Professional Development

Research Guides

Librarians serving on the communities of practice designed research guides for faculty to learn more about the competencies in relation to designing assignments and courses.

Ethics and Integrity Research Guide

Civic and Global Responsibility Research Guide

Information Literacy and Technological Agility Research Guide

Class Activity Examples

Critical and Creative Thinking

  • Mind Mapping Session
    Students create mind maps to brainstorm and organize ideas related to a topic, aiding in selecting a specific focus for analysis.
  • Time Capsule Creation (Page 10)
    Students select personal or historical artifacts to include in a time capsule, encouraging reflection on the significance of chosen items.     
  • Topic Selection Worksheet
    This worksheet guides students through the process of selecting a topic by encouraging them to list potential ideas, evaluate their interests, and consider the scope and feasibility of each.
  • Topic Identification Worksheet
    This graphic organizer assists students in understanding their assignment, identifying and focusing their topic, creating a search strategy, and finding sources in six easy steps.
  • Researching a Topic Worksheet
    This worksheet helps students brainstorm aspects of their topic they might want to investigate, formulate specific questions, and draft a possible thesis or problem statement.

  • Personal Artifact Reflection
    Students bring personal artifacts and discuss their relevance, fostering skills in identifying meaningful subjects for analysis.     
  • Primary Sources and Personal Artifacts Lesson Plan
    Students bring personal artifacts to class and, using the Primary Source Analysis Tool, analyze these items to understand their historical and cultural contexts. This activity fosters skills in interpreting primary sources and understanding the significance of context in analyzing artifacts.     
  • Interactive Exercises—Analyzing Artifacts
    This interactive exercise presents students with historical artifacts and guides them through a series of questions to analyze the artifacts' origins, purposes, and contexts. It helps students develop skills in interpreting artifacts within their historical frameworks.     
  • Secondary Sources Brainstorm
    Brainstorm possible secondary sources and locations for research of your specific topic. Also determine key historical events and ideas (subjects) you plan to find information on with the secondary sources.     
  • Historical Context: Big C, Little c
    Use the 'Big C, Little c' worksheet to look at the historical conditions in the community of the event (little c). Then investigate the historical conditions on a larger scale (Big C), beyond the community to the nation or world. Determine how they are the same and different.     
  • Building Historical Context
    Investigate the historical context of your topic in depth using the 'Building Historical Context' worksheet. Using three analytical lenses of SPICE, determine the the historical conditions of the time. Also determine how those conditions influenced the event you are focusing on for your research.

  • Synthesis Essay Worksheets
    This series of 15 worksheets provides a structured approach to help students master the art of crafting well-structured and persuasive synthesis essays. The worksheets guide students in analyzing multiple perspectives, synthesizing information, and developing compelling arguments.
  • Document Analysis Worksheets
    Utilizing worksheets from the National Archives, students analyze various primary sources—such as photos, written documents, artifacts, and maps—to understand their historical and cultural contexts.
  • Chicago History Museum: Artifact Analysis Lesson
    This lesson plan involves students in hands-on analysis of artifacts to develop historical empathy and inquiry skills. By examining physical objects, students learn to interpret visual information and construct historical narratives.     
  • Critical Thinking & Analysis Exercises
    These exercises are designed to help students recognize, deconstruct, analyze, present, and refute arguments. Activities include articulating simple claims on specific topics and supporting them with reasoned arguments, enhancing critical thinking skills.

  • 3-2-1 Strategy for Reflective Learning
    The “3-2-1” strategy is a versatile strategy to promote reflective learning in any educational setting. Educators also use this activity to promote students’ engagement with and comprehension of assigned readings and viewings.
  • Reflect on Critical Thinking
    This activity prompts students to reflect on their critical thinking processes by examining how they approach problems, evaluate information, and make decisions. It encourages metacognition and awareness of one's thinking patterns.
  • Mirror, Microscope, Binoculars Reflection (Page 9)
    This structured reflection activity prompts students to examine their personal experiences (mirror), analyze specific aspects of an idea or event (microscope), and consider broader implications or future applications (binoculars). This approach encourages deep reflection on personal and professional relevance.
  • What? So What? Now What? Model
    This reflective model guides students through a three-step process: describing an experience or idea (What?), analyzing its significance (So What?), and determining future implications or actions (Now What?). It's effective for connecting historical events to contemporary relevance and personal growth.
  • Socratic Seminar Self-Reflection
    Students participate in a group dialogue where they explore open-ended questions related to a specific issue or event. The goal is to delve deeply into the topic through questioning and discussion, fostering critical thinking and collaborative learning.     
  • Opening Reflection: Your Approaches to Reflection (Page 2)
    The activity prompts critical evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, and uses rating scales to assess confidence and satisfaction with their current reflective practices. Finally, participants identify areas for improvement and articulate a key question or topic related to reflection that they would like to explore further, fostering metacognitive awareness and intentional growth in reflective thinking.

