Professor Kimberly Pendell and Associate Professor Michelle Desilets just completed teaching the Library’s graduate level course, Library Research and Scholarly Communication Fundamentals. The course is offered each Winter quarter to students across all disciplines, with a curriculum that is flexible and applicable to each student’s research. The course covers topics such as searching for literature, citation and data management, and publishing in scholarly journals. Often, these skills and knowledge are assumed to be already part of a graduate student’s repertoire, but are not explicitly taught in either their undergraduate or graduate programs.
Over the last five years, the course has generated significantly positive feedback from students, with many citing its value to them as first generation students.
“This [course] has given me a new passion for submitting an article for publication consideration. As a first generation student, it seems a lot more attainable now that I know more about it.”
“I feel this course should be a required class for all first year grad students. It was so helpful, comprehensive, and relevant…It was the highlight of my winter quarter!”
“A must-take 101 for graduate students, especially first-gen.”
Kimberly and Michelle’s article about the course was recently published in RUSQ: A Journal of Reference and User Experience. The article is a case study utilizing course evaluations and students’ reflective statements, which surfaced the themes of confidence, self-efficacy, application of the curriculum to professional goals, and the hidden curriculum of graduate school.