Differences between faculty and student understandings and approaches to library research and related assignments often create frustration both for the students and ultimately the faculty who must evaluate the product.
Below are a few examples of those differences:
General Characteristics and Assumptions
| Faculty |
Students |
- Expert learners and researchers
|
- Novices learning how to learn and do research
|
- Specialized field of interest/research
|
- Taking courses in a broad range of subject areas
- Learning the tools in their major field
|
- Large vocabulary especially in their field and know synonyms and related concepts
|
- Learning terminology and often don't know which concepts are related
|
- Generally use one computer platform and specific desktop or laptop
|
- May need to use a variety of computers with different software, setup, etc. This may especially true for CAPS/GS students.
|
- Assume students learned a great deal of research skills in ILA, College Writing, Academic Research Writing, or in another class in their program
|
- College Writing classes vary a great deal
- Library Instruction for a class or cohort may have been months ago
- Students don't tend to remember from just one experience
|
