Category: Teaching Research Strategies

• Observation Activity (In-Class) : Students brainstorm observation criteria and then test them out. When conducted as a group activity, sub-groups could compare results to prompt discussion of the challenges of conducting thorough (but non-obtrusive) observations.
• Interview Activity (In-Class): Students brainstorm interview questions and test them out by interviewing each other
• Field Research Report (See Jessie Moore’s Assignment)
• Ethnography Assignment (See Kim Pyne’s Activity)

• Assignments and Activities

• Library Scavenger Hunt on Student Selected Topic –> Evaluating Sources –> Mini-Annotated Bibliography

• Source Comparison Activities: Give students, or have them find, different kinds of sources addressing the same topic –> Compare the sources –> Assess their reliability
  • Internet and Web-based Databases
  • Scholarly Journals Vs. Popular Magazines

• Library Session Tailored to a Specific Research Assignment in Your Class

Shared English 110 Experience

According to our objectives statement for English 110/College Writing, our course will give students experience “writing to persuade by analyzing, interpreting, researching, synthesizing, and evaluating a wide variety of sources” [emphasis added].

This expectation was extended in the “Library & General Research Skills students should develop in English 110” handout (included in your packet and available on Blackboard). While we can partner with Belk librarians to teach many of these skills, this instruction is most meaningful when completed within the context of a writing assignment. Furthermore, teaching these research skills in College Writing courses gives us another angle from which to discuss evaluating texts, using source material, and avoiding plagiarism.