What I have learned as a Peer Research Coach (So far)

The ability to maintain a curiosity-driven lifestyle is to adopt a growth mindset. Learning new things through research, collaboration, and transparent communication is how we strive to reach a future that is more pleasant than the present. Lucky for me, I’ve been an educational ambassador since my first job. Along the way, I’ve helped students in primary-leveled school and students in the university. Additionally, I’ve taught people older than me through a professional setting. Through this, I’ve learned that knowledge extends beyond age. Facts that can be proven by research that is backed, and teams that are driven to succeed, provide insight that should be shared regardless of your attachment to the subject. Maintaining the power of distributing this knowledge is an honor, but the greatest honor is enabling people to discover for themselves. Research is a gift that keeps giving and sparks innovative thoughts which leads to innovative action.

Within my role as a peer coach, the importance of research has been highlighted, I’ve placed greater value in contextual communication, and through events with significance - I’ve grown to connect with a diverse group of learners. Additionally, because this is a cohort-based program, I’ve grown with same-aged Peer Coaches and accompanied their success at a similar pace.

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man fish and you feed him for a lifetime, right?

We have all heard this ancient proverb yet it also applies to knowledge! My journey through university has empowered self-search. Below, I will share a few of the key takeaways of my research capabilities. These are some that I have learned both in class and in my role.

Let's Research

All resources are created equal, right? Not necessarily…

The research information lifecycle is the tool we use to teach the credibility of resources to use during the research process. Here is a link to a resource we refer to, frequently.

To briefly describe, information matures the more people think and experiment. Soon, thoughts get passed along to experts. They publicize through the peer review process, which gives it the "highest level of credibility".

First, awareness is generated on the subject (This can be when an animal is first discovered). Not many people know about this creature, so there isn’t research or public information about it. Because of its novelty, news outlets may flock to cover the subject. This is the second phase. Third, comes direct primary source from the contributor. This may be where the subject shares the first-hand experience, which can be used in research. Soon, other people conduct greater interviews, and media outlets start publicizing information within magazines. Next comes novels and books written on the subject. These require research and the joining of information which makes them more credible. Lastly, the encyclopedia process. This is when the information has matured enough to be included in a text of additional matured subjects.?

When conducting research of your own, keep in mind the various stages. As long as you are aware of the credibility of an article or source, you are less likely to be influenced by a voice without power.?

Sources that are in the "awareness-generation-stage" of the information lifecycle are fit for that purpose! You could use magazines, YouTube videos, blog posts, and additional entry-level shares to intrigue into further investigation. After you have a general awareness of the subject, heavier material may be easily understood! Without general awareness, dense material can be difficult to comprehend.

Once the lifelong learners understand the concept of source creation and analysis, they are ready to dive into gathering these resources. For the university setting, the library database is where we flock to. Here, we have a collection of over 400 additional databases. It is a composition of science material, English material, history material, anything a student may want to learn more about. Hitting a paywall as a college student may be frustrating, so luckily for us, the university usually pays for sources that are not included in the database.

It is important to find places where there is a collection of diverse perspectives, information is not gathered in one source alone. Instead, reading from various databases, various perspectives, and various research strategies may provide greater insight.

Self-check your bias, while searching! This is especially true while conducting in a platform that is not intuitive. This means that the words which you input correlate with the result of the articles that are shared with you. One area of the United States may reference soda like that. Others may refer to it as Coke, pop, fizzy, you get the point. Keep this in mind when searching topics that may include synonyms: demographics, cultural references, languages you speak.

When analyzing a research question, highlight a few of the keywords. These are the essential words that cannot be left out of your question.

Here’s an example… How are male American teenagers more susceptible to mental illness while exposed to longer hours on Instagram? The keywords may be: “male American teenagers" AND “mental illness “AND Instagram.?

Notice how I used quotes around a few of the keywords. This is because I want to group them in the database search. Along with this, you may consider using AND (in capital letters) - between terms- to make certain that all keywords are included in a search.

Here is a Smithsonian article explaining research tactics in further detail.

Hopefully, these quick tips can set you along the right track of researching!

If there are additional questions that I can help with, feel free to reach out with a direct message on LinkedIn!

Teaching How to Research

Teaching is rarely a one-person job!

Managing a classroom with an expert librarian is something I have the honor to do as a peer coach. During this time, nonverbal communication becomes an essential skill to have. In addition, time management, respectful space usage, and organization are required.

Each classroom is composed of a different group of students yet the material we teach has a similar backbone. Where we enter class, we must be prepared with the content we can control. This allows for adaptability where needed. If we, as teachers, know what we are sharing – this leaves mind space for contextually communicating. Delivery of the materials in a class full of extroverts is, plenty, different than when communicating to a class of greater introverts.

Flexibility is also used when unexpected things arise within the classroom environment. One example of this is when a fire drill alarms the class, we pivot and share the information digitally.

I'm a Tour-Guide

Whenever I get to conduct tours for the University Libraries, a huge smile plasters my face. Not only does it give me time to stretch my legs, but engaging with potential students, family members, and faculty is a special treat!

At first, while conducting tours to students in their families, I was extremely nervous. This library was much larger than the one I had previous experience conducting tours at, during my role as a training ambassador.

I discovered that people like stories; the anecdotes I share about my favorite study spots, memories within the book stacks, and emotional conversations at the coffee shop are valued more than the impressive statistics (we have a collection of over 2 million digital items, at one point- the library was larger than the university arena, we renew library computers every four years- to keep it modern).

