Collaboration on PSYC 1030 Library Instruction

By Andrea Kincaid

I've been partnering with Dr. Em Dunlap to teach information literacy skills for her PSYC 1030 students since my first semester at ChattState, but our collaboration this semester was incredibly impactful and FUN! I didn't anticipate such success during a global pandemic with online classes, but our collective creativity produced an interactive research project that students enjoyed.

Students were introduced to research concepts by taking a brief tutorial guiding them through their PSYC 1030 libguide, tailored specifically to their infographic assignment. The results of this tutorial allowed me to see where students were struggling, so when I visited the classes to teach information literacy skills, I was able to focus on these areas. Information literacy instruction for the course included developing a good topic, finding credible resources on the Internet, searching library databases, critical evaluation of sources, and how to read a scholarly article.

After instruction, students developed a type of annotated bibliography, in which they described their topic and reason for choosing it, listed three sources they found in APA format with a critical evaluation of each, and briefly summarized each source. I reviewed these on their discussion board, giving each student feedback on the sources they chose and their analysis.

With this framework in place, students were ready to create an infographic, showcasing what they learned about their topic and presented in a creative format. One research project, and just look at all the skills they learned!

Check out the PSYC 1030 LibGuide and the wonderful infographics created by these amazing students.