Instructional Design Project

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Quinn Stitt
LIS 458/ Melissa Wong
April 9, 2015
Primary and Secondary Resources for History Undergraduates
Section I: Introduction
In this one-hour instructional session, I will be working with an academic audience,
specifically an Introduction to History course that is required of all history majors within a small
college by the name of Levin University. The instructor of this course has required students to
compile an annotated bibliography of both primary and secondary resources to support a paper
on a historical topic as the final project of the course. The students will not actually write the
paper in question, but they need to understand the difference of primary and secondary resources
and need to learn about ways to find proper resources in order to complete the assignment
successfully. The goal of this session is to illuminate the difference between primary and
secondary resources for the students (who are primarily freshman), as well as keys to searching
and utilizing databases and collections that the library has to locate both kinds of resources. This
session will take place in a computer lab with a white board and a projection screen in the library
so that students may follow along.

Section II: Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to differentiate between primary and secondary sources in order to
support their arguments in an annotated bibliography. (critical thinking)

Students will be able to utilize effective search strategies in the library catalog and
JSTOR in order to find applicable primary and secondary resources for an annotated
bibliography.

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Section III: Assessments

Formative Assessment

Learning Outcome: Students will be able to utilize effective search strategies in the
library catalog and in JSTOR in order to find applicable primary and secondary resources
for an annotated bibliography.

After I have given students tips in how to search, they will be given a scenario similar to
the one in their final project assignment in that they will be expected to search for
applicable primary and secondary resources using the library catalog and JSTOR. I have
chosen JSTOR as the database to demonstrate to the class because it has a good teachable
advanced search option, as it is fairly intuitive and will help the students apply the search
strategies learned to other databases; JSTOR also has a wide range of subjects in its
journal holdings, and will thus be helpful for the students in history as well as many other
fields of study. The scenario given will be in the session handout, and it includes the
students searching for resources regarding Russian nobility in the century prior to the
Russian Revolution. They will work in pairs to accomplish this, and I will walk around
and observe their research processes and offer assistance. I will also write down on a pad
of paper difficulties students have that I might alter instruction to address, or can use to
improve future sessions. After they have worked for about fifteen minutes together, I will
call for a discussion of what they found, how they found it, and what theyve learned that
they will apply to future searches.

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Summative Assessment

Learning Outcome: Students will be able to differentiate between primary and secondary
sources in order to support their arguments in an annotated bibliography. (critical
thinking)

Students will be given a pre-test and a post-test with a few questions for my instructional
session (see Appendix A). The tests will include the same questions, and will hopefully
show the students change in understanding of primary and secondary resources. I will
give the pre-test and the post-test to the instructor to administer to the class at least one
class meeting before and one class meeting after the instruction session, and I will collect
them from the instructor. To evaluate students answers to the questions, I will be
utilizing a rubric (see Appendix B). I intend to collect the pre-test as soon as I can in
order to score them and get an idea of what the students know before the session (and
thus what preconceptions they hold).

Section IV: Session Outline

For this session, there are going to be a few materials used. Because this is in a computer
lab, the students will be utilizing the computers available. I will also be using a computer and a
projector in order to demonstrate searches in the library catalog and databases for the students.
There will also be a whiteboard and markers available to write my name and information, as well
as any relevant topics brought forth in discussion. I will also bring in some older and some recent
books from the librarys collection in order to provide a physical example of the differences
between primary and secondary resources (Effi Briest and Orienting the self: the German literary
encounter with the Eastern other). Finally, I will bring a small pad of paper to take notes during

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the formative assessment of common questions and issues brought forth by students (in order to
improve this portion of instruction in the future). I will also have it to take notes of interesting
points the students bring forth throughout the session to incorporate in future sessions.