To get me out of fear hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) injected by my -then- beginner mindset, I focused on the lighter ones instead (oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin). Introducing humor seems like a good way to do this. Here are a few of the jokes I’ve woven, when appropriate.

Library Jokes

• This is a great book, too bad the library is infested with frogs. Whenever I give them a suggestion they tell me they have “ribbit” (read-it).
• The library has a limit of 50 books checked out at once per account. I’ve never checked out 50, myself. If you do feel overwhelmed with that many books in your house, you could only blame your shelf.
• These books are categorized by the Library of Congress method. This means that you will find books on similar subjects near each other. An example of this could be when looking up the subject of mountains, you will find Kilimanjaro next to Everest. Be careful, these are real cliffhangers!
• The study rooms may get reserved up to two weeks in advance or you can pick a reservation in slightly before you decide to come. Keep in mind that they do get booked!

Jokes are not always appropriate within the professional setting so contextualizing the audience is important. This is one of the useful skills I’ve learned, some people find jokes funny and some are more professional. Preparing in advance to understand the “buyer persona” on your conducted tour may lead to a better presentation.

Above all, the greatest asset added to my collection of skills gathered while conducting tours has been... the ability to walk backward with confidence. (Another joke, couldn’t help myself.)

Recommended Resource:

I’ve noticed many parallels between my journey as a tour guide and my friend David‘s. Check out his article to see his perspective of how conducting tours has been beneficial.

Mentorship

Mentorship is a large component of the Peer Coach program. Because we are a cohort-based program, older Peer Coaches mentor newcomers. At first, my cohort was known as the Peer Coaches in training. Soon, we were able to honor the official Peer Coach title.

As a first-generation student, having older students to reference professionally and academically has been an advantage I do not take for granted. Not only have they taught me direct skills, but also given me advice from the unique cultures they come from. Part of being a peer coach is being diverse, we come from households that originate from different parts of the world. When joining together, our ideas, projects, and conversations steer in creative directions that are not possible within an organization that doesn’t focus on diversity and inclusion. For this, I am grateful.

Along with a mentorship between the cohorts, each Peer Coach is assigned a mentor - directly. My mentor, Xan, has stayed along my side throughout my college journey. She has provided a professional lens on my resume, career development, and mindset. We frequently read professional development books together. One of the good ones has been Good to Great. Discussing our key takeaways guarantees greater learning. My relationship will extend beyond graduation, and for this I am grateful.

Eileen has been conducting workshops dedicated to mentorship; better educate the cohorts on its importance. Her initiative has opened eyes to the value of connection and curiosity. Each person has unique life experiences, further connections, and outlooks on the world. For these lessons, and her loyalty, I am grateful.?

Mentorship, opposed to popular belief, is a give-and-take relationship. I am happy to contribute wherever my perspective may be helpful.

Leaving an Impact

Many times, I describe my role as the library‘s student council.

Helping to create/participate in events with significance to benefit the students of our campus has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my journey. Wikipedia Edit Marathons, mixers between underrepresented groups at the campus (transfer students/non-traditional students), and events to elevate campus morale have been included in the list of many.

The subjects for the Wikipedia marathons have been created, by the librarians, to include marginalized groups of people and increase the knowledge distribution of information behind paywalls. Stonewall to Selina focused on LGBTQIA+ & LatinX leaders. Decolonizing Wikipedia focused on Native Americans. And, we had a Wikipedia marathon focused on Art and Feminism (twice). By joining together large groups of people with a shared focus of developing, contributing, and optimizing Wikipedia pages to share more information about these groups, we strive for a greater consciousness to increase inclusion around the world.

The "New-Generation Podcast" has been a project that requires the most teamwork. We created this podcast with the intention of giving first-generation students a voice- to share their perspectives. Many times, first-generation students may feel unheard. Also, they might not have people to discuss their struggles with. The goal of our podcast is to share the lessons we’ve learned, relate to two other students, and act as companions, and encourage higher levels of graduation! We work with the marketing department to distribute this podcast and to increase its visibility. Currently, we are on the second season of the podcast. So much more is planned for the future! Here’s a link to one of the episodes if you would like to check it out.

Sometimes, increasing the morale of students is needed. We do this by inviting therapy dogs into the library, distributing ice cream around campus, and greeting people. By offering these refreshments and snacks to the students, we create a relationship to the library that is meaningful and extends beyond the textbook.

During summer, I participate in the new student orientations. There, I conduct presentations to parents of incoming students. I discussed the benefits of consistently going to the libraries, resources available to students, brief history, and answering questions to eliminate confusion. Afterward, the Peer Coaches table at the main ground-floor shared by organizations, clubs, and university departments. Here, students have the liberty to ask questions directly to those employees by each segment of the campus. If they are looking for a career, we can possibly help them find one within the library.

The program develops leaders which are competent recruiters, onboarding specialists, and future mentors. I look forward to those aspects of the job. Continuous learning is something that the “culture” values, and I have been awarded the self-development award given by the library‘s dean- a great honor.

Summary

Flexibility has been the greatest muscle I have developed during my role as a peer coach, so far. Some days, we are co-facilitators within an English 102 class. Others, we are advocates for change, morale boosters, tour guides, or mentors. Above all, we are here to support our campus and enthusiastic students- like ourselves.