![]() ![]() These functions exceed those of EasyBib, which students use to cut and paste citations without capturing texts’ contexts. Zotero captures in-depth bibliographic information beyond citation needs and allows users to revisit texts in their digital environments. Why did we choose to implement Zotero in the classroom, as compared to other reference management systems? Though commonly used as an open-source citation tool analogous to EasyBib, Zotero is a more extensive reference manager (RM) that assists users in collecting, organizing, annotating, and sharing sources. Indeed, our Zotero-aided collaboration reveals how teaching “traditional research methods” does not accurately reflect how students locate and interact with sources in the twenty-first century. As our study suggests, applying more of Zotero’s features than just its citation aids can make a substantive difference in students’ research practices. Because Zotero offers students increased citation efficiency, however, students are more willing to use it. Even with such meaningful pedagogical benefits, instructors can struggle to achieve student “buy-in” if a new technique does not streamline workload. ![]() Zotero’s ability to showcase students’ in-progress research choices allows for responses ranging from peer critique to peer emulation to instructor coaching to final evaluation. Benefits include improving students’ source evaluation and annotation skills enabling a transparent research process for peer and instructor review offering a platform for collaboration among instructors and creating student relationships across courses, including interdisciplinary connections that foster attention to discourse communities. Using Zotero-based research instruction in four different social science and humanities courses with 49 students total (Table 14.1), our study illustrates multiple benefits of Zotero-aided research for students’ IL development. Rather than using IL-savvy colleagues primarily as one-shot trainers, faculty can invite them to partner in using reference managers (RMs) to reframe “research” and to interact with students’ RM-accessible research choices. ![]() Our research-pedagogy partnership shows how students gain when librarians and instructors share responsibility for information literacy (IL). Our study illustrates how the fruitful alliance of an instructional services librarian (Savannah), an English instructor (Sarah), and a social science instructor in sociology and history (Rachel) at Westmont College, a liberal arts college of approximately 1200 students, has led to innovative applications of Zotero beyond its typical use as a citation aid. Existing research on Zotero reflects its influence as an efficient tool for personal research (Clark & Stierman, 2009 Croxall, 2011 Muldrow & Yoder, 2009) but has made only limited links to its use as an instructional technology for post-secondary teaching (Kim, 2011 Takats, 2009). ![]() Zotero is a digital research tool that assists users in collecting and formatting sources for bibliographies and notes. This chapter explores the benefits of Zotero for post-secondary education. Not Just for Citations: Assessing Zotero while Reassessing Research ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |