Research

If you're experiencing technical errors for a CSUDH Library tutorial, chat with a librarian.

All other tutorials include individual technical requirements that are displayed on the first page. In general, please note that...

• Most tutorials are not compatible with mobile devices (i.e. phones, tablets) at this time
• Most tutorials require you to log in using your CSUDH username and password using the CSUDH Authentication Service to access the library's subscription resources
• Some tutorials work best using a recommended web browser (i.e. Firefox, Edge, Safari) 
• Text that includes hyperlinks will open in a new tab

How do library tutorials engage students? 

The majority of the library's tutorials are on a platform (called SpringShare LibWizard) that is designed for side-by-side guided activities, such as watching a video and answering questions or following directions to interact with and learn how to use or reflect on a variety of online instructional materials. Tutorials typically include some combination of: 

• Short how-to videos with audio or captions
• Guided searching or evaluating a resource with text-based directions
• Stand-alone visual representations of processes, such as infographics or decision trees, with no audio. Print and screen reader-friendly versions of these materials can be download from the tutorial
• Most activities are paired with questions for comprehension or reflection
• Information about ways to get research help, including library services and other resource guides 

Are library tutorials accessible? 

We are committed to making our online instructional materials as accessible as we can. Please ask your students about their needs, and if you know that a student cannot complete a tutorial for technical reasons (e.g. no access to a desktop or laptop, visual impairment), please contact us and we will provide you and your student with an accessible alternative to learn the same material.

How can I assign a tutorial as a graded assignment? 

All of our library tutorials include an option for students to download a PDF certificate of completion that will look something like this: 

Certificates should include a student's first and last name, the name of the tutorial, and the date and time they completed the tutorial. 

To set up a tutorial assignment in Canvas

1.  Add a link to the tutorial in your Canvas course anywhere students can easily find it that also includes the due date and a brief explanation for how the assigned tutorial will benefit students or fit into the course.

Example: You will need to find and use at least two scholarly articles for your upcoming assignment. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to find these kinds of sources using the library's resources. 

I also recommend including this information in your syllabus, if possible.

2. Create an assignment in Canvas. Set a due date and number of possible points. I recommend using the library's tutorials as "low-stakes" assessments and weighing the grade for a tutorial with an equivalent to participation points (e.g. 5/5), just for completing the tutorial. Check that .pdf file type uploads are accepted.

If you have additional questions about what students are learning in a tutorial, and how the library uses this information, skip to the next question. 

3. Once students have completed the tutorial, they will be directed to download their certificate of completion and submit it to your course assignment.

How will I know students have learned from the tutorial? 

The library's primary goal in providing tutorials is to support students in their learning!

All library tutorials include attainable learning outcomes that should align with the appropriate level for your course (orientation, general education, in the major, graduation) and the library's information literacy program.

If there is a correct answer to a question, students will be guided to answer correctly through immediate feedback and tips. 

Some questions are open or free response. These are designed with no one correct answer in mind and may encourage students to reflect on their prior experience and the knowledge they already have! We believe this empowers students to be curious, ask questions, and find answers on their own, either in the tutorial or from their own prior experiences.

How does the library protect student privacy? 

Library tutorials collect the following information once you click the Submit button at the end:

• First & Lame Name
• Date & Time Completed
• All responses from required questions
• Anything students choose to include in a non-required question
• The website that referred the tutorial link (e.g. Blackboard, library website, Google search)
• Web browser used to completed the tutorial

The library's information literacy program is committed to only using data from our tutorials to:

• protect people from harm
• support student success 
• improve our instructional materials and techniques

We value data internally and ethical research procedures that protect people (e.g. Institutional Review Boards), but we believe that data shared with us belongs to their original creators, unless otherwise stated. 

We primarily use tutorial responses to assess learning in our information literacy program, which are submitted to the University Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee. We may also share anonymous question responses with instructors for their own department or program assessment.

If you or your students are concerned about how we use of their personal and academic information from a library tutorial, please contact us and we will find an alternative.