Active and Collaborative Learning
Virginia Library Association Annual Conference, October 1999

Case Study

As Marion Wetherby nervously shifted his notes and papers, the English 101 students burst into the library classroom and noisily settled into their seats. Their professor, Dr. Wise, was out of town attending a conference, and rather than cancel that class, she had asked Marion to lead a library orientation session. The students would eventually have to write research papers on any topic of their choice, but this assignment had not yet been discussed in class. Dr. Wise wanted Marion to show them how to find books and articles in the university's library.

Marion glanced at the clock. "Only another hour until lunchtime," he thought longingly. Even though some students were still straggling in, he decided to start on time. Marion introduced himself and proceeded to turn off the lights so that the students could see the dimly projected image of the computer databases. Through the noise of the door banging open and the rustling of the tardy students finding a seat, he began his presentation.

Speaking in a quiet monotone and talking more to the computer screen in front of him than to the students, Marion demonstrated how to use the online catalog and two general periodical databases. He searched for books and articles on politics, the same talk he always gave to freshmen. The students lounged back in their seats, their eyes glazed and eyelids drooping. Johnny, the class clown, snored gently in the back row, while several others rested their heads on their desks.

As Marion opened the second database, he was momentarily taken aback. The database had a new interface, one that he was completely unfamiliar with. He fumbled with it, clicking on various options before figuring out how to use it. Some of the students giggled.

Marion eventually wrapped up his demonstration and turned on the lights. The students blinked and began to stir. Marion announced that the library tour was next and headed out the door.

Later that month, Marion attended a meeting of the library instruction staff. "We get the same questions over and over," the Reference Librarian complained. "It's obvious they're from the same English 101 class, because they all have the same assignment sheet. I know they've had a library instruction session, but most of them don't have a clue as to where they should begin!"

"I did all the English 101 classes this year," admitted Marion. "I don't know why they're so lost. I went over everything they need to know!"

Questions

1. How would you answer Marion? Why are the students lost?
2. How could Marion determine whether the students were paying attention and understanding the information he was presenting?
3. How could Marion improve his presentations? Describe at least three things.
4. How would your answer to #2 change if Marion were teaching a course on library research that met once a week for the entire semester?

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List of Sources (Extensive list, and the books with call numbers are in CNU's Trible Library)

        Allen, Eileen E. (1995). Active learning and teaching: Improving postsecondary library instruction. The Reference Librarian, no.51-52, 89-103.

        Barton, Stephanie L. (1982). Serving adult learners: Collaborative approaches in five communities. Washington, D.C.: National Institute for Work and Learning. [LC5251 B37 1982]

        Bonwell, Charles C. & Eison, James A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1). Washington, D.C.: George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development. [LB2331 B66 1991]

        Braun, Carl. (1996, Spring). The use of Web pages for active learning. Business and Finance Division Bulletin, no.102, 37-42.

        Brooking, Dolo. (1995). Putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa: Violating expectations in teaching. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 6(2), 79-97.

        Bruffee, Kenneth A. (1993). Collaborative learning: Higher education, interdependence, and the authority of knowledge. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. [LB1032 B76 1993]

        Byrd, Anthony K., & Harman, Yvette S. (1998). Collaborative learning in the college classroom: Building knowledge with teamwork and technology. Journal of Educational Media & Library Sciences, 35(3), 195-208.

        Cantor, Jeffrey A. (1997). Experiential learning in higher education: Linking classroom and community. (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 7). Washington, D.C.: George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development. [LB2324 C36 1997]

        Carver, Curtis A., Howard, Richard A., & Lane, William. (1996, Summer). Active student-controlled learning: Reaching the weakest students. Liberal Education, 82(3), 24-29.

        Dabbour, Katherine S. (1997, July). Applying active learning methods to the design of library instruction for a freshman seminar. College & Research Libraries, 58(4), 299-308.

        Davidson, Neil & Worsham, Toni (Eds.). (1992). Enhancing thinking through cooperative learning. New York: Teachers College Press. [LB1032 E54 1992]

        Drueke, Jeanetta. (1992, Spring). Active learning in the university library instruction classroom. Research Strategies, 10(2), 77-83.

        Dufresne, Robert J., Gerace, William J., Leonard William J., Mestre, Jose P., & Wenk, Laura. (1996, Spring). Classtalk: A classroom communication system for active learning. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 7(2), 3-47.

        Ercegovac, Zorana. (1995, May). Information access instruction (IAI⁴): Design principles. College & Research Libraries, 56(3), 249-257.

        Golub, Jeff. (1988). Focus on collaborative learning. Urbana, Illinois: National Council of Teachers of English. [PE1065 F62 1988]

        Gradowski, Gail, Snavely, Loanne, & Dempsey, Paula. (1998). Designs for active learning: A sourcebook of classroom strategies for information education. Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries. [Z711.2 D47 1998]

        Grieve, Donald (Ed.). (1983). Teaching in college: A resource for adjunct and part time faculty. Cleveland, OH: Info-Tec, Inc. [LB2331 T39 1983]

        Hanson, Michele G. (1995). Joining the conversation: Collaborative learning and bibliographic instruction. The Reference Librarian, no.51-52, 147-159.

