Asking questions is an essential component of the practice of science, but question-asking skills are often underemphasized in science education. In this study, we examined questions written by students as they prepared for laboratory exercises in a senior-level cell biology class. Our goals were to discover 1) what types of questions students asked about laboratory activities, 2) whether the types or quality of questions changed over time, and 3) whether the quality of questions or degree of improvement was related to academic performance. We found a majority of questions were about laboratory outcomes or seeking additional descriptive information about organisms or processes to be studied. Few questions earned the highest possible ranking, which required demonstration of extended thought, integration of information, and/or hypotheses and future experiments, although a majority of students asked such a question at least once. We found no correlation between types of student questions or improvement in questions and final grades. Only a small improvement in overall question quality was seen despite considerable practice at writing questions about science. Our results suggest that improving students' ability to generate higher-order questions may require specific pedagogical intervention.
The "Alert Collector" is one of RUSQ's most popular columns, offering selectors in both academic and public libraries starting points for developing collections focused on specific topics, subject areas, or genres. With a long-running column, it can be useful to occasionally step back, examine the premise of the column, and offer suggestions to readers who might be interested in contributing to the "Alert Collector" in the future. Here, current editor Kelly Myer Polacek and past editor Neal Wyatt collaborate to examine the art of writing about collection development and to give some guidance to potential authors.-Editor C ollection development is not a simple task. In 2001, Deborah Barreau conducted an extensive investigation into the responsibilities, strategies, and tools associated with the task of collection development in public libraries.1 She reported that collection development librarians not only "choose books," but they also contribute to policy design, analyze collections, evaluate offerings, and weed materials. In addition to this extensive list of responsibilities, librarians are faced not only with the confines of time, space, and money, but must also overcome the challenges of evaluating the need for e-materials, developing subject matter expertise, and predicting patron usage (for which there remains no exact science).Collection development librarians utilize a variety of resources to aid in these pursuits including recommendations by patrons, vendors, publishers, and media sources, among others. Attempting to simplify collection development by relying solely on statistical models derived from usage data or citation analyses can leave a library without the breadth and depth of materials ultimately desired by patrons. Editors of the "Alert Collector" advocate for collection development strategies that allow librarians to use the multiple approaches that will result in the carefully assembled collections that best meet their specific users' needs. We seek to help this endeavor by publishing curation devices that not only describe essential materials on specific subjects but also provide models for thinking about how to develop collections on innumerous subjects.It is our hope that the "Alert Collector" pieces we publish identify key resources and include annotations that illuminate how and why these items are essential to collections.
It is my great pleasure to join readers as the new editor of the Information Literacy and Instruction column. Librarians who specialize in reference, instruction, and other user services are regularly challenged to provide both the tools and the materials that enable patrons to find and use the information they seek. Literacy and instruction are essential components of our discipline, and I encourage you to consider how important your contributions are in helping librarians become more informed, aware, and instructed on these and other important topics. A simple Google Scholar search for "information literacy" retrieves more than 60,000 citations. Since its infancy, the term information literacy itself has taken on many meanings in many contexts. Today, information literacy can occur in the library, in the classroom, or in aisle seven of the grocery store. Information literacy doesn't just mean fluency; it means competency and critical thinking. Readers of our journal serve patrons in settings as diverse as public, corporate, and prison libraries, and they provide these services to individuals of all ages, races, creeds, and abilities. This column also offers readers an opportunity to learn about information literacy and instructional approaches that they can integrate into their own, unique settings. Please consider this a call not only for papers about information literacy and instruction, but also a call for our continued pursuit to better understand literacy and instruction in novel, unique ways.Autism spectrum disorders are a prevalent diversity in users in public, academic, and special libraries. Here, guest columnists Charlie Remy and Priscilla Seaman offer a description of autism spectrum disorders and provide instructional strategies for the reference desk and the classroom. In addition, readers can learn how to refine outreach and programming to better serve these patrons. Assistant Professor Remy and Associate Professor Seaman are librarians at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.-Editor
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.