Note: Im using the University of Illinois website and resources as examples for the outline and
the handout so I can provide concrete steps, but this session is not intended for University of
Illinois students.
Time/
Duration
Before
the
Session
0:00-0:04
(4 min)

0:04-0:17
(13 min)

Activity

Materials Used

Write my name and contact information on the whiteboard at the

front of the lab, as well as the URL of the librarys website; pass
out handouts to students as they enter the lab, as well as ask them
to logon to the computers and pull up the librarys website.
Welcome:
Introduce the library and myself to the students.
Go over the highlights of their final project assignment.
Outline what we are going to do in the session.
Lecture of Primary and Secondary Sources:
Tell the students to write notes on this in their handout under
Primary and Secondary Resources: What are the Differences and
How Do You Use Them?
Differences between primary and secondary resources:
What does each resource contain?
o Primary sources are objects or documents that were
created during the time under study (and often are
recordings of events by someone who witnessed
them). They do not have to be academic in nature
(ex: Anne Franks diary) and can be anything from
art, music, and other creative works to books,
letters, and speeches. If it was created in the time
frame of study, it can be considered a primary
source.
o Secondary sources analyze, discuss, evaluate, and
interpret primary resources. They are not created or
written in the time that they are discussing (ex: an

Whiteboard,
Whiteboard
Markers

Computer and
Projector (to
demonstrate
examples),
Books to
illustrate the
physical
difference
between the
two resources

Instructional Design Project

article discussing the Civil Rights movement).

They are often journal articles, textbooks, and
books. These are often described as one step from
the event or phenomenon under review. These do
not have to be academic in nature, but are much
more likely to be so than primary sources.
Why do these differences matter to them as History
undergraduate students?
o Primary sources are the most important/most used
resources for historians. They are the foundation of
historical scholarship; much of historical writing is
revolved around interpretation of primary sources
(as they have the most connection to historical
events) and the application of critical theory to
primary sources to interpret the past.
o Using secondary sources, history undergraduates
can directly juxtapose their opinions with
historians and famous theorists. They can also see
what current trends in historical thought are by
looking at secondary resources.
How are or how can these resources be utilized,
specifically in the field of history?
o Primary sources are the foundation of historical
writing. Historians may use primary resources as
evidence for their theories; they might also
interpret the primary sources to further understand
a period in time (or reinterpret in many ways).
o Use of secondary sources are often frowned upon
by historians, but they can show what theoretical
styles are dominating the field (i.e. postmodernism,
structuralism, etc.), other historians interpretations
of the same period or object, and what theories
have existed about certain events. Secondary
sources also have bibliographies that could lead to
little-known primary resources.
Questions to ask when evaluating the two:
o How does the author know these details (names,
dates, times)? Was the author present at the event
or soon on the scene?
o Where does this information come frompersonal

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0:17-0:22
(5 min)

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experience, eyewitness accounts, or reports written

by others?
o Are the author's conclusions based on a single
piece of evidence, or have many sources been
taken into account (e.g., diary entries, along with
third-party eyewitness accounts, impressions of
contemporaries, newspaper accounts)?
o Questions from:
http://guides.library.ucsc.edu/primarysecondary.
Show physical examples (books) as well as electronic
examples (articles).
o Physical: PRIMARY: Physical original copy of
Effi Briest (1896 German novel) SECONDARY:
Orienting the self: the German literary encounter
with the Eastern other (2014 literary criticism)
o Electronic: PRIMARY: HathiTrust copy of The
promises of the Declaration of Independence:
eulogy on Abraham Lincoln, delivered before the
municipal authorities of the city of Boston, June 1,
1865 / by Charles Sumner (1865 eulogy for
Abraham Lincoln by Charles Sumnerhttps://babel.hathitrust.org/shcgi/pt?id=loc.ark:/139
60/t6nz89867;view=1up;seq=1) SECONDARY:
Library catalog e-book copy of Abraham Lincoln's
extraordinary era : the man and his times (2009 ebook in the library catalog)
Whiteboard,
Discussion:
Whiteboard
Bring forth different ideas of resources and ask students
Markers
whether they are primary or secondary.
o Examples: newspaper article from the Prohibition
(primary), newspaper article discussing the finding
of a fossil in a town (secondary, though it can be
primary in certain contexts), a piece of art
(primary), a psychological study (primary), an
article discussing Freuds psychological studies
(secondary), The History of the Decline and Fall of
the Roman Empire (secondary, but can be primary
if researching how historians have handled the
history of the Romans in the past)
Ask students for some examples (no more than five)

