This photograph was taken in 1916 of a classroom at the Horner Avenue School in Toronto, Canada. Notably, online classrooms look a bit different.
In library instruction, one difficult topic that often presents itself is a student’s failure to comprehend effective search strategies. It could be beneficial for libraries (be they academic, legal, or public) to provide online video tutorials of how to create effective searches for different databases. If well advertised by the library’s website, a student could access short (yet critical) instruction on database use. Given the nature of the training, it would probably be best to make this a tutorial video, so as to effectively co-mingle audio and visual learning. The video should not be too long in length, as the kids of today have the shortest attention span in the history of civilized people. Additionally, as all search engines have their quirks, I would direct the videos to address specific search engines (perhaps the most popular ones offered by the library.)
I find the best online tutorials meet the following criteria: succinct, relevant, high production value, and effective narrator. In my humble opinion, a great model for online instruction is a website called Lynda.com. (The site is offered via subscription, so, it is best to go through your member institution. In my case, Indiana University has a subscription to this service.) Lynda.com presents a comprehensive approach to various software applications and operating systems. The training can last many hours or just a few minutes. An individual can search for the exact topic that she wants to learn about or engage in a comprehensive session.
The audience for the online tutorial I am proposing would be users of an academic library’s website. Consequently, this could be all members of the academic community: undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, and faculty. I think it would be possible to craft a video that is engaging to all members of the community and would provide the necessary information. I have noticed that in my time at the reference desk, it is not only undergraduates that have trouble creating search strings.
Obviously, the critical parts of having online tutorials are (1) whether your audience knows that the tutorial is available, and (2) whether the tutorial’s content is effective. On the latter point, I would attempt to create a good storyboard and script with my colleagues before doing one of these myself. The generation of curriculum is usually best when it is collaborative. While I may think I have a grasp on the issue, there are certain concepts that I may fail to convey. The tutorial that I would aim to create would include the following elements.
- The beginning would be the end. In other words, I would start the tutorial with the result of the tutorial. In this case, the narrator might introduce the topic by noting the challenges that researchers have in finding relevant articles. I would start with an obscure article or resource, and then teach an individual how to find that item.
- I would show the individual how to access the database.
- One of the first lessons in database use is RATS, which stands for Read All of The Screen. Researchers often fail to comprehend all of the search options presented to them, and jump straight to typing in the search box. Many researchers fail to take advantage of advanced search features, such as limiting results to peer-reviewed journals, items for which the database has the full PDFÂ file, limiting by date, etc.
- I would then begin crafting a search with a focus on the two key areas of using: synonyms to garner more results and truncation on certain words. While there are many search strategies to employ, I feel as if researchers at all levels fail to use these techniques on a regular basis.
- The tutorial would then employ the techniques and revel the results.
- Finally, the tutorial would conclude with a pitch for asking a librarian id assistance is needed.
The following are three PDF files that display general ideas of how the tutorial would be presented to users.
- Structure of Tutorial on the User’s Monitor
- Interpreting the Advanced Search Screen
- Interpreting the Search Results Screen
