vanderbilt visions

Vanderbilt Visions...An Exercise in Collaboration

LOEX Conference, May 1-3, 2008Melinda Brown

Lee Ann LannomAmy Stewart-Mailhiot

The Environment Private research

university Nashville, TN 11,847 students

6532 undergraduates 1,700 first-year

students

The Environment 4 schools with undergraduate

programs Blair School of Music Peabody College of Education & Human

Development College of Arts & Science School of Engineering

4 Libraries that serve these colleges

Focus on social, academic, cognitive & cultural transition from high school to college

What is Vanderbilt Visions?

Semester-long orientation program for

first years

Common, shared experience 100 sessions – students + 2

VUceptors

What is Vanderbilt Visions?

Feedback from students in 2006 Visions program…

…Include a Library Session!

What Happened Next? Committee on Undergraduate

Information Literacy (CUIL) Vanderbilt Libraries – undergraduate Center For Teaching Writing Studio

CUIL member on Vanderbilt Visions Advisory Board

CUIL Makes a Proposal

Introduce resources of Library system

High school vs. college level research

Multimedia, interactive presentation

Meet with large groups

Expected Positive Outcomes Give all students a base-line

introduction to Library services & tools

Introduce students to a librarian (or two)

Make students aware help is

available at libraries on campus

Proposal Accepted – Now What? CUIL Coordinator became the

Project Manager As members of CUIL, the Writing Studio & the Center For Teaching participated from the beginning

Development of the Presentation

Parts in development process: Visions Reader Entry Video Interviews Lesson Plan Staff Training

Development of the Presentation…Visions Reader Entry

Each library has its own character - try them all out & find out which one works best for you.

Explore the libraries - there are lots of computers and hidden study nooks where you might not expect them to be

They have real (as in non-required, fiction) books at the library! Good for beach reading over spring break!

“What Vanderbilt Students Think First-Year Students Should Know about the Libraries?”

Development of the Presentation…Video Interviews

Faculty, graduate & undergraduate student interviews

Focus on the research process, tools & advice for first-year students

Collaboration among campus partners

Development of the Presentation:Lesson Plan

Video Clips

ScriptFun Facts

Interactive Learning

Development of the Presentation:Staff Training Final Preparations

Training for 29 staff Practice with new clickers Field trip to lecture rooms

20 Vision Presentations in 3 days

Intellectual Engagement at

VanderbiltOr…

Things You Need To Know About Research,

But Didn’t Learn In High School

Lights… Camera… Action!

Which of the following cannot be checked out at one of the

libraries at Vanderbilt?1. A puppet2. An umbrella3. A skeleton4. A globe5. A parachute

High School VS. College Research

(It was a piece of cake, until

I read the syllabus…)

Learn how and where to get started with your research

Hints: Reading Assignments

If you see any of these:– annotated

bibliography – secondary source

material – scholarly or peer-

reviewed articles

It’s research time!

Research Traps to Avoid

• Too much Google and Wikipedia• Not enough scholarly resources

Hard to port! We’re heading for the Googlepedia Triangle. We need to get away before

our research project is sunk!

Articles can be your BFF

Popular vs. Scholarly

Aaargh! What’s the difference?

After the Show…

Library debriefing sessions Visions staff feedback Unexpected Surprises Recommendations

Debriefing Sessions…Presenter Feedback

Question Feedback Proposed solutions

Did you get enough help from VUceptors?

Strong consensus … NO

Do training before sessions

Enlist student workers

Have more library staff per session

How was the timing of the presentation?

Majority started 5-15 minutes late

Consolidate film credits

Cut out parts of video

Debriefing Sessions…Presenter Feedback

Question Feedback Proposed solutions

How was the student response & behavior?

Did the lighting changes or other technical issues impact your presentation?

Ranged from attentive to bored

Problems with students using cell phones

Students liked clickers

Shorten first video clip

Find ways to increase interactive elements

Some rooms required more practice to get the right balance for lighting

Lighting needs varied during PPT and video portions of presentation

Debriefing Sessions…Presenter Feedback

Question Feedback and Proposed Solutions

Aside from technical problems, what part(s) could have worked better?

Videos could have been shorter and/or less repetitive

More technical support from Learning Resource Center

Include popular vs. scholarly tutorial

Include a welcome clip from University Librarian

Conduct more interviews to increase & improve selection

Visions Staff Feedback

Increase the level of interactivity

Include more student involvement

Find creative ways to involve VUceptors

Unexpected Bonuses

Our own ‘shared experience’ Increased sense of collaboration Cross-library communication

Desire to do more sessions

Discovery of hidden staff talents

Recommendations Determine level of autonomy up

front

Involve students throughout process

Be Inclusive: Encourage participation at all levels

of the library Invite faculty & other campus

partners to serve as advisors

Recommendations Explore & utilize the talents of

staff

Consider technology needs early: Survey campus resources Determine what you should

outsource

Do you have a ritual for bringing your research to a close?

Vanderbilt Visions...An Exercise in Collaboration

LOEX Conference, May 1-3, 2008Melinda Brown, melinda.brown@vanderbilt.edu

Lee Ann Lannom, lee.ann.lannom@vanderbilt.edu

Amy Stewart-Mailhiot, amy.stewart@vanderbilt.edu