Requiring students to keep journals?

[mamselle]

I overheard two undergraduates in our library asking a librarian how to find a book on something or other.  The librarian explained the computer catalogue and how there would be a number with the book (the students stated to look very worried), and then they were supposed to look on our library signs to find the book.  The library signs say things like "A - F, 1st floor, G - L, 2nd floor," etc., the letter being the first number of the Library of Congress shelfmark.  At this point the undergraduates were looking very seriously overwhelmed.  "What if the letter we have is not on the sign?"  The librarian explained that it was all about alphabetical order.  They had heard of alphabetical order but were not sure what it was.  The librarian explained that they could just go through the order of the alphabet, "A B C D E," etc.  The students nervously asked how they were supposed to know which letter came when.  And so on.  Your students may be very like those students.  As the Fora often says, You have to start with the students you have.

That part is just heartbreaking. I don't at all doubt that it's true. But it's really upsetting.

I'm glad the librarian was so patient with them. We don't adequately value the educative offerings librarians make, I know.

M.

[toothpaste]

I get not following directions stuff, and also admit that my lack of enthusiasm for this assignment I got stuck with this semester but have already decided to remove for the future (I'd cancel it for the remainder of this one if I thought I could get away with) may well be coloring my decision to go easy on the direction-shirkers here, but I'm noticing that many of these remedial students seem to have real difficulties comprehending syllabus directions, even when repeatedly reiterated and explained orally.  One such assignment, also one I'm stick with, is to have the students choose an article from some print or online source, approved by me on a first come first served basis--i.e. Everyone has to choose a different article, prepare a short presentation on it, and bring copies for everyone else in class that day, including for me.  I put off the due date to select one's article from tomorrow to next Thursday, and have been reminding students of this for days now, but when I asked students to email me privately telling me whether they'd chosen their article yet, one out of the only 2 students who did this(out of 9) said he'd not done so because he'd been waiting for me to assign one to him.  Arrrggggg!  I have even mentioned on several occasions that the students should go to the reference librarian for help in selecting an article.  Am I doing something wrong, or is the remedial nature of the students perhaps the reason for most of these sorts of problems with which I have been dealing?

I'd suggest a couple of strategies for handling this differently:

1. Don't just explain orally how to find an article. Schedule an instructional session for your class with a librarian who will show them how to use library databases to identify articles.
2. Instead of having everyone email you about their choices, use a shared document (such as a Google Doc) to have everyone sign up for their article.
3. For the love of trees, do not make everyone print out a copy of their article.  I can imagine students really resenting this aspect of the assignment--having to pay to make copies for everyone and knowing no one else will read it. Set up a shared file and have everyone upload theirs. Everyone gets access, everyone learns some tech, no trees destroyed.

[kaysixteen]

The assignment as is was on the syllabus I inherited. I can make wholesale changes for next semester, but I can't really do much for this one.

I was assured by my supervisor that all these kids have taken a full tour of the library (which btw is literally attached to the building where our class is held) led by a staff librarian in their required English comp class.

As I read the assignment as it was handed to me, each kid is actually supposed to choose a separate article, and then report on it to the class.  This of course requires each to select an article on a first come first served basis.  This is proving to be a nightmare as no one has chosen one early and they're all due Thursday.  I have already hinted that ultimately I'll allow more than one kid to choose the same article if it comes to that.  Obviously I was hired at the last minute, which is why I was essentially instructed to retain the syllabus as is this semester, but I brain-farted and did not collect 9 articles for em myself and just randomly handed them out.  Indeed, the actual syllabus lecture topics were all selected for me (and this topic list is indeed imo the best part of said syllabus), but even here the only thing preselected was the daily topics, not any readings or exercises, and the one size fits all writing textbook that I'm also forced to 'use' because they're also using it in that comp class and the success office didn't want to make them buy another text, really has no appropriate assignments for this college READING class, so I did research some college reading texts on Amazon and in the library, one of which I'll choose for next semester, but for now I'm making beaucoup photocopies.

[toothpaste]

I was assured by my supervisor that all these kids have taken a full tour of the library (which btw is literally attached to the building where our class is held) led by a staff librarian in their required English comp class.

A "tour" of the library is not the same as a focused instruction in how to use the library's databases. Your librarians are highly skilled professionals, people who are your peers and who WANT to help students learn. You'd be amazed at what they can offer if you engage them in your teaching.

[kaysixteen]

I'm also an MLS myself and spent two classes teaching basic library skills.  Probably that's enough for a basic remedial reading class that has to have other priorities.  But I have repeatedly instructed-cum-suggested that the students ask the reference librarian for help in finding these articles, and, yes, I told them exactly where to find her.

[Hegemony]

I think what this shows is that even though the students should consult the librarian, they won't consult the librarian.  It sounds as if more structure is needed.  For instance, the librarian comes to the class and circulates around the room helping the students.  Or the class walks as a group (headed by you) over to the library and the librarian helps some while the others go to fetch the books they've been directed to.  Or whatever.  As the Fora says, you have to teach the students you have...

[HigherEd7]

I am thinking about developing a weekly private reflective journal in my course with a discussion question. I am thinking about assigning a 200-word minimum to the journal and I wonder if having a journal and discussion question is too much? The journal is between me and the student, and the discussion question is for students and I am asking them to post twice a week.  The course has around 35 students.