Increasing the effectiveness of Student Research in a

Increasing the effectiveness of Student Research in a Biomaterials Course Drexel Engineering Perspectives Dr. Elisabeth Papazoglou Dr. Donald Mc. Eachron Siddharth Gadkari Chetana Sunkari Jay Bhatt Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA Workshop: Measuring the Lifelong Learning Outcome in Terms of Information Literacy Components Engineering Libraries Division, ASEE 2007

User needs and users’ skills To understand what our users want, we must know Who our users are What their information needs are Use Drexel’s Engineering Programs as an example / case study Describe our efforts to meet their needs Improve through user feedback

User community Understanding the user community Undergraduate and Graduate Students (today Drexel educates 17000 students) Co-op students International students representing several countries Awareness of new initiatives helps in projecting new emerging information needs Meetings with Department Heads University Web Sites Newsletter articles

User community Doctoral programs are growing Number of doctoral students increased by 40% in the last five years Faculty members: As new programs evolve, more faculty are hired. 75 new faculty members hired in the last three years So …. . more users than ever before…. What do they want? How do they let us know what are they looking for?

Drexel’s Engineering Programs All major engineering disciplines Biomedical engineering, Science, and Health systems Interdisciplinary focus is increasing (Nanotechnology, Biomaterials, Bionanotechnology, Biomechanics, etc. ) Undergraduate Research Graduate Research

Case Study - Biomaterials Course Sequence 3 Quarters = 2 Semesters Challenges Interdisciplinary Field Diverse Student Background Lack of appropriate textbooks

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term Prof. Papazoglou teaches the three course sequence 60 -70 students Biomaterials properties Various types of materials such as polymers, hydrogels, ceramics, and glasses Controlled Drug Release systems Nanotechnology

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term Research intensive courses Students need to search across a variety of literature Type of literature students need to consult Handbooks Encyclopedias Books at the library Electronic books Standards such as those from ASTM or ISO Scientific Literature

Skills targeted Develop basic understanding of various types of biomaterials, their properties and their biomedical applications Develop awareness of both print and electronic resources to find information on Biomaterials Use library blogs efficiently to successfully find information needed for assignment questions Locate relevant research papers by using a variety of but appropriate resources Find patents and Intellectual Property for biomedical devices

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term Dr. Papazoglou’s email earlier in the Fall term shows what problem she and her students were facing Problems Several Students were not familiar with a number of databases and resources available through the library Google appeared to be the choice even when the specific property of a particular material was needed Some students thought they knew about the resources but what they knew was only about 20% of what they actually can use

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term Information Needed Biomaterial Properties – Handbooks. Find inventions reported in news Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe medical news Follow up research on new inventions (find research papers) RSS feeds and alerts from databases Use Refworks or Endnote( required to create a bibliography)

ABET Criteria met by Biomaterials courses Criterion k (Outcome) Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice Criterion i (Outcome) Recognition of the need for, and ability to engage in, life-long learning These Outcomes were further mapped into Performance Criteria

Performance Criteria for Outcome ABET i (ABET i) Recognition of the need for, and ability to engage in, life-long learning PERFORMANCE CRITERIA Ability to use library and online resources for research purposes – addressed here directly Membership and participation in professional organizations Ability to identify and take advantage of learning opportunities – addressed here indirectly

Performance Criteria for Outcome ABET k (ABET k) Ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice PERFORMANCE CRITERION Ability to use computers and computer software for analyzing and solving problems – addressed indirectly

Performance Criterion Rubric relevant to library resources for Outcome ABET i Performance Criterion Pts Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 TOTAL POINTS () Regularly uses library and online resources; Exceeds Uses library and online Is unable to effectively use minimum requirements for resources; Meets minumum resources if directed to do so; library or online resources; Ability to use library and references in classroom papers requirements for references in Does not always meet minimum Seldom meets minimum online resources for and projects; Asks questions classroom papers and projects; standrads for references in research purposes based upon outside sources Occassionally asks questions classroom activities; Seldom classroom activities; Never and actively seeks out more based on outside sources. asks questions based upon than minimum required outside resources knowledge

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term What did we do? Library Instruction Session Blog web site - Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Research Guides Online tutorials – Ei Compendex, Knovel, RSS feeds, Refworks Consultations

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials I – Fall Term

How students communicated Email questions Personal visits Appointments (consultations) Virtual chat using IM Instruction during lecture time (classes) Informal communication Frequently asked by users even while walking on campus

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials II – Winter Term Patents and Intellectual property Students needed to use what they learned in the Fall term as well as search for patents Cancer nanotechnology as an example Group Projects Blog site for patents

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials II – Winter Term Information Needed List 5 patented technologies for controlled drug delivery of cancer chemotherapy (last 7 years) List any patent on drug delivery based on nanotechnology for drug delivery of cancer chemotherapy (last 5). Determine uniqueness of each patent Find research literature using sources learned during the Fall term

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials III – Spring Term a) List 3 FDA approved devices for artificial valves b) List 3 FDA approved devices for stents and drug eluting stents c) Intellectual property protection for 2 of the artificial valves d) Intellectual property protection for 2 of the drug eluting stents e) Select the valve with the best chance of success – discuss reasons in detail f) Select a drug eluting stent with the best chance of success – discuss in detail

Biomaterials courses – Biomaterials II – Winter Term

Assessment – Objective II Familiarity of use of electronic and other library resources in order to complete an independent Biomaterials project At the beginning of the class = 20% of students At the end of the class = 88% of students

Assessment – Open Question Do you feel knowledgeable and comfortable in transferring what you learned from the Biomaterials / library use modules to your research? Question was asked at the end of the term: 62% of students answered – Very Comfortable 28% of students answered – Comfortable 10% of students answered – Need more practice

Conclusion Interaction between students, faculty and the librarian promotes increased awareness about the sources of information. Information seekers must utilize the help provided to take maximum advantage of the library resources. Last but not the least, collaboration of the users and the library personnel would reduce effort and increase the effectiveness of information search. Students have shown increased use of relevant library resources as evident from their interaction with the librarians and faculty members

Conclusion Continued learning environment is a lifelong skill that can help the graduating students succeed in the fast, competitive global environment. Drexel has a quarter system. Quarter was just finished last week. Some data evaluation still needs to be done Proactive approach for faculty collaboration is essential Faculty members’ Information Literacy awareness is crucial in order for such collaboration to succeed.

Thank You! Our contact information: Dr. Elisabeth Papazoglou School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University esp 25@drexel. edu Dr. Donald Mc. Eachron School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University mceachdl@drexel. edu Jay Bhatt W. W. Hagerty Library, Drexel University bhattjj@drexel. edu Suggestions and recommendations most welcome!