Record Details
STEM Learning in the Library Learning Commons: Examining Whiteboards for Evidence of Learning Through Student-Generated Visualizations
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | STEM Learning in the Library Learning Commons: Examining Whiteboards for Evidence of Learning Through Student-Generated Visualizations |
| Names |
Hussong-Christian, Uta
(creator) Stoddart, Richard A. (creator) |
| Date Issued | 2014-07-03 (iso8601) |
| Abstract | Presentation at the American Library Association Annual Conference, ACRL STS Research Forum, June 29, 2014, Las Vegas, Nevada. Libraries are currently challenged to design dynamic learning spaces that are attractive to students and support them in various forms of learning. STEM students, in particular, need spaces that allow them to engage in visualization activities, which ongoing research shows is a vital component of STEM learning. Working from the hypothesis that whiteboards in library learning commons support learning through visualization, librarians at Oregon State University’s The Valley Library undertook an exploratory, photo-ethnographic study to determine the types of visualization activities in which students engage. Librarians captured student-generated whiteboard content over the course of one term by photographing whiteboards in the learning commons twice each week for 10 weeks. These photographs are currently being analyzed for the types of visualization they contain. Researcher definitions range widely but visualizations, such as study notes [on whiteboards], may include direct representations, diagrams, matrices, charts, trees, tables, graphs, pyramids, causal chains, timelines, or even outlines (Cifuentes and Hsieh, 2004). One early finding is that STEM content is much more heavily represented in the visualizations than is social sciences or humanities content. This study contributes to the increasing body of qualitative assessment data on learning commons but makes a unique contribution by attempting to directly connect library spaces to specific educational activities that impact student learning. The results of this study can be used to identify and convey the types of high impact learning activities that libraries support and will inform the thoughtful design of library learning spaces for STEM and other students. |
| Genre | Presentation |
| Access Condition | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ |
| Topic | Learning Commons |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/50098 |
