This toolkit is designed to help you teach English 110 students at Queens College how to use library resources to research effectively. It is part of an ongoing, iterative effort, in collaboration with the English 110 coordinators, to create flexible materials that can be adapted to suit the specific needs of a variety of English 110 classes. It continues to be a work in progress.
These materials are developed to provide templates for action and activity at various points throughout the library instruction sequence, as outlined below.
Timeline for Library Instruction for English 110
- Initial contact: Librarian reaches out to assigned English 110 professor to schedule instruction session(s) and get basic information about the course, including the theme, syllabus, research paper assignment, and research approach.
- Schedule room: Librarian contacts Andre Rollins with the requested dates and times, professor name, course number (ENGL 110), and enrollment number. Andre will determine if a room is available and inform librarian of room assignment. Librarian will pass this information along to the English professor.
- Asynchronous workbook: Pre-workshop materials that can be custom-assembled from several possible modules or presented in one of four “off the rack” options. These should be distributed to the English 110 professor early in the semester, and the librarian and professor should decide together on the most appropriate version of the workbook, as well as on how students should complete and submit their work, whether that’s in Blackboard, via Dropbox, as a Google doc, or emailed as a PDF. It is recommended that students complete the workbook at least 24 hours before the synchronous workshop.
- Synchronous workshop: Live, interactive workshop that provides students the opportunity to explore the research process in real time with the expert guidance of a librarian. We’ve provided a few suggested activities here, and will continue to develop our model lesson plans in the future. If an English 110 professor requests asynchronous instruction, you are encouraged to direct them to the English 110 LibGuide.
- Post-workshop research exercise: For in-person instruction sessions, students should be given time at the end of class to conduct in-depth, independent research activities with supervision and guidance from a librarian. The post-workshop review exercise included in the workbook is one model a librarian might choose to structure this independent activity. While we do not recommend staying on Zoom for more than one hour (eyes don’t grow back!), we do encourage librarians teaching online instruction sessions to communicate with the English 110 professor about ways to facilitate independent exploration of research strategies in a supportive setting.
Purpose of These Materials
- Support library instruction
- Achieve more standard learning outcomes
- Maintain the flexibility to adapt to different English 110 scenarios
- Leave room for librarians to take what they need and make it their own
Learning Objectives for Library Instruction for English 110
By the end of the library instruction sequence, students should be able to:
- Knowledgeably navigate the library website
- Develop effective research questions
- Generate search terms
- Use library resources to find books and scholarly articles
- Refine search strategies
- Evaluate sources
- Follow the scholarly conversation
But Most Importantly
It is not our intention to create more work for you, or to cramp your style. If these materials don’t work for you, try something else! But please do let Leila Walker ([email protected]) know about, so that we can incorporate your criticisms–and your adaptations–into future iterations.
Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and hard work!
