Colón-Aguirre, M., & Fleming-May, R. A. (2012). “You just type in what you are looking for”: Undergraduates' use of library resources vs. wikipedia. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 38(6), 391-399. doi:10.1016/j.acalib.2012.09.013
This study uses one-on-one interviews of 21 undergraduate students at a large public research university in the United States to explore opinions about the use of free online resources, such as Wikipedia, compared to subscription based resources and other library collected material. Colón-Aguirre and Fleming-May suggest that whether or not academic librarians believe Google is the enemy, students are using it regularly to conduct their research. According to students, the library and its resources are too confusing to use. While librarians and more experienced researchers see the library as the “heart of the university”, new undergraduate students do not necessarily agree with that message. The authors suggest new methods need to be adopted to meet the needs of these new undergraduate students.
Schmidt, J. (2007). Promoting library services in a Google world. Library Management, 28 (6/7), 337-346. doi: 10.1108/01435120710774477
Schmidt argues that today's library users are so accustomed to the digital consumption of information that libraries fear whether or not they can provide them with the resources they need. Schmidt even suggests that well established researchers are forgoing library resources and moving online for their research. This paper explores the need for libraries to better understand the information needs of their users, which will allow them to better market their products. Effective promotional strategies are explored so that libraries can continue to meet the strategic goals of their institutions. Finally, Schmidt finds that libraries can no longer operate in a “come and get it” environment and must instead seek outreach opportunities to meet the needs of their users.
Snavely, L. (2012). Student engagement and the academic library. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC.
This book explores the need to get students to see the library as an important resource in their academic career. The goal is to increase user excitement and interest in the library. Educating users about the role of the library is also a strong theme throughout the work. The first chapter provides a great fundamental understanding of the needs of undergraduate students and argues that if we do not engage with these students it doesn’t matter how good our library collections or services are, they will not be used as effectively and efficiently as they could.
Sobel, K. (2009). Promoting library reference services to first-year undergraduate students: What works? Reference & User Services Quarterly, 48(4), 362-371.
Sobel looks to answer three research questions in her study. Firstly, what percentage of first-year undergraduate students are aware of reference services? Secondly, what percentage of first-years seek information from reference librarians? Finally, through which media are first-years comfortable communicating with reference librarians? Answering these questions will allow libraries to better tailor their services for students using the library. Sobel was surprised to see that a high number of undergraduate students (73%) saw the value in seeking reference staff for research assistance to answer the majority of their questions. However, Sobel notes that only 4.6 percent of students recalled notable interactions with reference staff during orientation. This suggests that a more significant outreach is needed to promote reference services among freshmans.
Soria, K. M., Fransen, J., & Nackerud, S. (2013). Library use and undergraduate student outcomes: New evidence for students' retention and academic success. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 13(2), 147-164.
Academic libraries are being asked to prove their value to the institutions in which they operate. This paper explores the impact of library usage on first year students at a large, public research university. Soria, Fransen and Nackerud argue that their findings suggest that students who use the library frequently have a higher overall GPA and higher retention rates from the fall to spring term over non-library users. According to their results, students who use the library had an average GPA of 3.18 compared to an average GPA of 2.98 of non-library users.Similarly, retention rates were higher in library users (2.9% did not return) compared to non-library users (4.3%). However, the authors do note that the percentage difference is relatively small.
Burguillo J.C. (2010) Using game theory and Competition-based Learning to stimulate student motivation and performance. Computers & Education, 55, 566-575. Retrieved from www.sciencedirect.com
This article explores a framework for competition-based learning combined with traditional learning techniques to increase both student motivation and learning performance. The researcher draws on student surveys as the basis for their research. According to Burguillo, the introduction of friendly competitions provides additional motivation for students in learning environments. The results of the surveys showed that technology and competitions tend to cater towards diverse learning styles as well as individual differences (p. 575). Although the study is geared towards computer science and mathematic centered students, the author argues that the fundamental concepts may be applied to any type of learning environment or discipline. However, it is important that the outcome of the competition only apply bonus rewards, not punishment, and that the competition should be administered at the end of the course to avoid a lack of interest for those who might not be as successful in the competition. Finally, it is argued that game theory and competition-based learning provide significant advantage in “interactivity, collaborative work inside the group, active participation,challenge versus duties, and motivation for the students to explore their own topics” (p. 575).
Crocco, F., Offenholley, K., & Hernandez, C. (2016). A proof-of-concept study of game-based learning in higher education. Simulation & Gaming, 47(4), 403-422. doi:10.1177/1046878116632484
This article attempts to study the effects of game-based learning (GBL) on enjoyment, engagement, and learning in higher education, involving English, Math and Science undergraduate level students. The study followed a number of faculty members who taught two sections of the same course. In one section, the faculty members utilized games and in the other course they did not. According to the results, using games increased enjoyment levels, especially among students who reported that they had high level of anxiety about learning, and the enjoyment of GBL correlated to improvement in deep learning and higher-order thinking. Although the researchers suggest more long-term evaluation of GBL be conducted, they felt that the preliminary results of their research showed promise that GBL can improve deep learning through higher levels of enjoyment.
De Freitas, S. I. (2006). Using games and simulations for supporting learning. Learning, media and technology, 31(4), 343-358. Retrieved from www.tandfonline.com
This article sheds light on the use of games and simulations to support learning and attempts to challenge the perceptions traditionally held by educators and policy makers. De Freitas also argues that the negative perceptions associated with popular culture games and simulations can affect the choice for educators to adopt and use games to teach students. The study argues that while games have the potential to increase motivation through the positive experience of learning through play, educators often found that students who used games and simulations to learn had difficulty returning to “traditional” text-based learning models. De Freitas argues that it is easier to create “serious games” with dedicated content geared towards teaching than it is to adapt existing popular culture games to educational experiences.
Miller, C. T. (2008). Games: Purpose and potential in education. New York: Springer Science+Business. doi:10.1007/978-0-387-09775-6
This book contains a lot of great information about using games in educational settings. Of particular interest is the chapter about game development titled, Applying pedagogy during game development to enhance game-based learning. What makes this chapter particularly useful is that it was primarily written for educators and instructional designers who are looking to integrate common instructional system design (ISD) within a game development process, with the goal to create a more educationally balanced game-based learning experience. This chapter is also useful since it provides a very detailed description of the game development process. It also discussed when educators should apply their specialized knowledge of subject matter into a game. If an educator bases the development of the game solely around the content matter, the game will surely fail because “products may not utilize the potential of games to engage learners and make learning fun” (p. 160).
Rigou, M., Daloukas, V., & Sirmakessis, S. (2012). Is there a place for casual games in teaching and learning?: The snakes and ladders case. International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 2(1), 16-32. doi:10.4018/ijgbl.2012010102
This paper is an interesting resource because it explores the potential for “casual games” in teaching and learning. While much of the academic literature on the topic of games in education focuses on games developed for the purpose of teaching very specific content matter, this paper explores the value of a casual game of snakes and ladders in the classroom. What makes this resource particularly valuable is that the authors argue that simple rules and game play do not require a long time commitment from the player and typically tend to absorb the player’s attention, which in turn helps transfer larger quantities of knowledge to the player. This information will prove valuable when designing our own games throughout the term.
Research supporting the path game assessment tool and the tool itself, can be found here.