At Georgetown University, the Carroll Fellows Initiative encourages a select group of undergraduates to actively engage in research and leadership. Librarians and faculty collaboratively provide an integrated introduction to research methods. In consultation with Reference and Special Collections librarians, each student is given a 19th century letter from our manuscript and archives collections which they transcribe, research, and edit. These letters have not been researched previously, so students must provide context for the letters and discuss their significance. Many students have revealed fascinating details of the people and times covered by the letters, and in some cases led to further in-depth research. This takes advantage of special collections, usually underutilized by undergraduates, and provides a manageable discovery research experience for students. Building on our experience in the Carroll Fellows Initiative, we have created a pilot program that pairs an undergraduate with a graduate student who conduct a similar project to that noted above, but more comprehensive. The graduate student mentors the undergraduate in research methodology and specific questions raised in his/her research, thus creating a research-teaching-learning continuum.
Increase use of unique, primary research collections.
Create research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
Integrate librarians and library research into courses.
Librarians have reviewed, with faculty, the results of student research projects to assess student understanding of research methodologies and subject expertise.
The Library has partnered with the Writing Center to create the Peer Research Fellow Program to encourage undergraduate research by bridging the gap between research and writing. A group of senior Writing Center peer tutors serve as research mentors as well as writing tutors. They receive additional training from research librarians in research strategies and sources in order to offer their peers more effective writing assistance and guidance on research and citation questions.
Improve undergraduate research.
Increase cooperation with the writing center.
Provide an additional avenue for students to receive research guidance.
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Concern among Georgetown University faculty and administers regarding plagiarism and Honor System violations served as the catalyst for a mandatory tutorial that explains academic integrity in the context of scholarly research. Our positive approach introduces students to library research skills, services, and resources so they are less likely to take ethical shortcuts. The Georgetown University Library led a collaborative, campus-wide effort to introduce key academic integrity issues by teaching all new students library research skills, and acquainting them with other relevant academic support services. Now in its fifth year, our mandatory, online tutorial, “Joining the Conversation: Scholarly Research and Academic Integrity”, reaches 1700 new students each year. It is integrated with other University information systems, ensuring student compliance with the requirement.
http://library.georgetown.edu/resource/tutorials.htm
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Our online camtasia tutorial walks users through the process of obtaining books not available in our library.
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The Georgetown Media Service makes course media, faculty lectures, and campus events available to students, faculty, staff, and off-campus audiences in a secure web-based environment. Audio and video can be delivered to dedicated groups, such as classes, or to the public, in streaming media format or as downloadable files. Features include Blackboard integration and podcast subscriptions.
https://mediapilot.georgetown.edu
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