Integrating LILO into your course

How best to integrate LILO into composition or writing-intensive courses?

It is helpful for first-year writing students to see a writing assignment as a series of progressive tasks: selecting a topic; crafting a thesis statement or research question to address a question or problem; searching book, article, and Web databases for supporting information; evaluating sources for reliability and usefulness; integrating source materials with the student's ideas; and citing sources.

We suggest the following plan of action:

1. Select a research-based assignment from your syllabus.

2. List the specific steps students should take to complete the assignment successfully, including steps of the writing process and the research process.

3. Familiarize yourself with LILO content. Questions? Contact the LILO liaison in your campus library, or email LILOWEB.

4. Include each LILO module in your lessons.

5. Ask students to complete the questions posed in one or more modules of LILO and have them submit their answers to you for review.

Below are more specific suggestions to integrate LILO content into your curriculum. If you have an idea or suggestion to add, email LILOWEB.

In January 2008, LILO released the "RIB ('Run It By') Your Librarian" feature enabling a student to submit his/her journal to a LILO librarian for comment before sending the journal on to the instructor. Find out more about the RIB me feature.

Module 1: The Research Process

Time management skills

Encourage students' organizational skills by requiring them to create and maintain research and writing schedule that can be adjusted accordingly.

  1. The Assignment Calculator divides a research and writing project into manageable sections. Students view the research process as a series of smaller tasks.
  2. How to use My Journal is introduced here. In Module 1, students discover that the research process itself is not always a linear process, but one that can be iterative and cyclical.
  3. Require students to periodically submit print or emailed copies of their Journals to follow their progress.

Module 2: Your Assignment

Students have a better chance at success if they clearly understand assignment expectations. Students are made aware of writing for an audience and realize that writing is meant to be persuasive and convincing.

With your assignment in hand, have students answer the questions in this module. Clear up any misunderstandings about the assignment in class and early on in the course.

Types of Research Materials

Students are ready to learn about the types of resources you want them to use once they understand your assignment expectations.

Module 3: Research Strategy

This module guides students on topic selection and refinement to a thesis statement or research question.

Have students complete this module outside of class before topic selections are due.

Encourage students to visit their campus library and consult with a librarian about their topics. Students can also use the "24/7 IM Chat" link. Consider awarding students "extra points" if they consult a librarian and submit proof that they did.

Search Terms

Students are encouraged to go beyond a single word search. They learn the importance of developing more efficient search skills in academic databases like Hawai'i Voyager and periodical article databases. Students learn that searching a word root using a truncation symbol can increase the number of relevant search results, e.g., MUSIC* retrieves musical, musicals, musician, musicians, and musicality. (Almost every database available through the library supports truncation, but the symbols used may be different, e.g., ?, !, $, # or *.) Students learn how to use Boolean logical operators AND, OR, and NOT by watching a short video.

Module 4: Conduct the Search

Books

Have students review this module before they attempt to find books in Hawai'i Voyager.

Articles

Have students review this module before they attempt to find articles in periodical databases. Emphasize that periodical databases are the primary source for finding relevant and reliable articles to use in research, and how they cannot find articles of the same quality using Google on the open Web. Point out the difference between general periodical article databases (Like EBSCO's Academic Search Premier) and subject-specific article databases (e.g., EBSCO's Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection or the Business Source Premier). Share your own article search experience. If you need additional help, contact your campus library or contact LILOWEB.

Call Numbers

This section explains what call numbers are and how to use them. Students visit the Library of Congress (LC) Call Number Web site to see how large subjects are subdivided using the LC system. Remind students that browsing shelves with a general call number often results in finding good books.

Web Sites

Have students review this section before they go to the Web. This section reminds them that quality information is not always easy to find on the open Web. Wikipedia is introduced, and a short video demonstrates how easily information in Wikipedia can be changed by anyone.

Module 5: Evaluate

Books

Use this module in or out of class after students have found at least one book to use as a source, and have them answer questions in LILO about the book. Students should be able to explain and defend the book's authority, purpose, content, currency, and point of view/bias. Students then decide whether the book is a good source.

Articles

Have students review this section before they begin to search for periodical articles. Bring copies of scholarly journal and popular magazine articles to class and explain the purpose of both (or circulate copies of both to students in small groups and have them determine the strengths and weaknesses of both). Remind students that professors and researchers depend on subject-specific databases in their discipline areas, and not Google, for reliable information.

Web Sites

Use this part of the module (in or out of class) after students have found at least one Web site they want to use, and have them answer questions in LILO about the Web site. Students should be able to explain and defend the Web site's authority, purpose, content, currency, and point of view/bias. Students then decide whether the Web site is a good source.

Module 6: Synthesis

Plagiarism

Assign students to read this part of Module 6 before discussing plagiarism in class. Ask them their reactions to the two videos on music plagiarism to begin the discussion.

Integration

Use this module once students have several sources of information and before they begin to put their ideas and the sources together. This module might be best assigned as out-of-class reading. Have students submit their answers to LILO questions about quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing, and when to use each. Discuss their answers in class.

Citing Sources

Require your students to submit a working bibliography in the citation format you want before they turn in a paper draft or their final paper. Follow up with students in class. Demonstrate the various citation formatting engines available under "My LILO TOOLS." Check the citations they create for accuracy. Remind students that they must cite each source as parenthetical references as well as on the "Works Cited" (MLA) or "References" (APA) page.