Instructor guide
This project is designed to be used over an extended period in your class. It consists of three main project parts with two additional pieces, one to be completed before the main project and one to be completed after the project. There are also optional activities listed in each part in case you wanted to use this project throughout a semester.
This project was designed for the Healthcare FOI but it can easily be tailored to different topics. This project was designed to meet Competencies from CRE101 and ENG102, as well as, the tentative IRW Learning Outcomes. Find them here.
Preliminary activities
Before beginning the project, introduce students to the Library resources. It would be helpful to schedule a library session if possible. However, there is information in the Information Resources Tab. Then, have students complete the Database Scavenger Hunt. This is a low-stakes activity that allows students to gain familiarity with finding information in a database and helps them to discover some of the relevant topics.
Begin with introducing the purpose of the project: Research as a conversation. Students will be conducting research and learning about the various voices present. They will be creating a research question and a variety of sources. They will use their research to create a presentation that synthesizes their learning.
Part 1 of the project involves identifying the various voices that are present and stresses the idea that research is a conversation. Students will begin to research a specific topic and will discover various voices of authority.
PURPOSE: After exploring a variety of information resources and delving into "One Search" and library databases, you are ready to begin your research project. Through this journey you will create a research strategy and jump into scholarly "conversations" that are occurring in your field of interest. You will identify a variety of voices in those conversations and determine the quality and contribution of each of them.
TASK:
Part 1 Identify the voices
Based on a topic of interest in healthcare, explore the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website to find a visual aid that communicates information about this topic Then search the National Center for Health Statistics to find additional statistics that illustrate why your topic or condition is a priority. Instructions here. Submit your problem statement and data/statistics that show your topic is important to research.
After viewing the "Creating a Research Strategy" tab in your library guide, frame a research question to help guide your research. Library research coaches are available to assist.
After viewing the "Main Concepts" tab in your library guide, begin to explore important voices to include in your scholarly conversation on this topic. As you select these voices, you will evaluate their authority (project part two). The six voices to include in your project are listed below:
Voice #1: Find a professional organization/association in your field. Browse the organization/association website (news, press releases, reports) to identify what is being discussed about this issue.
Voices #2 and #3: Use Google Scholar or library databases to find out what research studies have been conducted that help inform the conversation on your issue. To keep your information current, limit your results to 2015-2022. Select 2-3 research studies, and follow the instructions for completing a short literature review summary on each. If you have trouble at this point, reach out to our research coach for assistance.
Voices #4, 5, 6: Explore additional perspectives on your topic by searching newspapers, YouTube, Twitter, blogs, or other social media outlets to find the stakeholders discussing this topic.
This project is divided up into 3 parts. Each part will have an assignment deadline in our Canvas module.
Optional: If you would like to include a smaller touchpoint activity, consider having students submit an example of a bad(unreliable/invalid) voice with an explanation about how the bad voice provides an unreliable or invalid voice? Does it contain misleading information? How do they know that it is not a trustworthy source?
Part 2 Evaluate their authority
Part 2 encourages students to select and evaluate a variety of sources. They should refer back to the sources they found in part 1 and complete the following evaluation for their sources.
PURPOSE
In order to establish credibility of your sources, you need to determine their authority and analyze what role they play in a larger conversation on this topic. Using the S.I.F.T. steps described in the tab titled "Evaluating the Conversation", you will be guided to investigate a source's reputation, expertise, and use of evidence.
TASK
Part 2 Evaluate their authority
After viewing the "Evaluating the Conversation" tab in your library guide, create notes for each of your six voices using the “Four Moves”. You will use these notes to create your presentation at the end of the project.
Who?
Identify each source, including the author and the publishing organization
Evaluate their authority on the topic (do they have a degree? an important position? experience? etc.)
Explore their reputation–can you identify certain biases or a clear purpose?
Include an APA citation for the source.
What?
Briefly summarize what they have to say about the topic.
Do they provide new information or a unique perspective?
How?
How does the source contribute to the conversation?
Consider their use of evidence/argumentation (new research, statistics, opinions, or even, nothing at all)
How might that chosen format add to the conversation?
Why?
Discuss why this voice is important to the conversation (or why not, if you do not see a contribution)?
Consider perspective, audience, evidence, and other factors.
CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS
Submit a rough draft of your notes evaluating each of your six voices. Points will be assigned in Canvas.
Optional: If you would like to expand this activity, consider having students write a short informative research paper during this step in addition to the above evaluations.
Part 3 Create and share your dinner table conversation
In Part 3, students will be synthesizing what they have learned and creating a presentation.
Using the Genial.ly slide template (included in the guide), build your conversation around the table. Each of the four slides will include 6 guests: (1) a professional association, (2) a scholarly research article, (3) a newspaper article, (4) a YouTube video, (5) a social media post, and (6) one additional source of your choice (consider other perspectives or stakeholders–like, a company website that addresses the topic). Each slide will address one of the four questions that you answered in Part 2 (Who? What? How? Why?).
Use your notes about each source to build your slides. Your responses for each source should be brief (2-3 sentences) and directly address the question for that slide.
Share your findings in a 6-8 minute presentation about your topic. This will include an overview of your chosen issue question, an examination on whether there is consensus or controversy on the issue, what did you learn about exploring information in your field (including important platforms for information)?, and where do you expect the conversation to go next?
Optional: If you really want to make this a semester-long project, consider having students create an argument based research paper to accompany the presentation.
Post-Project Reflection
After students finish the project, it is a great idea to have them reflect on it. The instructions for the reflection are in the LibGuide or you can find them here.