ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 24 / C&RL News ■ January 2002 LEARNING COMMUNITIES The “LEAPing” librarian’s role in a campus learning community Helping students get through their freshman year by Linda St. Clair T he LEAP Program is a learning commu­nity serving freshman at the University of Utah ( http://ugs.utah.edu/leap/index.htm). All freshmen are eligible to participate in the program, but since LEAP is not required of freshman students, students must choose to participate. Each year this successful program grows in popularity, and in fall 2001, 700 stu­ dents enrolled. The C o m p re h e n siv e LEA P P ro gram Typical o f learning communities is the orga­ nization o f students into smaller groups, “pro­ viding atmospheres or environments that are more casual or ‘intimate.’”1 In the Compre­ hensive LEAP Program, students enroll in a freshman seminar with the same classmates and faculty m em ber for two semesters. Stu­ dents interact with other students in the class and in the program, with experienced stu­ dent mentors, and with faculty recognized for teaching excellence. The program provides opportunities for stu­ dents to connect with faculty and other stu­ dents who have similar interests. LEAP students study American thought and civilization by comparing American cultural traditions in se­ lected communities. LEAP professors expect students to acquire an understanding and re­ spect for diversity, learn critical thinking strat­ egies, develop written and oral communica­ tion skills, and experience the supportive rela­ tionships with other students and the instruc­ tor. Social events are coordinated within the program, and service-learning opportunities are offered that develop a “sense o f student re­ sponsibility.”2 LEAP students may fulfill a num­ ber o f general education requirements, includ­ ing Intermediate Writing and American Institu­ tion courses. Specific sections of these courses are linked to the LEAP freshman seminar and are open only to LEAP students. Stu d e n ts w ith sp e cial in te rests The LEAP Program provides options for stu­ dents who may be interested in variations to the Comprehensive LEAP Program. Students w ho live in campus dorms may prefer to enroll in sections made up o f their dormitory colleagues, and LEAP has designed sections for dorm students. There are also LEAP sec­ tions reserved for students who have selected majors so rigidly structured (such as Pre-Med) that these students would not otherwise be able to participate in LEAP. Several academic departments have devel­ oped college-specific sections for incoming freshmen. At this time, freshman declaring ma­ jors in Architecture, Business, Engineering, and Health may enroll in college-specific sec- About the author Linda St. Clair is head o f library instruction and acting head o f Student Computing Labs in the Marriott Library o f the University o f Utah; e-mail: lstclair@library.utah.edu http://ugs.utah.edu/leap/index.htm mailto:lstclair@library.utah.edu C&RL News ■ January 2002 / 25 tions o f LEAP. In the fall semester, th e s e c o l l e g e - specific sections follow the Com­ prehensive LEAP curriculum , but during the spring s e m e s te r , th e content o f these sections is disci­ p l in e - s p e c i f i c , LEAP classroom in the Residential Village (site of the 2002 Olympics).and LEAP faculty work with librar­ ians who are subject specialists to design li­ brary visits and assignments relevant to the topics being studied in classes. The lib ra ry 's role W ith the library’s particip ation, w h ich b e g a n in 1995, students learn h o w to u se b asic te c h ­ n o lo g ie s a n d lib r a r y r e s o u r c e s . T w e lv e “LEAPing” librarians and o n e teach in g assis­ tant w ork w ith LEAP faculty to offer a series o f ten library sessions o v er the acad em ic year. M eetings tak e p la c e throu gh out the year b e ­ tw e e n LEAP faculty and librarians to assure that the library visits and co n te n t integrate seam lessly w ith the LEAP curriculum . Each library se s sio n is d esig n ed w ith co u rse read ­ ings and req uired student p ro jects in mind, and as students atten d e a c h library session, their k n o w led g e o f re s e a rch strategies b e ­ co m e s m o re sop histicated. In the ten library visits, students are intro­ d u ced to the co n ce p ts ou tlined in ACRL’s In­ fo rm a tio n Literacy Competency Standards f o r H igher E du cation ’ w ith e m p h a s e s p la ce d o n the research p ro cess, patterns u sed in sea rch ­ ing e le ctro n ic reso u rces, structure and orga­ nization o f inform ation, an d strategies u sed in critical thinking. D uring e a c h library se s­ sion , a librarian p re sen ts the relevant co n ten t w ith b a c k up from a s e c o n d librarian during the “h a n d s-o n ” co m p o n en t. A LEAP p e e r ad­ visor (a student m entor), as w ell as the fa c­ ulty m em ber, are p re sen t and a lso assist dur­ ing th e sessio n . E ach se s sio n inclu des a d em ­ on stration that lasts ab o u t 2 0 m inutes and is follow ed by han d s-o n tim e, allow ing students to p ractice n e w skills and co m p le te a m ajo r part o f the assignm ent. Library visits, sp a c e d tw o w e e k s apart, re­ q u ire students to m aster increasingly so p h is­ tic a t e d s e a r c h strategies and to use these strate­ gies to find infor­ m a tio n in r e l ­ evant library da­ tabases for class discussions and p r o je c t s . T h e LEAPing librar­ ians develop all assignments with input from LEAP faculty. The LEAP faculty is responsible for grading assignments. During the fall semester, five visits cover the library’s online catalog and various library databases related to course content. The da­ tabases change annually based upon faculty revisions to the LEAP curriculum. Prior to the first library visit, students are given an assignment that requires them to attend a library tour, access electronic reserve readings used in class during the first week, activate circulation privileges, and sign up for a university network ID for access to the university’s network and its resources from home or dorm rooms. Students also learn how information is organized within the library, how the classification and call number sys­ tems work, and how to identify scholarly re­ sources. During the spring semester, students en­ rolled in Comprehensive LEAP are assigned readings related to communities in Australia, South Africa, Japan, and India. Sessions for students in Comprehensive LEAP typically include a review assignment covering the research process, and later cover additional relevant and new databases, Web search en­ gines, and evaluating Web resources. Students enrolled in college-specific sec­ tions such as Business, Engineering, or Health work with librarians who are specialists in these areas. These librarians meet with fac­ ulty to develop the content and assignments o f the library visits, and these sessions reflect the research strategies and library resources essential for success in the major. As an incentive to do well on the library assignments, LEAP students are offered the opportunity to enroll in Writing 1060, “Meth­ ods and Technologies o f Library Research,” during spring registration. Writing 1060 is a one 26 / C&RL News ■ January 2002 "H o w d o o th e r s tu d e n ts d o lib ra ry research ? I w o u ld n 't h av e a clue w h ere to b e g in w it h o u t th e se lib ra ry v is it s ." credit hour course taught by librarians, and the LEAP students are required to master the same com petencies as students enrolled in Writing 1060. If students successfully complete all LEAP library assignments and enroll in Writ­ ing 1060, they receive credit for the work com ­ pleted during the LEAP library visits. W hat p articip a n ts sa y The partnership between the LEAP faculty and the librarians has b een a positive experience for all parties involved. Each group learns some­ thing new, which is the hope behind any learn­ ing community. O ne LEAP faculty mem ber stated, “Seminar instructors find that after com ­ pleting the library work, students have a truly impressive capacity to negotiate the library’s offerings and to research successfully. Their papers in our classes and in their other classes profit accordingly. Moreover, w e find our stu­ dents acting as tutors to siblings and friends who have no idea how to use library resources the way our students do. They report a pride in their knowledge and accomplishments which we share. Library work has vastly improved the LEAP program and is one o f its defining and most valuable com ponents.” Librarians also recommend the experience o f working with LEAP students and faculty to colleagues. A participating library administra­ tor states, “It helps me understand what seems to work best for teaching students— that is a sequential series o f library sessions building on each other and resulting in learning about a com plex system o f processes, not just about specific sources o f information. … It gives me experience in what other librarians are experiencing in dealing with workload chal­ lenges. G ood teaching takes time, practice, confidence, and a desire for positive educa­ tional outcom es.” One of the most rewarding aspects o f work­ ing with the LEAP Program is the ability of partici­ pating librarians to develop working relationships with both LEAP students and faculty. Other LEAPing librarians agree with what one librarian adds, “I enjoy meeting with the class and getting to know the faces of the students.” LEAP students who have completed the pro­ gram list learning to use the Marriott Library’s resources and gaining computer literacy skills among the top items they value most from the program. Recently a student stated that after a LEAP library session, “How do other students do library research? I wouldn’t have a clue where to begin without these library visits.” Another student commented, “It’s reassuring to be one o f the few people who doesn’t break into a cold sweat when som eone says ‘research paper.’” O p p o rtu n itie s fo r c h a n g e T h e p artn ersh ip b e tw e e n LEAP and the Marriott Library provides unique opportuni­ ties to try out new services as librarians work to improve the quality o f the library visits. Tw o years ago, the Marriott Library, with the support o f LEAP faculty, was awarded fund­ ing for a university teaching assistant. This award is given to innovative programs that support excellent teaching and learning en ­ vironments. The teaching assistant participates in negotiations with LEAP faculty concerning the curriculum, deepens his or her under­ standing o f library research strategies and li­ brary resources, serves as primary instructor in two sections, serves as assisting instructor in three other sections (studying the teaching