Scientific Inquiry and Research Skills

  • Context Analysis Template
    A structured framework that guides students through examining the multifaceted context of their research topic, including historical background, stakeholder perspectives, and relevant policies. The template helps researchers explicitly identify the disciplinary, social, and theoretical landscape in which their inquiry is situated.
  • Exquisite Corpse Topic Narrowing Activity
    A collaborative exercise where students pass their research topic ideas around the classroom, allowing peers to interpret and expand upon them. This creative approach helps researchers break out of fixed thinking patterns, revealing new perspectives and potential directions as they view their assembled "exquisite corpse" research project.
  • Potential Topics Worksheet
    A systematic tool that helps researchers generate, explore, and refine potential dissertation topics through guided prompts. The worksheet walks students through a process of broad exploration before narrowing to a focused, researchable topic.
  • Research Problem Statement Worksheet
    Worksheet A: Statement of the Problem. A conceptual framework exercise that challenges students to move beyond simple variable questions to identify tensions between multiple interacting propositions. By articulating principal, interacting, and speculative propositions, researchers develop a deeper understanding of their research problem's significance and contextual relevance.
  • Research Timeline Exercise
    A mapping activity where students create chronological representations of their topic's key developments, contextualizing their research within historical, political, and technological evolutions in the field.
  • How Bias Affects Scientific Research
    An activity that equips students with tools to recognize and critically evaluate bias in scientific literature. Through guided analysis, researchers develop skills to identify methodological flaws, funding influences, and interpretive biases.
  • Positionality/Bias Reflection Prompt
    A reflective writing exercise that encourages researchers to examine their personal relationship to their topic, including assumptions, identity factors, and potential biases. This self-awareness activity helps students understand how their own context shapes their research approach.

  • Literature Review Matrix
    An organizational tool that enables systematic comparison across multiple sources through a tabular format. Students populate the matrix with key elements from each source, facilitating identification of patterns, contradictions, and knowledge gaps across the scholarly conversation.
  • Literature Base Worksheet
    Work Sheet B: Related Research and Literature. A comprehensive framework that guides students in distinguishing between conceptual and empirical literature relevant to their topic. The worksheet prompts researchers to categorize existing knowledge, summarize contributions, and identify areas of consensus, debate, and unexplored territory.
  • Theoretical/Conceptual Framework Worksheet
    Worksheet C: Theoretical/Conceptual Framework. An analytical exercise that helps researchers articulate the theoretical foundation of their study by identifying key constructs and mapping relationships between concepts. This process connects individual research to broader scholarly traditions and clarifies the lens through which findings will be interpreted.
  • Annotated Bibliography Format
    A structured template that combines proper citation with critical evaluation of each source's content, relevance, and limitations. This format pushes researchers beyond summary to engage with scholarly perspectives, methodological approaches, and theoretical frameworks.
  • Annotated Bibliography: Summarize, Assess, and Reflect
    A comprehensive reading and writing exercise where researchers compile critical analyses of key sources, evaluating their contributions while identifying how each work informs their own research questions and theoretical understanding.

  • Research Proposal Planning Worksheet
    A comprehensive outlining tool that guides researchers through articulating each essential component of a research proposal, ensuring logical flow and completeness while highlighting connections between research questions, methods, and significance.
  • Research Objectives and Questions Worksheet
    Worksheet D: Objectives and Questions. A focused exercise that helps researchers translate broad problems into specific, achievable research goals and precisely worded questions. This worksheet ensures alignment between conceptual interests and practical investigative parameters.
  • Ethics and Feasibility Checklist
    A decision-making tool that walks researchers through systematic evaluation of their study's risk level, ethical considerations, and practical constraints. This resource helps identify potential issues early in the planning process.
  • Mock IRB Submission Packet
    A progressive series of assignments that familiarizes students with human subjects research protocols through hands-on practice completing institutional review documentation. The exercises introduce increasingly complex ethical considerations while helping researchers refine their study design.
  • The Eight Steps of Research
    A conceptual framework that organizes the research process into an accessible LEARN-THINK-SHARE model. This overview helps researchers understand the iterative, non-linear nature of inquiry while providing a structured approach to project planning.

