Fletcher Library at the West Campus
About the Project
The Lower Division Instruction Team, under the leadership of Coordinator Bee Gallegos, is charged with the development and delivery of instruction to WAC 101, English 101, English 102 and Learning Community students.
The Information Skills Outcomes for First Year Students guide the development of instructional content. This foundational document specifies the tasks, skills, and processes that first year students must learn in order to be considered information literate. These outcomes align with the Curriculum of the New American University (NewCu), specifically Learning Outcome 4: Literacies; Learning Outcome 5: Critical Thinking and Analysis; Learning Outcome 2: Interdisciplinary; and Learning Outcome 8: Ethical Perspective.
With the admission of first-year students in 2001, librarians created a virtual and real library tour exercise to introduce them to the physical library facility and the array of information sources. Administering this assignment, including updating and grading, was labor intensive; it also did not engage students in a meaningful way. As the library instructor for English 101 where the tour exercise was assigned, Ms. Gallegos on several occasions suggested creation of an online version of the tour that could be administered and automatically graded online. During fall 2004 lower division discussions Marisa Duarte, the Reference and Instruction Librarian assigned to the Lower Division Instruction Program, suggested investigating virtual reality as a delivery mechanism for teaching library skills. Initial investigations proved educational gaming to be a viable option for use with Millenials.
In January 2005 Ms. Gallegos and Ms. Duarte submitted a grant proposal in support of the game project to Marilyn Myers, Dean of Fletcher Library. Dean Myers’ interest in the project resulted in support for formation of a project team that included Tammy Allgood, Digital Design & Delivery Librarian.
To increase team knowledge of educational gaming, Ms. Allgood and Ms. Duarte were sent to the Games, Learning & Society Conference in June 2005. Attendance at this conference allowed them to learn about educational gaming from top researchers in the field and solidified team interest in creating a game. Addition of Aaron Rostad and Karen Grondin, library staff pursuing their master’s degree in librarianship, in summer 2005 created a fully staffed project team. The insights and expertise these individuals brought to the team allowed the project to move forward with a pilot board game during the fall semester
Goals of the Project
- Design a paper-based game that will represent the complex processes of selecting, using and evaluating multiple sources of information within a library setting as a prototype for a computer-based game
- Solicit feedback from stakeholders and conduct usability tests on the prototype
- Evaluate and asses board game’s success and apply those concepts deemed valuable from this prototype to a computer-based game
- Design a computer game that will represent the complex processes of selecting, using and evaluating multiple sources of information within a library setting
- Align the concepts taught within the game to the New Curriculum and the Information Skills Outcomes for First-Year Students document specifically outlined within the Fletcher Library Information Competencies (see appendix).
- Design a computer game that will incorporate assessment of student learning providing students with immediate, automatic feedback of their actions and skill level.
Target Benefits
- Provides systematic delivery of library instruction to first year students using an engaging, active learning model
- Contributes to the development of information competent students, positioning them for greater success in their classes
- Strengthens the library’s role in the education of ASU students
- Reduces the remedial work required by liaison librarians for upper division classes
- Automatic assessment of student skill level
Development Team
Project Sponsors:
Marilyn Myers, Dean, Fletcher Library at ASU at the West campus
Bee Gallegos (bee.gallegos@asu.edu), Librarian, Lower Division Coordinator at ASU at the West campus
Project Manager:
Tammy Allgood (tammy.allgood@asu.edu), Digital Delivery and Design Librarian at ASU at the West campus
Game Design Team:
Tammy Allgood
Bee Gallegos
Marisa Duarte, Former Reference & Instruction Librarian at ASU at the West campus
Karen Grondin (karen.grondin@asu.edu) Library Specialist at ASU at the West campus
Aaron Rostad (aaron.rostad@asu.edu), Library Specialist at ASU at the West campus
Programmer:
Bob Wohl, Exactpixel.com
Consultant:
Brett Schlenker, Software Developer at Intel, Game Design Instructor at the Art Institute International, Phoenix, Arizona
Back to Fletcher Library Game Project Home
Modified: August 16, 2007,
