Your Name and Title: Lorena Jordan, Policy and Government Librarian
Library, School, or Organization Name: George Mason University
Area of the World from Which You Will Present: Fairfax, Virginia
Language in Which You Will Present: English
Target Audience(s): Librarians, Instructors
Short Session Description (one line): A librarian-led session examining how students compared ChatGPT, the library catalog, and government websites to locate credible sources, and what this reveals about using AI alongside traditional research tools.
Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
As artificial intelligence tools become more prevalent in academic settings, educators face a key question: what happens when AI is intentionally incorporated into instruction rather than avoided? This 20-minute presentation examines a librarian-led instruction session and activity embedded within a course focused on locating government program evaluations for synthesis.
The session highlights how students were asked to use and compare three research options-ChatGPT, the library catalog, and official government program websites- to locate federal government evaluations. Results include examining how they navigated each in practice, what they preferred, which methods proved most effective for locating credible sources, and where each approach was most useful or limiting.
Attendees will gain practical approaches for incorporating AI as a complementary tool within the research process, demonstrating how it can support, rather than replace, traditional methods.
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