, keep in mind the following list of tips for creating assignments that are as effective as possible. Assignments that are not well-constructed can lead to high frustration levels in students and a negative view of using the library. We have seen many excellent library assignments, and we would like to encourage more of these!

Do:

• Clearly state the objectives and purpose of the assignment so that students understand what they are supposed to learn by completing the assignment.
• Discuss with your students the kind of material they are expected to locate. Are they looking for articles in magazines, scholarly journals, or editorial commentary?
• Clarify terms that may not be understood by students. Do they know what an abstract is? An annotated bibliography?
• Allow ample time for the students to complete the assignment.
• Place an item on Course Reserves for the assignment if an entire class will be looking for the same thing. Placing items on Reserves will ensure all students in the class have equal access.
• Check your titles if you provide resource lists for your students. Sometimes our memories don't serve us well as we think and it is possible to forget and exact title, or combine two titles into a new, nonexistent title!
• Share copies of difficult or detailed assignments with the library faculty. We are better able to help your students if we are aware of the particulars of the assignment.
• Refer students to the Librarians if they have any questions or problems. We are here to help!
• Schedule a research instruction session if you feel one is appropriate.
• Complete the assignment yourself before you give it to the students to make sure it is "doable.”

Do not:

• Make assumptions about students' research ability and information retrieval skills, particularly lower division students. How likely is it that they know the difference between a magazine and a journal? An online journal and a website? Have they ever used a library subscription database?
• Send students on searches for obscure facts or scavenger hunts. These assignments are extremely time consuming and make library use seem unnecessarily difficult. Often it is the librarian, not the student, that ends up locating the information.
• Assign materials that aren't owned by Staley Library. If the library needs to add something to its collection to support your course, please let your librarian liaison know before the semester begins!