Qualified joint searching
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Information searching is an important digital skill for students, who have to find relevant academic literature online, either using search engines or databases. In the activity the students, in groups, find keywords, build a search string and search digitally in an online database together. They work together to find the keywords and to discuss how to build the search string and how to improve the search in the database. In this way they collaborate on the search process and use the whole group's knowledge and resources to make the best possible information search in an online resource. All links for running the activities are at the bottom |
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CONTEXT
Information searching is an important digital skill for students, who have to find relevant academic literature online, either using search engines or databases.
In academic project work it is essential to be able to find the most relevant information. It is therefore important to be able to make a search where you have thought about all relevant aspects of your topic and keywords. If you do not do this, you risk missing relevant information.
In group work, information searching is often delegated to one or two people in the group. This means that you do not make use of all participants' knowledge and resources, and you do not exploit the synergy that can arise when several people work together. It also means that several people in the group do not learn to carry out a good information search, which they may need in later assignments and in future working life. .
OUTCOME
The students learn to work together on the information search process.
The students learn together to find keywords and divide them into relevant themes on the basis of their research question.
The students learn to qualify their search in online databases through collaboration in the group.
Everyone in the group gains insight into the different parts of the search process.
CONTENT AND STEPS OF THE ACTIVITY
The students find keywords on the basis of their research question/topic and build a search string in groups. They then search using the search string in a database and assess the result.
The exercise means that they work together to find the words and to discuss how to build the search string and how to improve the search once they have searched.
BEFORE THE ACTIVITY
The activity assumes that the students have tried working with finding keywords, are familiar with searching with AND, OR and NOT (Boolean searching), and know how to build a search string.
The students are sent a video about Boolean searching (see the example in the external links) so that they can refresh their knowledge before the activity.
The students must have a topic/research question that they want to search for information on.
If the teacher has decided that the students are to choose a database relevant to their topic themselves, this must be done before the activity.
THE ACTIVITY STEP BY STEP
1. The teacher explains what the exercise involves (possibly giving an example of how to make the folded drawing with words).
2. The students sit in their groups and have to find keywords that are relevant for their research question, using the following method:
3. “Folded drawing” with keywords:
- One person in the group writes a keyword/synonym that is relevant for the project; folds the paper backwards so that the others cannot see the word, and passes it to the next person, who does the same
4. They do this until the paper is full or they cannot think of any more words.
5. The students group the keywords into themes based on synonyms and related concepts.
6. The students discuss their understanding of these themes – and whether there are perhaps other central concepts within their topic that are relevant to search on.
7. The students build search strings with AND and OR on the basis of the themes they have made.
8. All students in the group go into the same database and try out the search strings, each on their own computer.
9. They discuss the result of their searches: Why do they get the result they get, which limits in the database make sense, are there other keywords that can be derived from the search results.
10. Round-up emphasising the importance of collaboration around information searching.
For example on the basis of the question: What did it do to the information search that you had to do it together?
Two suggestions for this:
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- the students reflect on the question in the group.
- The students have to answer on a piece of paper, which the teacher collects and reads a couple of out for discussion in plenary. It can also be done online, e.g. using Padlet
MATERIALS AND PREPARATION
| Preparation | Materials |
|---|---|
| The teacher must place the activity in time so that the students have a research question they can search for information on | Paper and pens for making keywords |
| Either the students or the teacher must have chosen a scholarly database for each group. If the teacher or the students do not know relevant databases, they can contact the library | |
| The teacher must have decided how the activity is to be rounded off. |
CREATED BY
Helle Brink and Charlotte Wind, Aalborg Universitetsbibliotek,
Together with librarians
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
THE STAK PROJECT
This learning element is an edited version of a learning pattern from the research project STAK (Studerendes Akademiske Digitale Kompetencer).
Through a particular method, the project developed a number of learning patterns/paths, especially within information literacy. The elements are aimed
primarily at teachers, either as inspiration or to be integrated directly into teaching.
If you are curious about the method, you can see the original research website at: https://web.archive.org/web/20251118005249/https://www.stak.dk/