South-of-the-Border Boolean: Teaching Search Strategies with the Value Menu

As databases and Internet search engines continue to become increasingly user-friendly, the need for Boolean operator skills seems to have waned but in reality, the amount of online information is skyrocketing as thousands of articles are uploaded each day. Bridging familiar activities with new Boolean operator skills sets the stage for a smooth introduction for students and creates a strong foundation for the retention of those skills. Using the simple task of ordering from a restaurant menu to demonstrate to students they already have the skills to do successful online searching, the South-of-the-Border Boolean lesson plan connects everyday tasks and scholarly application, while boosting confidence in students. This article will begin with a brief literature review, followed by an introduction of the lesson plan, including student learning outcomes, assessment, and unexpected results. 1 Blackburn: South-of-the-Border Boolean: Teaching Search Strategies with the Published by New Prairie Press, 2012 CULS Proceedings, Volume 2, 2012 4 Literature Review With librarians receiving less and less face time for library instruction, it is unsurprising that teaching Boolean logic has fallen to the bottom of the list of items covered in a 50-minute one-shot session. When conducting a literature review for the topic “Boolean operators” in a major library science database, the majority of returned articles were dated from before 2000. This shortage of more recent literature could be due to the simplifying of databases and search engines to make them more user-friendly, enabling the patron to conduct his or her own research without relying on librarian assistance (Proctor, 2002). However, learning styles and use of games in curriculum continue to be popular themes in the literature. Understanding different learning styles can greatly change the outcome of a lesson by delivering a message in a format that connects with students (Cuthbert, 2005). Librarians often include an overwhelming amount of information about search options and library resources in a short class period using the time-honored lecture and/or demonstration method, but may be failing to convey the information in a manner students will remember. Through repeated observations of different academic majors on campus, generalizations can be made about the learning styles preferred by certain students attracted to those majors. In this instance, previous library instruction experience with engineering and aviation students (who made up the majority of the class) held that these students generally learn best with a hands-on approach, giving students adequate information to get started but letting them explore by trialand-error before they learned the concept. Active learning activities are perfect for students who possess body-kinesthetic intelligences, rather than traditional verbal-linguistic or logical-mathematical intelligences for which lectures and reading lessons are designed (Weiler, 2004). Even handling the physical copy of the menu or discussing options with a neighbor can help students whose learning style needs are not met with a traditional demonstration. The literature ashows the use of games in education (in both K-12 and higher education) has become quite popular, with studies suggesting students have increased knowledge retention when games are implemented into curriculum, compared to those who used the conventional lecture style (Leach & Sugarman, 2006). Leach and Sugarman (2006) demonstrate the use of games across disciplines benefits students because instructors can “address different learning styles or preferences, provide immediate feedback, increase student motivation, and enhance a student’s overall learning experience, all of which increase the chance of a positive learning outcome for the students” (p. 193). When discussing library instruction for Gen X and Millennial students, Lee (1996) recommends presenting the material in short, focused segments, using stimulating activities and providing opportunities for interaction. Not only do brief segments keep students’ short attention spans from drifting, but they can provide the librarian with flexibility in the classroom, such as mixing and matching different segments to meet instructor requirements or switching to a new topic as classroom management necessitates.