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0:22-0:35
(13 min)

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Ask students how they might use said resources in this

assignment or in a paper.
Computer and
Lecture/Demonstration of Library Resources:
Introduce the library website to the students, as well as the Projector
links to library databases and catalog and how to
effectively search them.
Tell the students to write notes on this in their handout
under Research Strategies.
Where can students find primary sources within library resources?
Library Collection (Rare Books & Manuscripts, History,
Philosophy, and Newspaper Library)
o The Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, for
example, requires that you come in to view many
of its collections. They allow undergrads to come
in and research, but require that visitors make an
account to make a request
(https://armarium.library.illinois.edu/logon)
o Special collections often have different rules
regarding use, and students should ask staff about
specific rules and guidelines when visiting.
Online Resources (Libguides, UIUC History Database
Collection, HathiTrust)
o There are also free online resources that contain
primary sources: some of these include the Library
of Congress, the Digital Public Library of America
(dpla), and the Smithsonian.
Local public libraries often have archives of local history
and resources.
A list of resources has been provided on the handout.
Where can students find secondary sources within library
resources?
Library Collection
Online Resources (Libguides, Library Online Reference
Collection, Library Subscription databases like JSTOR,
etc.)
o There are many online databases that the university
subscribes to that have secondary resources related
to history. This list includes JSTOR (which we will
look at in this session), EBSCOHost, Project Muse,
Google Scholar, and Academic OneFile.

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0:35-0:50
(15 min)

0:50-0:55
(5 min)

0:55-0:60
(5 min)

A list of resources has been provided on the handout.

How can students effectively search for resources? (as
demonstrated on JSTOR)
Introduce search terminology to the students (effectiveness
of OR, NOT, AND and other search terms)
Introduce ways to narrow the search (date, item type,
subject)
Recommend looking through the bibliographies/works
cited of secondary resources for possible applicable
primary and secondary sources
Activity/Formative Assessment:
Ask students to look at the research scenario in their
handouts and pair up with a person sitting next to them to
find primary and secondary resources that fit the scenario
using the library resources available
Walk around the room and observe students research
strategies to see if they have learned how to effectively
find relevant resources, helping them when asked or
needed
Discussion/Formative Assessment:
Ask students what kinds of resources they found and how
they found them.
Ask students if they encountered any issues in researching
and offer some help.
Ask students if they have learned anything to apply to
future searches/how theyve improved their research skills.
Wrap-up:
Review what the students have learned in the session.
Ask if they have additional questions about what theyve
learned or their project assignment as a whole.
Remind students of my contact information and offer to
stay afterwards for additional questions.
Thank them and their instructor for their time and wish
them luck on their projects.

