The World War II Poster Project: A Librarian/Technologist ...Very big Big American flag (like...

The World War II Poster Project: A Librarian/Technologist/Faculty Collaborative Course Module

David Del Testa, Ph.D., Assistant ProfessorDepartment of History, Bucknell University

----Mid-Atlantic Digital Library Conference

9 July 2008

HISTORY 100 WORLD WAR II POSTER PROJECTSEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2006

• One module of an admittedly overloaded introductory undergraduate course.

• This module project required intense learning and research on the part of the students in terms of how to record, preserve, and introduce posters held in special collections to other interested users on-line.

• The key to the whole exercise is that it was "real," meaning that it dealt with actual posters from the era originating from Bucknell and Lewisburg. The level of responsibility was high as were the standards.

• To learn the steps involved in standard historical methods, the class divided into teams. Each team chose a poster from the Bucknell University Archives WWII Poster Collection to research, analyze, and interpret the evocative meaning. Analysis and interpretation [were] based upon contemporary and current perspectives.

• This collaboration among students, faculty, and staff fits my conception of appropriate historical pedagogy, a real "praxis."

Institutional Motivations• 2004 Middle States Review Board review suggests:

– additional introductory history courses– Improvement in informational literacy among students

• History Department (8 tenure-line, 2 FTE adjunct) recognizes a need for additional training– relatively flat hierarchy of courses means differentiated research

and writing abilities in multiple course levels– obvious variation in history-appropriate training in first-year

seminars– a desire to “capture” more students early on and defend disciplinary

boundaries– doubling of majors (to 104 in April 2008) in five years with a

reputation for rigor• Consequence, among others, is the creation of History 100,

“Thinking about History,” in which instructor and theme change but goals remain the same– research methods, critical analysis, thoughtful writing– opportunities to act as professional historians

• This is nothing new - since the 1960s at least, librarians and faculty have worked closely together on faculty-generated courses– At Bucknell, frequent course- and research-related interaction between

faculty and librarians/informational technologists– Ample literature on the topic

• Bielema, C., D. Crocker, J. Miller, J. Reynolds-Moehrle, and H Shaw. "Faculty and Librarian Collaborations: A Case Study and Proposal for Online Learning Environments." Research Strategies 20, no. 4 (2003): 334-45.

• Grassian, Esther. "Do They Really Do That? Librarians Teaching Outside the Classroom." Change 36, no. 3 (2004): 22-27.

• Raspa, Dick, and Dana Ward, eds. The Collaborative Imperative: Librarians and Faculty Working Together in the Information Universe. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2000.

• This is new – Not mono-directional, in which informational technologist or librarian provides

supplementary support or only content management• In this module, I strove to include at least the two essential co-instructors - Abby Clobridge

as Digital Projects Team Leader and Doris Dysinger the University Archivist - as equals• Idea to show that many aspects of and many partners in the professional historical

experience - they have their professional prerogatives as well

Pedagogy I• Long an advocate of discussion-

based, project-based, experience-based learning

– Idealistic notion on becoming a historian through research and analysis of primary materials, reflection through interpretive models

• Yearlong courses, fieldwork, archival reports

• Current goal is the “humanities lab,” of equal weight and importance as hard sciences labs

– Practical notion to prepare young historians with skills and experiences appropriate to emerging job market

– Cynical notions of destroying paper mills and paper files

• Bucknell University helped complete major project begin elsewhere, and this is where collaboration began:

www.bucknell.edu/Beaucarnot

Pedagogy II• Given the pedagogical revolution, a strong

believer in “hybrid” classroom approach– Student-centered learning essential, instructor the

“guide on the side”• In History 100, students given skills and direction, but they

remain pioneers• All modules run in rotating two-person teams

– However, instructor has to be first among equals, and at times the “sage on the stage” needed

• Ground rules of professionalism and respect established immediately

• Lecture has a place, and a student culture that demands factor-based grades

Pedagogy III• Given the digital revolution, a strong believer in “hybrid”

learning technologies– Students should become experts in those technologies that will aid them

in the digital world• These ‘native speakers’ often need grammar lessons• Humanities and social sciences students must receive quantitative

training (statistics, geographical information systems, programming)

• In History 100, students access and manipulate analog“texts” throughout but deliver their content digitally– Here librarians and information technologists become essential

with their access to resources, their specialized knowledge, andtheir approach to the materials

• Would not have worked as well with digital materials– Each person involved - the digital “lead,” the staff from ITEC, the

University archivists - all backed the project and understood and executed their roles perfectly

