New Bite-Sized Online Tutorials

 

Choosing a Topic 

Library Services is creating a series of interactive tutorials designed to help students make sense of the research process. Of course, we already offer many resources to help students develop information literacy skills--from Library Guides to face-to-face classroom instruction. What’s new here?

In the new series, we’re focusing on bite-sized lessons. We’re breaking down the research process and the wealth of resources we offer into short, hands-on tutorials designed to teach a single concept so students and faculty can zero in on a particular skill that needs attention right now.  

 

Identifying Keywords

By selecting from the series a la carte, faculty can assign students to tackle any combination of skills in whichever order makes the most sense pedagogically. Since we’re adding them to our Online Tutorials page, anyone can drop by 24/7 to find a few helpful starting places.

If as a faculty member, you’ve noticed that your students have difficulty selecting a topic for an upcoming research paper, you might assign your students to complete our new Choosing a Topic module. This engaging and interactive tutorial will help them get a handle on broadening and narrowing their topic ideas. In addition, we introduce basic strategies, with engaging examples and illustrations, and let them practice what they’re learning on the spot. Our tutorials come packed with fun activities like drag-and-drop activities that immediately allow students to apply a concept they’ve just explored to a relevant, real-world scenario.

Academic Honesty

Finally, each tutorial includes a brief multiple-choice quiz that provides immediate feedback. Need a way to see how they’re doing so far with a new concept? Students can print off their quiz results and turn them in.

These tutorials offer flexibility to faculty to choose how to incorporate these engaging new tutorials into your classes and assignments. They can be discussion-starters, first steps before hands-on classroom time with a librarian, assignment supplements that can be threaded through any research-related writing assignment, or used to introduced a flipped classroom-session. Consult with a librarian at your campus to explore the possibilities!

For now, we hope you’ll explore our first three modules, and let us know what you think:

• Choosing a Topic
• Identifying Keywords
• Academic Honesty

We’ll keep adding new modules as we complete them, so please watch for updates. Look for the entire suite in Fall 2014.

Library Group Study Rooms

ACC Faculty often assign group projects to their classes but sometimes, students then have difficulties finding a location to work together in a ‘clean, well lighted place’, with technology available to support your learning.

These ACC libraries have group study rooms available for currently enrolled ACC students studying together:

CYP, EGN, EVC, NRG, RGC, RRC, RVS, and SAC.

(At this time, the PIN library is the exception.) 

Opening in January 2014, the new Hays Campus (HYS) Library will also have one group study room.

To sign up to use a room, come to a library’s Reference Desk in person and show the librarian your ACC ID card. Slots are available from 30 minutes to 2 hours, and depending on availability, at the end of your reservation you may be able to extend the time. 

Reservations are accepted up to 7 days in advance, but be sure to arrive punctually -- if you’re more than 10 minutes late, your group forfeits the reservation! 

Use the white board or check out laptops at a Library’s Circulation Desk so group members can collaborate via Google docs, view media, review Blackboard materials, print documents, etc.  In a few study rooms you can connect your laptop to a projector or flat screen for group viewing!

The study rooms may not be used for tutoring, meetings of organizations, or for faculty to meet with students. ‘Group study’ means just that – 2 or more currently enrolled ACC students – these are not ‘individual study rooms’. Please see complete rules   about the study rooms. 

Sign-up, meet your group, and be successful with that project or ace that test! Would you like more info? Need other locations to study on your campus? Are you stuck getting started researching your topic?  Ask a librarian! We’re here to help you.