| On average, 1,500 students receive
bibliographic research instruction at the Grossmont College
Library each year. Instructors from various departments
request library instruction because they have witnessed the
benefit their students reap from understanding how to use
research to write quality papers.
Thanks to the persistence and dedication of the LRC and
Instructional Technology department administrators, faculty and
staff, the Research Instruction Lab (RIL) has come a long way. “At
one time, many years ago, these research classes were taught
in a room that only had chairs and an overhead projector and
sometimes conducted even in a hallway,” said librarian
Michelle Blackman. The new RIL lab, located at the south end
of the top floor of the new LRC, is high tech and can seat 28
students at brand new computers with flat screen monitors. A
librarian can control whether or not the mice and keyboards of
those 28 computers are frozen or active, thanks to Net Tutor
software that allows the “podium” computer’s screen to be
shown at all the stations. When the student machines are
released for “hands-on” exploration, the librarian can still
show what is on the monitor at the podium by projecting it
onto a large screen. “Having the 28 computers in our new
Research Instruction Lab makes the learning experience much
better than just the static teaching done in our old ‘B.I.
Room’ because the students are able to actively practice what
has been demonstrated,” said Blackman. “I thoroughly enjoy
making the presentations. They are personally satisfying as a
way of passing on some of the research strategies I have
learned (and continue learning). I try to keep up on “popular
culture” so that my examples will hopefully resonate with
college students. Students sometimes approach the reference
desk later in the semester and ask, “Remember me?” Blackman
currently coordinates the Library Instruction Program. At
times when instruction is not scheduled, the lab is used for
professional development workshops, and at other times, other
organizations use the space for training purposes. For
example, the San Diego chapter of the Special Library
Association recently used RIL for a Virtual Seminar. If you
are interested in scheduling instruction for your students,
contact Michelle Blackman, ext. 7382, or use the interactive
Request Form located on the Library Instruction web page: New
instruction policies require a two-week advance notice from
instructors wanting to schedule a research instruction
www.grossmont.edu/Library/libraryinstruction/ |