• Perhaps this is where trust comes in, but also careful planning• Instructor remained “in charge” but it didn’t seem to matter

Pedagogy IV• Students should become

familiar with analogtechnologies and manual practice–They better recreate the human

experience they study by experiencing it even if tangentially

–How to read a book, how to analyze an image

–Analog technologies force students to slow down, reflect, and learn patience - they often don’t like this

• Synthesized,all factors developed into one module of History 100, “Thinking About History”

Project Planning

World War II Poster Project Timeline

•Course approved 11 June 2006 as part of a “deal”

•Planning underway by 30 June 2006

•Clobridge manages much of Bucknell preparation

Students write research/analysis paper to place posters within historical context, make connections between poster and broader World War II experience, and draw connections between posters and current events. In class: students create a digital library with surrogate images of posters and data related to posters.

“Students gain critical insights about information literacy through their own production of information which is likely to be the result of some form of active learning opportunities – those that go beyond lectures and require students to make critical decisions about the information they evaluate and produce, especially as they try to formulate a response.”

Phase 4: Producing New Information

Session 2: students begin to work in pairs to frame their individual research questions and strategies. Throughout project: Students work to identify, access, and evaluation information sources.

-Framing the research question-Identify and access information sources-Evaluate the information-Use the information affectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

Phase 3: Teaching Students to Evaluate and Understand Content

In-class exercise during Session 2 using personal response systems to discuss basics of finding and evaluating sources. Selected topics included: Understanding citations, finding materials in a university library, inter-library loan

Address basic principles of finding and evaluating sources. Can be addressed via formal lectures, discussion sections, library visits, writing workshops, computer labs, or classroom management systems.

Phase 2: Teaching Students to Find and Evaluate Sources

During Session 2, instructors provide overview of project and intended outcome.

At beginning of class, provide a clear presentation of: -what students will learn in the course-how information literacy relates to those learning goals

Phase 1: Preparing Students for an Information Literacy Experience

Integration into HIST 100 Poster ProjectSelected Details of PhaseMSCHE Phase

Project Planning Start of Classes


•First two weeks are lecture and backgrounding•Third topic of first lecture deals with respect:

“[from syllabus] Now, this doesn’t mean that students won’t have the time of their lives as practicing historians for this course. It should be fun! But behind everything, students should never forget their responsibility to each other, to the history (living and material) they research, and to Bucknell University as a community of learning of the highest possible standards.”

•Massive assignment of texts to traditional reserve


Project Kick-Off


•Introduction of entire course “staff” on first day

•Formation of two-person teams following classroom prep

•Get right to work with selecting posters

Original World War II-era posters, which former university president Arnaud C. Marts (acting 1935 – 1938, 1938 – 1945) had collected during his tenure.


Project Kick-Off First

Impressions


September 12 Journal

Good painting, very realLike a photoVery bigBig American flag (like Patton)Give devotionVery real lookingWar production board Washington DC A-18It is a photo not a painting“free labor will win”Button “991” red outline, circleHas bandana around neck, redSweatyDeterminedLittle scruffy

Anton BruehlUS govt printing office1942-O-473574Pride of AmericaSweaty look of determinationBig oversized American flagBig posterPhoto not painted like most of the othersColored photo not black and whiteRed white and bluePin on neck probably unionWearing welding uniformFormidable manReady to work, helmet and gloves on

BackpackManly manNeither smile nor frown, stern look, means businessBig block lettersYellow surround lettersBorder around the whole thingAmerican flag in back/ not all stars / 1 setRed and white stripesPatrioticFeel powerPrideStrengthHonor


Project Kick-Off

Advanced Historical Research

FirstImpressions


Grassian, p. 23: "If you really want to find out how students handle research assignments, just ask the librarians who help them at reference desks and through electronic forms of reference.

The image itself, the apparent “text” and subject

Image’s physical properties and dimensions

Period-specific iconography and symbolism

Image’s artist & background

Commentary contemporary to the image, its author(s), etc.

Institutional background

Your presentation, interpretation, discussion

Historical Layer-Cake: Analyzing a Poster

Historical context, audience, message


Project Kick-Off

SCUA Research


FirstImpressions


•Each participant contributed their own approaches

•Clobridge’s internal research time

•Dysinger’s Bucknell connection


Digital Surrogates

Project Kick-Off

SCUA Research


FirstImpressions


•Good work with Deb Balducci and Mary Beth James

Working with Digital Images

Image file types: TIFFs and JPGs

Pixels per Inch (PPI)

Photoshop: rotating images, cropping images


Preserving, Archiving, &Displaying

Digital Surrogates

Project Kick-Off

SCUA Research


FirstImpressions



Bldg. the Digital

Collection


Digital Surrogates

Project Kick-Off

SCUA Research


FirstImpressions


Standards

Digital preservation

Access points

Copyright

Metadata

Culture or NationalityLocationGenderSemesterCreator DatesProfessorCreatorCourseMeasurementsContributorDescriptionLanguageObject TypeRightsDate NotesSubjectDatePublisherTitleCreator NotesIdentifier

Fields for the World War II Poster Project Digital Library

Field: IdentifierRequired: YesDescription: Unique alphanumeric identifier for linking metadata with image data.