        Jacobson, Trudi E., & Mark, Beth L. (1995). Teaching in the information age: Active learning techniques to empower students. The Reference Librarian, no.51-52, 105-120.

        Johnson, David W., Johnson, Roger T., & Hulobec, Edythe J. (1994). Cooperative learning in the classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. [LB1032 J597 1994]

        Johnson, David W., Johnson, Roger T., & Smith, Karl A. (1991). Cooperative learning: Increasing college faculty instructional productivity. (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 4). Washington, D.C.: George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development. [LB1032 J63 1991]

        Keig, Larry & Waggoner, Michael D. (1994). Collaborative peer review: The role of faculty in improving college teaching. (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 2). Washington, D.C.: George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development. [LB2333 K45 1994]

        Krajcik, Joseph S., Blumenfeld, Phyllis C., Marx, Ronald W., & Soloway, Elliot. (1994, May). A collaborative model for helping middle grade science teachers learn project-based instruction. Elementary School Journal, 94(5), 483-497.

        Louth, Richard H. & Ramsey, Richard D. (1994, June). The traditional model and the collaborative model. Bulletin of the Association for Business Communication, 57(2), 56(2). Available: InfoTrac/General BusinessFile ASAP [1999, October 25].

        Lowman, Joseph. (1984). Mastering the techniques of learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. [LB2331 L68 1984]

        Mark, Beth L. & Jacobson, Trudi E. (1995, Winter). Teaching anxious students skills for the electronic library. College Teaching, 43(1), 28-31.

        Pappas, Vicki C., Krothe, Joyce S., & Adair, Lorinda P. (1998, Fall). Using collaborative work technology to support active learning. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 31(1), 49-61.

        Ragains, Patrick. (1995, Winter). Four variations on Drueke's active learning paradigm. Research Strategies, 13(1), 40-50.

        Rubin, Lois & Hebert, Catherine. (1998, Winter). Model for active learning: Collaborative peer teaching. College Teaching, 46(1), 26(5). Available: InfoTrac/Expanded Academic ASAP [1999, October 25].

        St. Pierre, E. Kent, Riordan, Michael P. Riordan, & Diane A. (Eds.). (1990). Research in instructional effectiveness. Harrisonburg, VA: Center for Research in Accounting Education, School of Accounting, James Madison University. [LB2331 R42 1990]

        Sheridan, Jean. (1990, March) The reflective librarian: Some observations on bibliographic instruction in the academic library. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 16(1), 22-26.

        Sheridan, Jean. (1986, Fall). Andragogy: A new concept for academic librarians. Research Strategies, 4(4), 156-167.

        Stocking, S. Holly, Bender, Eileen T., Cookman, Claude H., Peterson, J. Vincent, & Votaw, Robert B. (1998). More quick hits: Successful strategies by award-winning teachers. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. [LB2331 M58 1998]

        Stover, Lois T., Neubert, Gloria A., & Lawlor, James C. (1993). Creating interactive environments in the secondary school. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association. [LB1027.23 S67 1993]

        Thousand, Jacqueline S., Villa, Richard A., & Nevin, Ann I. (1994). Creativity and collaborative learning: A practical guide to empowering students and teachers. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. [LB1032 C73 1994]

        Trimbur, John. (1989, October). Consensus and difference in collaborative learning. College English, 52(6), 602-616.

        Warmkessel, Marjorie M. & Carothers, Frances M. (1993, March). Collaborative learning and bibliographic instruction. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 19(1), 4-7.

        Williams, Karen, & Cox, Jennifer. (1992, Spring). Active learning in action. RQ: Reference Quarterly, 31(3), 326-333.

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Survey Comments

Andrea Kross's LBSC 200 class experienced two very different class formats during two consecutive sessions. Both sessions introduced VIVA databases. The first session was lecture/professor demonstration. In the second session, students followed a guided, hands-on tour of the new databases, working individually or in pairs. Here is a sample of the students' responses to the class formats.

• I think learning hands on is a much better way to learn. Especially with a class like this, it gets kind of boring. By using the computer it forces you to stay awake and pay attention.
• It is easier to learn by actually doing the work. It make it more interesting and keeps you paying attention. Last week's lecture got somewhat boring and I was easily distracted.
• This was fun! I had a blast!! Do it more often! Great job! Went too fast sometimes.
• Very educational. Learned more about [how] to work the computer. I will need to know this for the future in this class.
• I prefer to learn with the computers in front you (the student). I think its easier to learn when you have hands on experience versus someone showing you then having to figure it out later when you dont' have help. Particularly if you are not familiary [sic] with the Internet.
• The hands on method of learning, as we used today, was very successful. I know how to use the programs we learned where as if it was just shown on a projector I would not have remembered it.
• Using the computers ourselves is much better. If we are learning to use the computers I feel hands on is the way to go. I hope you have class in here more often.
• Both were good. Today's was better. Last week was a little confusing.
• I like the demonstrations better than lectures!
• I prefer to learn hands on because I can see what is happening, how to do it and what you will find in certain places.
• Last week's presentation helped me to understand the exercise that we did today. Also the worksheet that we have for homework helped prepare me for today's exercise.
• I really like the way the presentation went today. Not only was it educational but fun. It also allows you to learn with hands on experience. I think I like this method better.