Comments on: Why Students Want Simplicity And Why It Fails Them When It Comes To Research

By: Vinay Chaganti

Vinay Chaganti — Sun, 03 May 2009 06:04:09 +0000

Firstly I appreciate the article for the way it is presented. However, it is filled with so many relative terms like simple, complex, chaotic and so on, I wonder if we are referring to how people look at things. And that in turn, is completely dependent on how competent people are in sensing and responding to a given context.

Coming to the point of research and the complementing choices, I would – as a researcher – prefer to keep things simple; simple being what a researcher can handle within his/her limitations. Learning is a continuous exercise, and the advanced techniques can be learned over time.

Even in terms of academic success, I believe that it would of much help to the guiding professors if the research is limited and doable within the competency sets of the researcher.

The models on which this article hinges are a value add to me. And I find that the way they are presented is SIMPLE. I would love to know how they made the decision of presenting such COMPLEX Concept in such a SIMPLE manner.

By: Designing Better Libraries » Misguided Thoughts About Simplicity

Designing Better Libraries » Misguided Thoughts About Simplicity — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 02:17:12 +0000

[...] must still be considered a part of our total user experience. I have written previously here and here about the challenges of bringing simplicity to library systems for research tasks that almost [...]

By: Alison Ricker

Alison Ricker — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:38:09 +0000

In our chemistry information class we begin with context, asking students to first investigate the significance of the research question they are trying to answer. The question itself may seem simplistic (e.g. “what is the most effective analysis method for measuring blood lead levels in children?”) but we ask them to put that question in the context of analytical chemistry methods generally, the history of lead poisoning and testing, and the effects of lead poisoning and ramifications for educational systems and society as a whole. We then demonstrate a wide variety of resources to find the contextual information, and they work through different levels of complexity, working at small chunks of the problem through weekly assignments, to get to their final answer and presentation. It’s very hard to replicate this 7-week process in one reference interview or lab session with a class, but I try to keep that balance of context and simplicity in mind with every question. Thanks for the thoughtful article, which helped put my goals into a clearer perspective.

By: Gerry Solomon

Gerry Solomon — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:17:03 +0000

This article and the subsequent commentary reinforces the efforts I make in workshops for teachers to understand that well-designed questioning provides the scaffold for effective student research. Jamie McKenzie is one of the biggest proponents of the importance of avoiding the traditional assignment of topic-based research. Instead we need to challenge students with essential and supporting questions that force them to solve problems, construct thoughtful answers of their own, take an evidence-based position, etc. With practice, they can learn to design their own questions to direct their research.

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:50:36 +0000

I’m a librarian at a small architecture school and have been struggling with this situation. Usually the design projects the students are given are quite demanding. That is, they require an understanding of a complex context and a creative design solution. Sometimes when students present their questions to me, I get the feeling that they don’t know enough about architecture (or life in general) to understand the context. Further they have very little knowledge of the world of published information. They seem totally dependent the instructors and myself to point them to sources that might be interesting and useful. I’m fairly familiar with the library holdings and their assignments and consequently can often help them. On the other hand, I have no confidence that they are learning to investigate on their own.

By: Chris Strauber

Chris Strauber — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:20:39 +0000

An interesting dilemma: students need context in order to understand that they’re looking at a complex problem rather than a simple one. But the point of the class or the assignment is to teach the context. From my perch at the reference desk I see all kinds of assignments where students are expected to start by knowing how to do what the assignment ostensibly is teaching. We need to be careful not to paint students into a corner.

By: Complex questions and simple answers « Regis University ED205 Research Blog

Complex questions and simple answers « Regis University ED205 Research Blog — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:35:44 +0000

[...] best sources are for answering the question. This is certainly true in academics! Take a moment to read the post and consider how the complexity and context of your research questions will impact the resources [...]

By: Betsy McKenzie

Betsy McKenzie — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:51:17 +0000

Thank you for a thought-provoking introduction to a different way of thinking about training students. I work in a law school library, and certainly think your analysis applies here. I will be thinking for a long time about your analysis, and looking to learn more about the Cynefin Framework and the continuum from simple to complex to chaos that should define the way we deal with decision-making! Great post!

By: Brad Czerniak

Brad Czerniak — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:56:10 +0000

Very good article — it highlights important aspects of the research process.

I’d contend that a complicated, complex, or chaotic question is really just a bunch of simple questions tied together. The very first of the simple questions is context. So, the tried-and-true information retrieval methods of search engines usw. are effective in at least getting the student to the point of comfort — and ability to move forward.

Perhaps students mess up in that they are too academically honest. If a student tries to cite the informal steps in the process, the grader is likely to find it unprofessional, despite it being academically honest. It’s just a left-field theory, but I think it’s possible.