Format: “WW2P_” + four digit number with leading zerosField: TitleRequired: YesDescription: Indicates the title of the poster; if the poster has a given title, record it exactly as given. Format: Capitalize all words, except articles, prepositions and conjunctions.

Field: DateRequired: NoDescription: Print or copyright date of the work.Format: Single year given in full four-digits. If a more specific date is given, the format should be month + ddyyyy.

Field: Date NotesRequired: NoDescription: Provides additional date-of-event information pertaining to the work that does not appear in another field. Appropriate information for this field is an indication whether the date is approximate, or where the given date can be located on the poster.Format: Complete sentences or strings of complex nouns. Always punctuate. The final phrase must end in a period.

Field: Object TypeRequired: YesDescription: Indicates the type of object.Format: One or two words. Capitalize all words.Range: This field utilizes a controlled vocabulary.


Final Papers

Due

Bldg. the Digital

Collection


Digital Surrogates

Project Kick-Off

SCUA Research


FirstImpressions



Assessment

Final Papers

Due

Bldg. the Digital

Collection


Digital Surrogates

Project Kick-Off

SCUA Research


FirstImpressions


Lessons Learned• As all related literature indicates, this took much time and many

resources, esp. for a 40-person course– David Del Testa, Abby Clobridge & Doris Dysinger, Curator of

Special Collections & University Archives

– Debra Cook-Balducci, Instructional TechnologistMary Beth James, Instructional TechnologistRyan LeBreton, Web Developer IIDaniel Mancusi, Digital Projects TechnologistLaura Riskedahl, Metadata LibrarianJason Snyder, Integrated Online Services Consultant/LibrarianBarbara Stockland, Metadata/Research Services LibrarianMary Ann Williard, Assistant Curator for Special Collections

• Grassian, p. 23 “At some institutions, particularly where librarians have faculty status and the library is an academic department, librarian design, develop, and teach similar credit-bearing courses that may or may not be linked to full-credit courses in other disciplines."

Lessons II• Many students perceived a disconnect between the relationship of the

poster project and its successor, an oral history project, to classroom lectures, readings, and evaluations. – Of course, students’ expectations for a thematic course do not always

coincide with those of the instructor. – Although Del Testa knew that many of his History 100 students, heavily

weaned on a hagiographic view of World War II, expected a great deal of discussion about the machinery of warfare, battles, and violence, left many students were asking, “Okay, when do we talk about the war?”

– Indeed, only some fairly graphic World War II anti-Japanese propaganda films shown late in the course seemed to have the effect of making the realities of the war clear for students and led students to connect the propaganda they were researching with brutal realities.

– The responsibility of students to serve as protector for the posters and instructors’ insistence on a professional approach in working with the objects helped in this task.

Lessons III• The post-course survey confirms the overall success of the

course, the achievement of its main aims, an improved and “concretized” set of historical skills for students, and a general enthusiasm for history by the class.– some students also expressed anecdotally that they had started to

become bored with the poster project by the end, even if 72.2% of students said they strongly agreed or agreed that they preferredthis to a traditional research paper.

– A significant majority (83.7%) of student respondents said they agreed or strongly agreed that they learned more than they otherwise would have in a traditional research paper.

– Consistently, 82.3% of responders said they would agree in assigning this over a traditional paper.

Lessons IV & Beyond• For the instructors, using technology was successful. • Building the digital library was also a successful

endeavor. – Students indicated that they appreciated instruction on working with

digital images, a skill that hopefully will be integrated into the university’s information literacy and technology fluency plan.

• The creation of the digital library serves as a legacy to the course.

• Full discussion in Clobridge and Del Testa, “The World War II Poster Project: Information Literacy & Technology Fluency as a Collaborative Effort” in Tom Mackey and Trudi Jacobson, Using Technology to Teach Information Literacy. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2008

• Second iteration this Fall, with a follow-on survey of the first group to address learning consequences; invitation to speak in France about the project

http://www.bucknell.edu/x35646.xml

Thank you for your attention!

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