Teaching scholarly research skills to undergraduates via online game

Most undergraduates enter college with limited experience in scholarly research. Academic libraries may be unfamiliar to them and library databases unknown territory. Although 95 percent of 18-29 year olds use the Internet, according to a Pew Internet survey from May 2010, their knowledge of information resources often doesn’t extend much beyond Google and Wikipedia. A team of researchers headed by professor Karen Markey and associate professor Victor Rosenberg at the University of Michigan’s School of Information set out to address this issue by developing a game that teaches university-level scholarly research skills. Bibliobouts is an online, social activity that teaches players the skills they need to research academic papers. The game is generating enthusiasm among both students and educators and in 2010 won its developers the University of Michigan Provost’s Innovation in Teaching Award. More...