  • Data Collection Design Worksheet
    A modular planning resource that guides researchers through selecting and developing appropriate data gathering strategies for their methodology. The worksheet addresses practical considerations, ethical implications, and analytical connections for each potential data collection approach.
  • Research Procedures Worksheet
    Worksheet E: A methodological design tool that prompts researchers to articulate and justify their chosen approach, sampling strategy, data collection process, and analysis plan. The worksheet emphasizes alignment between methods and research questions while anticipating potential challenges.
  • Discussion and Conclusion Writing Worksheet
    A structured guide that facilitates meaningful interpretation of research findings by prompting connections to original questions, literature context, and real-world implications. The worksheet leads researchers through synthesizing results, acknowledging limitations, and articulating the significance of their contribution.

  • Research Presentation Guides, Rubrics, & Templates
    A comprehensive toolkit that supports researchers in preparing effective oral presentations for diverse formats. These resources provide structured guidance on organization, visual aids, delivery techniques, and audience interaction.
  • Peer Feedback Form for Group Presentations
    An evaluation tool that guides students in providing constructive criticism to their peers' presentations. This collaborative assessment approach helps researchers refine their communication skills while building a community of practice.
  • Peer Review Checklist
    An evaluation framework that guides students through analyzing draft research papers with a critical yet constructive lens. This collaborative assessment tool helps researchers strengthen their work through structured feedback on content, organization, and clarity.

Civic and Global Responsibility

  • Civic Engagement Autobiography
    This worksheet helps students tease out and embrace the potentially hidden civic dimensions of their work.
  • My Political Autobiography
    This workbook is a journal, a prompt, an exercise, a preparation. It can be completed from start to finish or you can focus on the parts that feel most helpful to you. Print this out and write directly on the page or grab a journal to write in. The point is to begin thinking about what experiences, relationships, and values have shaped your current political beliefs, why the things you care about now matter so much to you, and what would happen if you had the political power to make changes. By feeling more fully grounded in your own beliefs, you’ll be ready to engage with others in a healthier dialogue about politics, political events, or an upcoming election.
  • Civic Engagement Assessment and Action Plan
    Students complete a civic engagement self-assessment measuring their current civic knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors; analyze results to identify strengths and gaps; research civic engagement opportunities aligned with their interests; and develop a concrete action plan for increasing civic participation.

  • Global Issues Analysis Worksheet
    Students select a global issue and analyze its local, national, and global impacts, interconnections with other challenges, stakeholder perspectives, and potential solutions at various scales.
  • Analysis of the Global Climate Change Controversy
    In this problem-based learning activity, students investigate positions held by various stakeholders regarding global climate change (GCC). Students work in teams to identify and evaluate: the interest of a stakeholder in GCC, the position held by the stakeholder, the rationale/evidence used to support the position, and the response of the stakeholder to GCC in light of their stated position. After completing the research phase of the activity, teams share their findings with classmates via short presentations. Students then have the opportunity to critique the positions (and rationale) of the various stakeholders and to form and provide rationale for their own positions.
  • Student Report Issue or Concern in Your Community to Proper Governmental Authority (Activity #9, Page 10)
    This activity involves identifying and reporting a community issue (such as potholes or illegal dumping) to the appropriate government authority, documenting the report, and reflecting on the experience and its impact on civic engagement.
  • Research the Most Recent Proposed or Finalized Budget from Your City or County (Activity #10, Page 10)
    This activity involves researching your city or county’s most recent proposed or finalized budget, analyzing its key components, and reflecting on its impact and how you can engage in the budgeting process as a community member.
  • Verify a News Story (Activity #22, Page 15)
    Use the SIFT method to critically review and verify a news story shared on social media, document your reflection on its validity, the importance of verifying information, and how this method will change your media consumption and sharing habits.
  • Final Paper: Proposing a Solution to a Global Problem: Assignment, Rubric, Example of Student Work
    The purpose and focus of the assignment are to have students apply what they have learned about a global problem to propose an evidence-based solution, to critically evaluate a local institution or organization in terms of the proposed solution, and to hypothesize their own involvement in the solution.
  • The Solutions to Poverty Project: Assignment, Rubric
    The Solutions to Poverty Project engages an entire class of undergraduate students in identifying causes of and developing potential solutions to reducing poverty that are supported by empirical research and framed within a family resource management perspective and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory.
  • Tool Kit 5.7 – Infusing Critical Consciousness into Teaching
    The activity encourages the examination of power structures, privilege, and systemic inequalities, guiding educators to design curricula that address complex civic and global issues and consider the implications of various interventions.