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Pad of Paper

Whiteboard,
Whiteboard
Markers, Pad of
Paper

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Section V: Discussion
Information Literacy:
This session addresses information literacy standards from Information Literacy
Competency Standards for Higher Education, which was created and published by the
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL); this session particularly involves the
performance indicators in Standard One and Standard Two from that list. Under Standard One,
which concerns a students ability to express the need for information, there is one performance
indicator that is directly related to this session: The information literate student identifies a
variety of types and formats of potential sources for information.1 This is connected with my
learning outcome concerning the differentiation of primary and secondary sources, as students
will be able to understand primary and secondary resources and how to utilize them for this
assignment. This is also reflected in the summative assessment (which assesses this learning
outcome) and the discussion and lecture of primary and secondary resources, as students
demonstrate the difference between the two. My session also draws a great deal from Standard
Two, which states that, The information literate student accesses needed information effectively
and efficiently.2 Under this standard, performance indicators state that students should be able
to construct and implement well designed search strategies in a multitude of methods and
formats. This is addressed by my other learning outcome in which students will be able to use
effective search strategies (including Boolean operators and narrowing language) in select
formats to find primary and secondary resources for their annotated bibliography assignment.
Students also utilize these search strategies and create their own search in multiple online
databases (the library catalog and JSTOR) during the formative assessment, which assesses this
outcome. Through the learning outcomes and assessments, as well as the information content of
Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, Association of College and Research
Libraries, accessed May 5, 2015, http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.
2
Ibid.
1

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this session, students will be able to be competent in some aspects of two of the five standards of
information literacy as determined by the ACRL.

Critical Thinking:
In Blooms Taxonomy, critical thinking is engaged in the higher-learning stages of
Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. This session encourages students to think critically through
the following learning outcome: Students will be able to differentiate between primary and
secondary sources in order to support their arguments in an annotated bibliography. In order to
accomplish this, students will not only need to know the differences between the two resources,
which will be given in lecture, but they will also have to be able to make judgments whether or
not a source is primary or secondary and how to best employ that source in their annotated
bibliography. This outcome is an example of both Analysis, as students will be expected to
differentiate between the two sources, as well as Evaluation, as students will have to judge the
resources based on the criteria they have learned in the session. This critical thinking will not
only take place when the students are working on their final project, but also during the
discussion portion following the lecture on primary and secondary resources (where they will
have to evaluate examples using the information they have learned and comprehended) as well as
during the formative assessment (where they will not only be searching for resources, but will
have to analyze and judge the sources to fit within the scenario given). Critical thinking is
imperative to greater retention and understanding of class content, and it has been utilized in line
with Blooms Taxonomy in a multitude of ways in this instructional session.

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Instructional Design:
One best practice that we discussed throughout this course and that I incorporated in my
instructional design is active learning. Active learning is important in instruction because
students learn in different ways, and incorporating active learning allows not only for
reinforcement and retention of information presented, but also a chance for a wider number of
students to understand the content. In my session, I have employed a multitude of active learning
activities and strategies in order for students to best grasp the material. One such strategy is that
after both scheduled lecture portions for the session, as well as the formative assessment, I have
allotted sections of time for discussion. This allows students to not only to ask questions about
what they did not understand, but also to apply the information they have learned in the lecture to
real-life situations and examples. The handouts for the session also include multiple spaces for
note-taking, which encourages the students to pay attention and stay engaged in the session
despite not having direct involvement at that time. In the lecture portion regarding searching
library resources, students will follow my demonstration of searching on JSTOR and the library
catalog on their computers, and thus will perform the steps of a search themselves. Finally, the
formative assessment also calls for work in pairs, which allows the students to not only actively
practice their searching skills, but also garner new ideas on the search process from their peers
and myself. Through these active learning activities, students will not only learn about primary
and secondary sources and how to find them, but they will be able to utilize them effectively in
this and other history assignments.

Works Cited
Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Association of College and
Research Libraries. Accessed May 5, 2015.
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.

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Section VI: Handout
Please see additional attachment.

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Appendix A. Summative Assessment Pre-Test and Post Test

Understanding and Finding Primary and Secondary Resources for History
Levin University- HST 101: Introduction to History
Name:

Date:

1. What are some differences between primary and secondary resources and their uses?

2. Give an example of both resources, and explain your reasoning behind these choices.

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Appendix B: Summative Assessment-Rubric

Acceptable Answers
Ability to
determine
differences
between
primary
and
secondary
sources

