November 5, 2009
September 18, 2009
Peer Research Consultants
I included this information in a post last week but it was so important that I have decided to include it in its own post...
Peer Research Consultants (Pilot) Program **NEW**
The University Libraries, Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE), and SMART Learning Commons have come together to pilot a program of providing peer tutors for students on library and academic research--specifically First Year Writing students. PRCs have completed WRIT 1301 and will receive extensive training in library research, information literacy, tutoring and cultural competencies. We have hired three students for Fall and they will be available for one-on-one appointments and drop-ins in early October at the SMART Learning Commons and MCAE. I will send more information about times and locations soon. PRC can help students with:
--Selecting and narrowing a topic
--Finding Books and articles
--Finding scholarly articles
--Evaluating sources
--Basic citation creation
More information coming soon....
July 16, 2009
Prefer Like-minded Views
Studies like this make me think we need to emphasize information literacy even more and be much more aware of how difficult critical thinking is--it goes against the brain...
"The analysis, reported this month in Psychological Bulletin, was led by researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Florida, and included data from 91 studies involving nearly 8,000 participants."
"Receiving information that supports one's position on an issue allows people to conclude that their views are correct but may often obscure reality. In contrast, receiving
information that contradicts one's view on an issue can cause people to feel misled or ignorant but may allow access to a valid representation of reality. Therefore, understanding how people strive to feel validated versus to be correct is critical to
explicating how they select information about an issue when several alternatives are present. We conducted a meta-analysis of field and laboratory studies on information exposure to shed light on these issues."
Hart, W., Albarracın, D., Eagly, A. H., Brechan, I., Lindberg, M. J., & Merrill, L. (2009). Feeling Validated Versus Being Correct: A Meta-Analysis of Selective Exposure to Information. Psychological Bulletin, 135(4), 555-588. doi: 10.1037/a0015701.
April 21, 2009
New: Dictionary of Literary Biography
Featuring comprehensive literary biographies written by recognized literary scholars and critics, you'll find profiles of more than 143,000 past and present authors, historians, journalists, screenwriters, publishers, and playwrights. The biographies discuss the lives and careers of the literary figures profiled, along with the critical response to their works.