  • Deliberative Democracy in the Classroom Toolkit
    This toolkit on Citizenship in 21st Century America brings deliberative democracy into the classroom setting. The toolkit is available for download for any teacher or educator. The toolkit introduces ideas of deliberative democracy and polling, enhances research skills, and improves communication skills of students.
  • Civic Engagement Exercises (Multiple Activities)
    The Ginsberg Center has gathered and adapted numerous course exercises on civic engagement topics. Some of these exercises allow students to practice democratic processes in order to develop democratic habits, while others support students engaging with socially relevant topics. All of these exercises can be applied to most course topics in a variety of disciplines.
  • Tool Kit 14.5 – Power Mapping for Institutional Change
    This activity involves creating a power map to identify stakeholders, allies, and decision-makers within an institution. By understanding the dynamics of influence and authority, participants can strategize effective approaches to advocate for community engagement initiatives, embodying the principles of deliberative democracy.

  • Write An Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor on A Topic of Local or Societal Importance (Activity #19, Page 14)
    This activity involves writing and submitting an op-ed or letter to the editor on a local or societal issue, then reflecting on the experience, its impact, and the role of public expression in civic engagement.
  • Civility Self-Reflection Exercise - Civil Discourse and Difficult Decisions
    Civility self-reflection for students to fill out while waiting for the program to start.
  • Civil Discourse in the Classroom
    This curriculum introduces basic tools for teaching civil discourse. It is not subject-specific; on the contrary, these tools of argumentation and discussion lend themselves to any subject in any classroom.
  • Debating Three Different Areas of Sustainability
    In this activity, students will choose a topic relating to the triple bottom line, which has to do with environmental, social and economic issues. The students as a whole will choose a topic of debate having to do with the triple bottom line of sustainability: healthier ecosystems, social systems and economies. The class then splits up into two groups. The purpose of this activity is for the students to then have a group debate, one side for a topic and one side against the topic. Each group will try to sway the opposing side to their point of view. If one side does not win the debate, then the students will have to come to a compromise and find a solution acceptable to both sides. After the acceptable solution is identified, students should write a letter to the mayor, or a governmental figure of their choice on how they came to an agreement and how this could be achieved by our government today.
  • Bookends: Connecting Communication and Community from Gateway to Capstone: Assignment, Rubric
    Bookends is a two-linked assignment to assess programmatic learning outcomes related to applied and collaborative learning. The first assignment, which is completed in the gateway (the introductory course that introduces majors to the discipline), is a collaborative project. The second bookend asks students to take their understanding of how communication can be used to address community issues to a deeper level, utilizing relevant concepts and theories to analyze and propose appropriate communicative interventions for dealing with a complex intercultural challenge.
  • The Globally Effective Citizen: Assignment, Rubric
    The Globally Effective Citizen explores the incredibly diverse world of indigenous people, and examines the juxtaposition of the Western worldview with the world inhabited by indigenous people. We examine this relationship within historical, political, geographical, cultural and environmental contexts. This assignment draws on evidence from two main sources: one, a position paper written from the student’s point of view as a member of the NGO, directed to Alverno College students and two, a persuasive presentation to Alverno College students, faculty, and staff in which she seeks support for her NGO’s work with or on behalf of indigenous people.
  • Tool Kit 4.5 – Amplifying Diverse Community Voices
    Participants reflect on whose voices are prominent or marginalized within their communities. The activity encourages strategies to ensure inclusive participation, fostering environments where diverse perspectives are heard and respected, thereby enhancing civic discourse.

