Library Faculty/Staff Scholarship and Research
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/11
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Item Library Safari and iPads: Technology to Enhance Student Learning: 2012 Update(2012-05) Seeler, Katie; Cunningham, MaggieThe Library Safari program at the University of Maryland Libraries aims at reducing freshmen anxiety about using a large and complex academic library system through exercises and teamwork. Every fall semester instructors who teach the orientation course UNIV 100, "The Student in the University," request this workshop for their students. Once scheduled, students come to a teaching lab in the main campus library and are given a brief introduction. Students are then divided into small teams and assigned a set of exercises to complete. These exercises, designed around the themes and ideas expressed in the First Year Book, teach students how to navigate the main library by learning: how it is organized, how to access its resources, know how to contact a librarian, and learn what public services are available. Printed sets of team exercises and hardwired library computers have traditionally been used to conduct this workshop. In fall 2011, librarians in User Education Services experimented by incorporating emerging technologies or iPads into the way students interfaced with the Libraries. At the conclusion of the fall semester, analysis was conducted to evaluate the students' experience with this mode of instruction. The positive feedback helped us determine the successes made by this modest blended learning approach. Additionally, it has informed us what changes should be made to improve this program of library instruction.Item Library Safari and iPads: Technology to Enhance Student Learning(2011-08-12) Seeler, Katie; Cunningham, MaggieThe Library Safari program, at the University of Maryland, aims at reducing freshmen anxiety about using a large academic library through structured exercises and teamwork. Students enrolled in UNIV 100 – The Students in the University come to a library workshop, are divided into small teams and assigned a set of unique exercises that introduce them to a variety of service sites, print and online resources, all designed to provide a greater understanding of how the main campus library is organized. Printed team exercises and hardwired computers have traditionally been used to conduct this workshop. In fall 2011, librarians plan to experiment by incorporating emerging technologies like the iPad into the way students interface with the physical library and its resources. Using an iPad, each Library Safari team will explore the library using the catalog, other online resources and to virtually complete a set of exercises. By semester’s end, analysis will be conducted to evaluate the users experience and the efficacy of the technology by comparing the results of students using iPads in 2011 to those who used traditional means in fall 2010. Results could determine what changes should be made to improve the Library Safari program.