Information Literacy Instructional Toolkit: Frame 5: Participating in Scholarly Conversations

"Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations" (ACRL, Scholarship as Conversation).

Relevant learning concepts:

• Have a variety of perspectives been considered?
• Where are conversations taking place in the discipline?
• What are the authority structures that privilege certain voices and information?
• Have the ideas of others been properly acknowledged?

Source:  Bucknell University

Title: Scholarship as Conversation: Reading & Applying Scholarly Research
Description: Understanding a scholarly article, learning how to read a scholarly article. Example articles are provided for in-class activity and discussion. Students will understand how to apply scholarly research.
Resource Type: Classroom activity
Original Author(s): Amy Hall and Sarah Leeman, National Louis University
Added: 05/15/2017 By: maha.kumaran@usask.ca
Frame(s)​:Evaluating authority, Understanding the information lifecycle, Engaging in the research process, Participating in scholarly conversations

Title: Research is a Conversation
Description: This video uses an analogy of having a conversation at a party and the importance of listening to the conversation first and then participating by engaging and responding. The video also highlights different ways students can contribute to the conversation (paper, presentation, patent, etc.).
Resource Type: Video
Original Author(s): UNLV Libraries
Added: 05/31/2017 By: alg128@mail.usask.ca
Frame(s)​: Participating in scholarly conversations

Title: Peer-Review (introductory)
Description: Using research tools and indicators of authority to determine the credibility of sources. Learn how to peer review with an in-class activity and combine this activity with searching for scholarly articles in a general, multidisciplinary database.
Resource Type: Classroom activity
Original Author(s): Christina Heady & Joshua Vossler, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
Added: 05/15/2017 By: maha.kumaran@usask.ca
Frame(s): Evaluating authority, Participating in scholarly conversations, Searching effectively

Title: “Scholarship as Conversation”: Introducing students to research in nonprofit studies
Description: This article describes "a librarian, and a nonprofit management faculty member [who] worked together to redesign an instructional sequence for an introductory nonprofit studies course. The frame, “Scholarship as Conversation,” informed the design of the sequence, which included an activity in the classroom, an activity in the library, and a subsequent reflection". The three learning outcomes of this lesson included: Students would be able to analyze a given scholarly article from the nonprofit field. Second, they would be able to use that article to identify the conversations taking place around that topic. Third, they would be able to reflect on the value of those conversations to the field of nonprofit studies.
Resource Type: Journal article or conference presentation
Original Author(s): Kathy Shields and Christine Cugliari
Added: 05/02/2017 By: alg128@mail.usask.ca
Frame(s)​: Participating in scholarly conversations

Title: Science in the Media
Description: Small groups locate an article in the lay literature that reports scientific findings. Group must locate primary literature and comment on the accuracy of the lay article's portrayal.
Resource Type: Classroom activity
Original Author(s): Laura Massa
Added: 05/31/2017 By: vicky.duncan@usask.ca
Frame(s): Evaluating authority, Participating in scholarly conversations, Searching effectively

Title: Political Internet Literacy
Description: To help students find research articles about current events and politics; help them understand there are differences between articles written in general magazines, articles written in scholarly journals or for partisan political purposes, & help them understand the research process.
Resource Type: Lesson plan
Original Author(s): Jennifer Schwartz, DePaul University
Added: 05/15/2017 By: maha.kumara@usask.ca
Frame(s): Evaluating authority, Understanding the information lifecycle, Engaging in the research process, Participating in scholarly conversations, Searching effectively

Title: Developing a research question 
Description: 4Ws of who, what, when and where. Examining factual information in order to construct an initial research question that allows for academic discussion.
Resource Type: Classroom activity
Original Author(s): Chelsea Van Riper, Principa College
Added: 05/15/2017 By: maha.kumaran@usask.ca
Frame(s)​: Engaging in the research process, Participating in scholarly conversations

Title: Design Your Own Research Project
Description: Present a hypothesis to students.  Divide class into 2, and have each brainstorm the basic steps in a research project that would test the hypothesis.  Each group presents to the other, and solicits feedback.
Resource Type: Classroom activity
Original Author(s): Vicky Duncan
Added: 05/31/2017 By: vicky.duncan@usask.ca
Frame(s)​: Engaging in the research process, Participating in scholarly conversations