Communication Skills

  • Pre-Writing Context Analysis Worksheet
    This worksheet guides students to consider their audience, purpose, genre, and special circumstances before writing or speaking, fostering strategic communication planning.
  • Situational Analysis Worksheet
    Students assess various communication situations by examining audience, purpose, content, role, tone, organizational context, cultural context, medium, and constraints, promoting effective communication strategy development.
  • Communication Breakdown Exercise
    Students explore common communication breakdowns and develop strategies to overcome them, improving their adaptability in various communication situations.
  • Audience Analysis Worksheet
    This worksheet guides students in analyzing audience demographics and psychographics to inform their communication strategies, ensuring messages are effectively tailored.
  • Communicating an Idea Effectively
    This handout lists three key features of a well-explained idea and strategies for building these into one’s communication.

  • Inclusive Language Worksheet (Page 3, Activity #1)
    Students identify and revise examples of gendered or discriminatory language, fostering awareness and application of inclusive communication practices.
  • Building Awareness Around Language and Inclusive Communication (Page 3, Activity #2)
    Through reflection and discussion, students examine the impact of language on inclusivity, enhancing their ability to communicate responsibly.
  • Tips for Inclusive Communication Handout
    This handout provides guidelines for engaging in inclusive conversations, encouraging students to practice respectful and inclusive communication.
  • Finding Reliable Communication Sources: Worksheet
    This worksheet prompts students to differentiate between primary and secondary information sources, recognize implicit bias, and critically assess the reliability of various sources. It encourages reflection on personal experiences with unreliable information and strategies to identify trustworthy resources.
  • Evaluating Communication Sources: The Matrix
    Students analyze different types of information sources—such as scholarly articles, news pieces, and social media posts—using a matrix that assesses relevance, timeliness, and authority. This comparative approach helps students discern the most credible sources for their research needs.
  • Evaluating Sources of Information
    This activity presents a checklist that prompts students to examine the creator, content, and context of a source. Questions focus on the author's credentials, the balance and accuracy of the information, and the purpose of the message, fostering critical evaluation skills.

  • Trading Places Worksheet
    The Trading Places worksheet takes your student through 10 steps to help them imagine a situation from another’s perspective. These steps can be especially useful when a client is struggling to move forward following a disagreement with someone in their life.
  • Choosing Communication Channels Worksheet
    Students assess various communication channels and match them to specific audiences and messages, developing skills in selecting appropriate mediums.
  • Listening Accurately Worksheet
    This handout presents five simple steps to facilitate accurate listening and can help establish some basics for training in effective communication.
  • Making Eye Contact Exercise
    This exercise is a fun way to kick off a group training day by warming up people’s non-verbal communication skills.
  • Active Listening: Small Group Activity
    In this structured exercise, students engage in group discussions where one person speaks on a topic while others practice attentive listening. Participants then ask follow-up questions or provide comments, promoting active listening and information gathering skills.
  • Just Listen Exercise
    Students participate in an activity where they focus solely on listening without interrupting, enhancing their ability to gather information and understand the speaker's message fully.
  • How to Improve Communication in Relationships: 7 Essential Skills
    This simple leaflet details seven approaches and frameworks to better understand how we communicate and develop our skills in relating to others.
  • Communication Styles Identify Questionnaire
    This questionnaire helps students identify their preferred communication styles and provides insights into how different styles can be effective or ineffective depending on the situation and audience.
  • Communication Styles Identify Self-Assessment
    Through self-assessment, students identify their communication styles and learn how to adapt them to different contexts and audiences.
  • 500 Years Ago
    In this worksheet, students attempt to describe modern-day phenomena to their partner, who pretends they have no knowledge of the modern world because they are from long in the past. In each round, the speaker must practice empathic communication and perspective taking by tailoring their language to their old-timey listener.

  • Providing Effective Feedback Checklist
    Students learn to give and receive feedback constructively using a structured checklist, enhancing their responsive communication skills.
  • Feedback Practice Activity
    This is a activity to help you give an overview of effective and ineffective feedback the activity is helpful in practicing giving effective feedback.
  • The Communication Effectiveness Profile
    This 84-item inventory provides a comprehensive assessment of seven factors contributing to good or bad communication, including empathizing and the ability to read nonverbal cues.
  • Communication Skills Performance Review Phrases
    Students examine various feedback phrases used in performance reviews, learning to interpret and apply feedback effectively.