Lessons learned about developing and coordinating an instruction program with freshman composition

Abstract

In the Spring of 2001, the Oregon State University Libraries began planning for a collaboration with the university's freshman composition program. In implementing this project, with no additional library resources, and with the majority of library faculty less experienced in working with freshman students, the coordinators of the program learned numerous lessons which highlighted both the steps needed in initiating and maintaining a new instruction program, and the functions and competencies vital to providing instructional leadership and coordination in an academic library. The following case study describes the process that the coordinators of this instruction program followed, and will discuss the important role that library instruction coordinators have to play in starting a new program of library instruction.

The learning environment: First-year students, teaching assistants, and information literacy

“…Most programs include one or two library instruction sessions, in consultation with the composition instructors, taught by the librarians. An example is the program initiated by the instruction coordinator at Oregon State University that targeted the freshmen composition program by providing their own faculty librarians with more formal training to be ready to teach freshmen students (McMillen, Miyagishima, & Maughan, 2002).…”

First-Year Writing Teachers, Perceptions of Students' Information Literacy Competencies, and a Call for a Collaborative Approach

“…Among universities that did recognize the importance of collaboration between librarians and compositionists, Oregon State took the lead, although much of the research on their innovative program is being published in library science journals, and is therefore not yet integrated into the conversation of composition studies (Davidson et al, 2002;McMillen & Hill, 2004;McMillen, Miyagishima, & Maughan, 2002). These authors argue for embedding IL in the first-year writing course as a way of avoiding teaching rote, arhetorical, and decontextualized research assignments that merely dictate limitations to students (such as number and type of sources, page length, etc.)…”