Guide on the Side and LibWizard Tutorials side-by-side: How do the two platforms for split-screen online tutorials compare?

Split-screen tutorials are an appealing and effective way for libraries to create online learning objects where learners interact with real-time web content. Many libraries are using the University of Arizona’s award-winning, open source platform, Guide on the Side; in 2016, Springshare released a proprietary alternative, LibWizard Tutorials. This article reviews the advantages and limitations of this kind of tutorial. It also examines the differences between each platform’s distinctive characteristics. These platforms create similar split-screen tutorials, but have differences that affect diverse aspects of installation, administration, authoring and editing, student learning, data management, and accessibility. Libraries now have the opportunity to consider and compare alternative platforms and decide which one is best suited to their needs, priorities and resources

Recoding “Guide on the Side” to collect learner performance data: Collaboration, customization, and assessment

University of Vermont (UVM) libraries use the open-source tutorial platform “Guide on the Side”. This flexible and robust platform for split-screen tutorials provides learners with dynamic, authentic learning experiences. But the out-of-the-box program has a major shortcoming: learners’ performance data is generated in the form of email “certificates”. This poster describes how we collaborated with a UVM Center for Teaching and Learning programmer on the integration of custom code that aggregates and reports this data. It explains how our custom installation now supports the validation of our learning objects and the large-scale assessment of our students’ performance

Practices, policies, and problems in the management of learning data: A survey of libraries’ use of digital learning objects and the data they create

This study analyzed libraries’ management of the data generated by library digital learning objects (DLO’s) such as forms, surveys, quizzes, and tutorials. A substantial proportion of respondents reported having a policy relevant to learning data, typically a campus-level policy, but most did not. Other problems included a lack of access to library learning data, concerns about student privacy, inadequate granularity or standardization, and a lack of knowledge about colleagues’ practices. We propose more dialogue on learning data within libraries, between libraries and administrators, and across the library profession

Apples to apples? Lessons learned from a comparative evaluation of online platforms for interactive tutorials

What does your library need from a tutorials platform? For several years, the University of Vermont has flipped library instruction with tutorials created in Guide on the Side. This open-source program, provided by the University of Arizona, is a simple tool for producing frame-based tutorials centered on the learner’s interaction with web content. UVM adopted it principally because of its suitability to formative learning. But in 2016 Springshare launched LibWizard, an alternative platform for frame-based tutorials. It offered important functionalities that were not available in Guide on the Side, while lacking others that were integral features of our existing tutorials. Come to this session to hear how the availability of similar, yet distinct, products helped us to rethink our current and future tutorial needs. This presentation will explain how we developed and applied an evaluation rubric that could be applied to any platform of this kind. It will also highlight other aspects of our decision-making process, including questions about migrating existing tutorials, about rewiring our approach to creating tutorial objects, and about advocating for product development

Information Use in History Research: A Citation Analysis of Master\u27s Level Theses

This article addresses the need for quantitative investigation into students\u27 use of information resources in historical research. It reports the results of a citation analysis of more than 3,000 citations from master\u27s level history theses submitted between 1998 and 2008 at a mid-sized public university. The study\u27s results support the hypotheses that the predominant format in history research is the monograph and that history research entails use of older resources, and in greater proportions, than other disciplines. Results also support the conclusions that journal usage is comparatively low and that there is a high degree of citation dispersal across journal titles

Meeting users where they are: Delivering dynamic content and services through a campus portal

Campus portals are one of the most visible and frequently used online spaces for students, offering one-stop access to key services for learning and academic self-management. This case study reports how instruction librarians at the University of Vermont collaborated with portal developers in the registrar’s office to develop high-impact, point-of-need content for a dedicated “Library” page. This content was then created in LibGuides and published using the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for LibGuides boxes. Initial usage data and analytics show that traffic to the libraries’ portal page has been substantially and consistently higher than expected. The next phase for the project will be the creation of customized library content that is responsive to the student’s user profile

“That means nothing to me as a normal person who doesn\u27t know about patents”: Usability testing of Google Patents and Patent Public Search with undergraduate engineering students

Patent searching is an important research tool for undergraduate engineering students, yet it requires special topic knowledge to conduct successfully. Patent database websites have the ability to alleviate or add to the complexity of patent searching, depending on their usability. Prompted by the launch of the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Public Search (PPS) website in early 2022, the authors investigated the usability of PPS and Google Patents. The study\u27s objective was to gain insights into the ways in which the websites of commonly-used patent databases support undergraduate students’ patent searching activities. The study examined students’ performance of typical tasks such as constructing search queries, filtering results, evaluating results, and interpreting classification and citation data. Data was collected via moderated in-person usability testing, following a think-aloud protocol. Usability issues were identified in both websites, though participants unanimously preferred Google Patents due to their familiarity with other Google products and the “cleaner” design of the search interface. Based on the study’s results, the authors offer recommendations for patent literacy instruction for undergraduate students

Prior Art Research in the Capstone Design Experience: A Case Study of Redesigned Online and In-person Instruction

Exploration of “prior art”—the state of a technology’s development, as manifested in literature, documentation, and artifacts—has many benefits for engineering students. It expands their understanding of the design problem, reveals a range of possible solutions, and develops research skills important to professional practice. While prior art often includes patents and research literature, it can include any type of publication or document. This paper presents an innovative approach to a prior art review assignment in the capstone course for mechanical, electrical, and biomedical engineering students at the University of Vermont (UVM). The assignment and accompanying instruction were redesigned in 2018–2019 to address several issues that limited students\u27 ability to do the required work to a high standard. Foundational knowledge about key publication types and research skills was “flipped” into a set of online tutorials; the class session was converted from a lecture to an interactive workshop-style presentation; research consultations with an engineering librarian were tailored to team projects; and the assignment deliverables were redesigned to incorporate more reflection about the process of engaging with prior art. This multifaceted approach involves a substantial amount of preparation; however, assessment showed significant returns on the investment that includes improved knowledge of types of engineering publication, demonstrated use of advanced research practices, and insightful reflections on the role of prior art in design thinking

“That means nothing to me as a normal person who doesn\u27t know about patents”: Usability testing of Google Patents and Patent Public Search with undergraduate engineering students

Patent searching is an important research tool for undergraduate engineering students, yet it requires special topic knowledge to conduct successfully. Patent database websites have the ability to alleviate or add to the complexity of patent searching, depending on their usability. Prompted by the launch of the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Public Search (PPS) website in early 2022, the authors investigated the usability of PPS and Google Patents. The study\u27s objective was to gain insights into the ways in which the websites of commonly-used patent databases support undergraduate students’ patent searching activities. The study examined students’ performance of typical tasks such as constructing search queries, filtering results, evaluating results, and interpreting classification and citation data. Data was collected via moderated in-person usability testing, following a think-aloud protocol. Usability issues were identified in both websites, though participants unanimously preferred Google Patents due to their familiarity with other Google products and the “cleaner” design of the search interface. Based on the study’s results, the authors offer recommendations for patent literacy instruction for undergraduate students