Examples
of primary
and
secondary
sources

Primary sources were

created in the time period
under study. They are often
accounts of events by
people who were present
when they happened.
Primary sources are used
as the foundation of
historical writing, and
historians interpret them to
provide evidence of their
theories or to create a
better understanding
Secondary sources are
examinations,
interpretations of primary
sources. They are not
created during the period
of study. Secondary
sources are not wellregarded for use in
historical writing, but can
illuminate what others
think on the subject.
Neither have to be
academic in nature, though
it is much more likely that
secondary sources will be.
Primary sources: diaries,
artwork, music, letters,
speeches, photographs,
interviews, government
records, etc.
Secondary sources: critical
articles, biographies,
reviews, histories, and

5= Excellent

3= Emerging

Student was
able to
skillfully
explain the
differences
between
primary and
secondary
sources, as
well as their
uses.

Student was
able to
adequately
determine a
difference
between
primary and
secondary
sources, but
was off the
mark (for
example,
student was
unable to
explain a
difference in
their uses).

Student
provided an
appropriate
example for
both primary
and secondary
sources.

Student
provided an
example for
either primary
or secondary
sources (but
not both).

1= Needs
Work
Student was
unable to
determine
any
differences
between
primary and
secondary
sources.

Student was
unable to
provide
applicable
examples for
either
primary or
secondary

Instructional Design Project

Reasoning
behind
choices of
examples
of primary
and
secondary
sources

books in some cases.

There are many cases
where things can count as
one or another (book, for
example). This is where the
reasoning is key.
The reasoning is key in
determining primary and
secondary sources
(especially for ambiguous
cases). If the student
supports their choice in a
way that makes sense and
is applicable (example: a
Shakespeare play because
it was written in the time of
study if you were writing
about Elizabethan
playwriting) the student
will be correct.

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resources.

Student was
able to
accurately and
expertly
support their
choices in
examples of
primary and
secondary
sources.

Student was
on the right
track in
supporting
his/her
choices for
examples of
primary and
secondary
sources, but
was unable to
completely
and/or
accurately do
so.

Student did
not or was
not able to
adequately
support
his/her
choices for
examples of
primary and
secondary
sources.

Instruction Design Project: Handout

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1

Understanding and Finding Primary and

Secondary Resources
Quinn Stitt (qstitt@levin.edu)
Levin University-HST 101: Introduction to History
May 11, 2015

Primary and Secondary Resources: What Are the Differences and How Do
You Use Them?

Secondary

Primary

Where Can I Find Primary Resources?

Library Collection
History, Newspaper, and
Philosophy Library
Library Subject Libguides
(levin.libguides.com)
Library Catalog
Rare Books and
Manuscripts Library

Subscription
Databases (access

through library.levin.edu)
Academic Search
Premier
HathiTrust
Lexis Nexus Academic

Free Online Resources

Digital Public Library of
America (dp.la)
Library of Congress
(loc.gov)
National Archives
(archives.gov)
Smithsonian (si.edu/
collections)

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Where Can I Find Secondary Resources?

Subscription Databases (access

Library Collection

through library.levin.edu)

Library Catalog
Library Encyclopedia Collection
(online and book copies)
Library Subject Libguides
(levin.libguides.com)

Academic Search Premier

JSTOR
EBSCOHost
Project Muse
Google Scholar
Academic OneFile

Research Strategies

Practice Research Strategies

Partner with someone next to you to work on this scenario. Search JSTOR and the

library catalog using the research tips and strategies you have been shown to find at least a
few primary and secondary sources that would help to support the scenario below. Feel free
to take notes of what you find, and be ready to discuss your findings and strategies with the
class. I will be walking around the room so if you have questions or need help, feel free to ask!

SCENARIO: You have been given an assignment to write an essay about the Russian
monarchy and aristocracy in the century prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917. You can
approach this through the lens of the aristocracy, or through the lens of the serfs and
later lower classes. Find applicable primary and secondary resources to discuss this topic
(remember, you are not confined to academic journals for these resources-think outside
of the box!).