EYE ON INSTRUCTION:
The Art of Examples


 By Kari Lucas, kari_lucas@ucsdlibrary.ucsd.edu

Ugh! I struggle every time I revise or create an instruction outline. What to do for examples plagues me.  I am on a perpetual quest for the Holy Grail of examples. I seek that one fine, shining specimen that will make clear the arcane bibliographic gobbledygook, at once and immediately, to acolytes at library altars of information.  I have noticed among my colleagues that there are those whose precociousness is finding the perfect example, whether it be for online searching or for dissecting a citation. They are the lucky few. The rest of us forge onward with our pilgrimage.

Since I have yet to find perfect examples, I am of two minds when it comes to them: make them up or find real ones.  There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.
 
Faking It
 
Of course, faking it is always risky. One school of thought, however, says that made up citations are perfectly fine for the purposes of illustration. Made up citations give instructors the freedom to express their creativity and create humor, while also providing the real elements of bibliographic citations. Given this model, one could spend considerable time thinking up these examples.  There is, however, the danger of having the humor backfire or, worse, go unnoticed.  The following example provides the basic fields: author, title, place of publication, publisher, and year of publication.
 

Technology makes faking it difficult. Real time demonstrations of online catalogs and indexes negate using fake citations to a large extent.  In fact, to have a demonstration search fail to get a reasonable retrieval rate or bring up at least one title is an embarrassment to be avoided at all costs.  However, when not in a fully wired position, creating your own examples may be a creative and exciting option.
 
Combing Catalogs and Indexes
 
Another school of thought says that made up citations are misleading, frivolous for a serious learning environment, trivialize information, and are, as a result, poor teaching tools.  According to apostles of accuracy, sample citations for instruction should only be drawn from existing literature.  Examples relevant to the topics being assigned are worshiped more fervently because, it is believed, learners quickly grasp the importance of the session they are attending as vital to their well being and future success.  Of course, examples of this ilk assume a classroom instructor who is also a believer. Another point of advocacy for examples from the literature is the notion that learners benefit from using the examples for practice after the session is over to reinforce the lessons learned.  Given this model, one could spend hours combing catalogs and indexes for just the right example.
 
Both methods require time and effort.  Your setting, audience, and learning objectives will guide you in determining which is most suitable.


LIRT News, December 1998. Volume 21, number 2.
To report problems, please contact the LIRT News Production editor at edwards@ufl.edu

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