styles o f different librarians), and schedules research labs specifically for LEAP students. B y working with faculty and librarians, the LEAP university teaching assistant experiences good teaching through readings and obser­ vation, collaborative techniques, and using technology to enhance student learning. The university teaching assistant gains experience in teaching while supporting student learn­ ing through the LEAP labs, developing con­ tent, and providing research consultations. E ach semester, the LEAP faculty offers a special lecture series in the Marriott Library’s G ould Auditorium. T h ese lectures are in­ tended to supplem ent information provided in course readings, class discussions, and class lectures. This fall the library offered to mount these lectures on the video server located in the library’s Technology Assisted Curriculum Center. Thus, students w ho are unable to at­ tend faculty lectures may view them in the (con tin u ed on p a g e 2 9 ) C&RL News ■ January 2002 / 29 their questions others o f my ow n, an d share them as questions that w e m a y ask them. That gives them a m ental h ead start, but I request that they not prepare detailed answers in advance o r not w rite dow n w hat they plan to say, in order to preserve spontaneity. I also tell them that I may no t ask them all o f these questions, an d may think of new ones as the program proceeds. I’ve tried to arrange tables on the dais so that I’m in the m iddle and the panelists fan out on either side of me. We usually en d u p w ith the tables arranged in a large “U” or "V,” w ith the m oderator at the bottom , the panel­ ists on either side, and the audience at the top. It’s im portant to have en o u g h micro­ p hones so that panelists can respond easily to a statem ent or question. At som e p oint I invite m em bers o f the audience to step to the m icrophone w ith com m ents and questions o f their own, to w hich one or m ore of the panelists m ay respond. At the en d I thank each panelist by nam e for participating and thank the audience for coming. W hat’s missing from this model is the short N ewsH our set-up piece. I’ve actually seen ("The LEAPing .. . cont. fr o m pa g e 26) Library’s student computing labs, dorm rooms, or at home. The library benefits by being able to test and improve this service with feedback provided by LEAP students and faculty. Another librarian points out “that w e used LEAP students for som e very useful focus groups. They w ere by far the most successful attempts to get undergraduates in, and the stu­ dents had enough to exposure to the library that they w ere able to make a num ber of as­ tute observations. Two things stand out in my mind from the focus groups and general ob­ servation through the years of LEAP students: w e w ho w ork here forget how big and com­ plex this place is. The physical environm ent/ how things work parts o f the library experi­ ence are extremely important to students. Feed­ back from the focus groups has m ade a docu­ m ented difference in library procedures and policies.” To more effectively m easure student learning, the instruction librarians also devel­ op ed pre- and post-tests this fall that will al­ low the library to better assess student skill acquisition. As ACRL President Mary Reichel states in “ACRE: The learning community for excellence in Call for Participation ACRL seeks the best ideas o f o u r profes­ sion an d invites proposal subm issions on a variety of topics facing academ ic and research librarians. Program session for­ m ats include: contributed papers, panel sessio n s, p re c o n fe re n c e s, w o rk sh o p s, poster sessions, and roundtables. The Call for Participation for th e Charlotte confer­ ence is online at http://w w w .ala.org/acrl/ charlotte/cfp.htm l. P ro p o sals fo r p a n e l sessio n s are d u e May 31, 2002. pretty effective videotaped pieces, including interviews, at the start o f som e ALA programs. I’d recom m end using one at the beginning of a panel discussion if and only if it w ere p lanned carefully and do n e well. Panels that have b een do n e this w ay have consistently received positive evaluations. Some of these sessions have b een tw o hours long w ith audiences o f m ore than tw o hu n ­ dred. My experience has b een that very few attendees have left these sessions early. ■ academic libraries,” “the idea of learning commu­ nity is a powerful concept.”’ Reichel also notes “[s]tudents and faculty w ho participate in learning communities benefit from the intentional and coherent nature of clustering the courses, as well as the engagement with each other and the learn­ ing process.”’ The partnership between the LEAP Program and the LEAPing librarians in the Marriott Library benefits students, faculty, and librarians and places the library in the middle of a success­ ful campus learning community. Notes 1. D onald G. Frank, Sarah Beasley, and Susan Kroll, “O pportunities for collaborative excellence: 'What learning comm unities of­ fer,” College & Research Libraries News (>2, no. 10 (2001): 1009. 2. Ibid. 3. View ACRL ’s Inform ation Literacy Com­ p eten c y Standards f o r H igher E ducation at h ttp ://w w w .ala. o rg / acrl/ilcoms tan. htm l. 4. Mary Reichel, “ACRE: The learning com ­ m unity for excellence in academ ic libraries,” College & Research Libraries News 62, no. 8 (2001): 818. 5. Ibid, 819. ■ http://www.ala.org/acrl/ http://www.ala