Designing Research Assignments for Maximum Student Success

1. Avoid these common pitfalls:

   • Incomplete or inaccurate references. There is no quicker way to frustrate students than to send them on a wild goose chase.

   • Oral directions. The chances of important facts, names, etc., being misunderstood is very high. Write it down.

   • The scavenger hunt. Searching for random facts is not research. A scavenger hunt may give reference librarians an intellectual challenge, but it doesn't teach students how to do library research.

   • Large number of students using a few resources. If an entire class will be needing the same few books or articles, arrange to have the materials put on Reserve. Otherwise the first student(s) in the door will be successful and the rest will be extremely frustrated.

   • Information or sources not available in the Library. Before you say "it's in the Library," please make sure it is.

   • Confusing terminology. For example, "use the library computers" is too vague. "Use the online catalog to find a book" or "use a library database to find a recent magazine article" is better.

   • Overestimation of students' research skills. Most students do not have experience using libraries for research. In fact, library anxiety is very common and will be exacerbated by unreasonably high expectations. Consider making a series of short assignments that build up to college-level research.
     

2. Set out clear objectives or outcomes. Having clear objectives before you even begin writing the assignment will help you focus on the outcomes. Explaining those objectives to students will help them complete the assignment successfully. For example, a Psychology library research assignment might have the following objectives.

   After completing this assignment, students should be able to:

   • Search the EVC Library's periodical database for articles on a particular topic.

   • Distinguish between scholarly and popular periodicals.

   • Print out the complete text of journal articles in the periodical database.

   • Locate hard copies of journals related to behavioral sciences in the EVC Library.

   • Find the APA manual in the EVC library.

3. Explain the assignment clearly. Breaking an assignment into steps may be helpful. Don't feel as though you are giving the secret away by directing students through the research process.

4. Make the assignment relevant. The best research assignments give students useful information on the subject being taught. One of the reasons the scavenger hunt or "trivial pusuit" approach is so ineffective is that once the information is found, it is usually not very useful (except perhaps for winning bar bets).

5. For beginners, consider limiting the assignment to using specific relevant resources. For example, identify key reference works in the discipline and have students use them to answer specific questions. Consult with a librarian to locate suitable materials. Including the full title and the library location of each source in the assignment will increase student success.

6. Use the assignment to teach critical thinking skills. Finding information is just the first step. Having students analyze the results of their research will help them go beyond settling for the first piece of information they find.

7. Do the assignment yourself first. Testing the assignment beforehand can help you spot difficulties students may encounter.

8. Check the assignment every semester to make sure nothing has changed. Believe it or not, we still occasionally see assignments referring to Reader's Guide or the card catalog. The pace of change is as rapid in libraries as in the rest of the world today.

9. Consult with a librarian at any point during this process. We can give advice on designing or revising an assignment and show you what is available to your students. We can also be more effective in assisting your students if you give us a copy of the assignment.

10. Bring your class into the Library for hands-on training. An instruction session can be tailored to a particular assignment. In fact, the best time to bring your class is at the point when students are expected to begin their research.

Some Internet-Specific Tips:

• Consider directing student to specific sites you have chosen. This is a good technique for building confidence in less computer-savvy students. If you ask students to find particular piece of information on the Internet, you may be sending them on a very time-consuming scavenger hunt. Instead, you could direct students to sites where they can successfully find information that can be put to use in the course. You may find the EVC Library Internet Links collection useful for locating appropriate resources in your discipline.

• Evaluating sources is even more important on the Internet. The Research Help section of the EVC Library answers the question "If anyone can put anything on the Internet, how do I know if the information I find is reliable? How do I evaluate web pages?" Here you will also find links to several evaluation guidelines for use with students.

• Surfing the net is not research. Even very net-savvy students often lack research skills. Students come to the Reference desk after looking everywhere on the Internet with questions that may be answered on the net, but require more than a shot-in-the-dark search engine query. Consider bringing your class of "techies" into the Library for instruction on search techniques.

• Everything changes very quickly! Internet assignments must be checked for changes even more frequently.

• Is the Internet the appropriate source for the assignment? Students are often amazed that information they can't find anywhere, i.e., on the Internet, is readily at our fingertips on the shelves in the Library. If you have questions about appropriate sources, as always, don't hesitate to consult a librarian.

• The lines between "traditional" library resources and "the Internet" are blurring. You may be surprised to find that some of our most basic library resources are now accessed via our web page. These are not really Internet sources. They are not free and they are restricted to use by EVC faculty, students, and staff only. In most cases, we are licensing access to information we used to buy in print format or on cd-rom. So students may be confused if you tell them not to use the Internet and the librarian directs them to the Library web page.

Sample Research Assignments

1a. A typical assignment:

• Use the EVC Library to find a magazine or newspaper article published the day you were born.

1b. A better assignment:

• Examine the important events and issues of the year you were born. You will find books that allow you to do this in the EVC Library Reference section. Ask the librarian at the Reference desk for assistance.

• Choose one event or issue of interest to you.

• Use the EVC Library to find two magazine or newspaper articles (published within the last 2 years) which deal with the importance of the chosen event or issue in recent times. Again, ask the Reference librarian for assistance.

2a. A typical assignment:

• Find the names and party affiliations of your elected representatives. [Followed by a list such as President, Vice-President, US Senators, US Congressman, California Senator, etc.]

2b. A better assignment:

• Find the names and party affiliations of your elected representatives. [Followed by a list such as President, Vice-President, US Senators, US Congressman, California Senator, etc.] using the Project Vote Smart web site at http://www.vote-smart.org.

• If you do not have Internet access at home, you can use the EVC Library. Ask the librarian at the Reference Desk if you need assistance.

• Choose any two of your elected officals.

• Read their positions and voting records on an issue of interest to you. Some examples are: education, health care, gun control.

• Do you feel you are being well-represented by these elected officials? Why or why not? Write one paragraph for each official citing particular examples from their position papers or voting records.

Sources consulted:

Creating Effective Library Assignments, Carpenter Library, University of North Florida.
Designing Effective Library Assignments, University Libraries, University of Washington.
Guidelines for Effective Library Assignments, California Clearinghouse on Library Instruction.