LibGuides: Instruction at the ODU Libraries: Assignments & Resources

Designing Research Assignments for Your Courses

We assist students daily with a wide range of research and library assignments. If you see a student struggling with research assignments, please keep in mind that they can set up an appointment with a librarian for one-on-one help.

Years of experience and observation has taught us, that you can also help your students be successful by following these tips:

Avoid limiting students to print-only journal articles. Most of our subscriptions are electronic only.
Avoid sending an entire class to find one specific resource at the library.
Avoid scavenger hunts (check out some of our pre-designed treasure hunts that you might use!)
Concentrate on evaluating resources, rather than excluding or limiting to specific resource types
Collaborate with a librarian on designing a research assignment, or consider having a librarian test-drive your assignment!

Web Literacy For Student Fact Checkers
An open access textbook which serves as an instruction manual to reading on the modern internet. Also includes assignments that can be adapted for your classes.
Teaching Information Literacy in Higher Education: Effective Teaching & Active Learning
E-Book accessible with MIDAS login.

You are welcome to adapt and use any of these assignments for your classes!

Website Scavenger Hunt
This is a great activity to introduce students to using resources and services provided by the ODU Libraries. Created by ODU Librarians. CC-BY
Citation Generators: Can You Trust Them?
Students often depend on citation generators provided by databases, library discovery tools, and websites when tasked with correctly formatting their references. However, these generators often make mistakes that students don’t notice. This activity will help students to look critically at the citations provided by citation generators and to find the mistakes. This will both help students learn the citation style of their discipline and to look more critically at seemingly quick fixes during the research process.

Resources for Information Literacy and Library Instruction

Teaching Ideas
Research & Commentary

Project CORA
An open-access resource for librarians and faculty. Includes information literacy and research assignments that can be modified for your classes.
ACRL Framework for Information Literacy Sandbox
A repository that includes open-acess teaching materials related to the ACRL Information Literacy Framework.
PRIMO
Peer-Reviewed Instructional Materials Online Database. Includes open-access assignments and online learning tools for teaching research and information literacy.