scholarly journals Process Descriptions: An Introductory Library Research Assignment On Chemical Processes For First Year Students

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Scott Moor
Author(s):  
Barrie Jackson

Queen’s University has a common first year for engineering. A few years ago a project/design course was introduced, APSC100, which has been quite successful. It was predicated on the fact that students who are attracted to engineering are really excited about the possibility of “doing engineering” early in their student experience. The design of Chemical processes is something that few if any first year students have any appreciation of. We are in the process of developing a project for APSC100 which will introduce the subject as well as have the students work with a commercial FlowSheet simulator. We believe that simulators “warts and all (1)” can be an excellent learning tool, and exposure to these programs is essential as they have become so much a part of today’s engineering career experience. Commercial Flowsheet simulators continue to be a challenge for people with many years familiarity with these systems. There is however a potential for a great deal of learning about the “design process” by the use of these tools, provided these tools are presented in such a way as to be challenging but not intimidating. The paper will describe the approach to developing the APSC100 module, the challenges faced and the anticipated solutions. One particular problem will be developing something that will interest a broad spectrum of students. It has been noted that “Chemistry” often seems to be a subject that is avoided by many. This module will hopefully demonstrate the fact that “Chemistry” is one of the basic sciences and how it is the basis for much of the product of the modern world. Since this is a “work-in-progress” we anticipate and welcome suggestions as to how to present a successful module to our students.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Elizabeth Donahue

Abstract Objective – The aim was to measure the impact of a peer-to-peer model on information literacy skill-building among first-year students at a small commuter college in the United States. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is the state’s flagship public university and UNH Manchester is one of its seven colleges. This study contributed to a program evaluation of the Research Mentor Program at UNH Manchester whereby peer writing tutors are trained in basic library research skills to support first-year students throughout the research and writing process. Methods – The methodology employed a locally developed pre-test/post-test instrument with fixed-choice and open-ended questions to measure students’ knowledge of the library research process. Anonymized data was collected using an online survey with SurveyMonkey™ software. A rubric was developed to score the responses to open-ended questions. Results – The study indicated a positive progression toward increased learning for the three information literacy skills targeted: 1) using library resources correctly, 2) building effective search strategies, and 3) evaluating sources appropriately. Students scored higher in the fixed-choice questions than the open-ended ones, demonstrating their ability to more effectively identify the applicable information literacy skill than use the language of information literacy to describe their own research behavior. Conclusions – The assessment methodology used was an assortment of low-key, locally-developed instruments that provided timely data to measure students understanding of concepts taught and to apply those concepts correctly. Although the conclusions are not generalizable to other institutions, the findings were a valuable component of an ongoing program evaluation. Further assessment measuring student performance would strengthen the conclusions attained in this study.


Author(s):  
M. Sara Lowe ◽  
Katharine V. Macy ◽  
Emily Murphy ◽  
Justin Kani

Librarians and instructors see college students struggle with evaluating information and wonder how to best teach source evaluation in a one-time course integrated library research session to ensure understanding and improve student performance. This research compared multiple sections of first-year students over two semesters taught two evaluation methods: the CRAAP method, and the six journalistic question words. Results indicate that students taught to evaluate information using the six question words produced better end-of-semester papers. Results of the pre-, post-, and end-of-semester quizzes were less conclusive, but do highlight some of the challenges first-year students face when determining credibility. Results have the potential to inform instructional practice.


Author(s):  
Khairani Nur Adha And Rahmad Husein

The aim of this research was to find out the ability of the first year students in speaking by using storytelling at MAS. Al-Jam’iyatul Wasliyah. The design of this research was descriptive research. The population of this research was 20 students of XC class in the first grade at MAS. Al-Jam’iyatul Wasliyah. In selecting the sample the writer used random sampling technique. The total number of the sample was 12 students. The data was collected by using oral test. The researcher only measured the ability of students’ speaking in storytelling by considering five components of speaking: (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension). And their speaking had been recorded by using phone recorder. From the result of analyzing the data, the researcher found that the students’ speaking ability by using storytelling was moderate. It proved by the fact that 4 students (33.33%) classified as high ability, 4 students (33.33%) classified as moderate ability, and 4 students (33.33%) classified as low ability. Based on the data, the students’ score were bigger in the high and moderate level than in the low ability level. Based on the research finding, the English teacher is suggested to consider the five components in scoring speaking ability (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, fluency, and comprehension). The students are suggested to do more practice in pronunciation and fluency, because they dominantly speak incorrect pronunciation and have pauses in the sentences. Students are also suggested to enrich their vocabulary by using storytelling.


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