LOEX 2025

Daemen University's First Year Experience (FYE) seminar incorporates an Information Literacy component led by the Research and Instruction team, joining asynchronous online modules with engaging in-person sessions. Last Fall, inspired by Project Zero's Thinking Routines, we introduced a "Mystery Box" activity: groups received two small items and collaboratively brainstormed keywords, scoped potential research topics, and navigated online library tools to find three relevant resources. The exercise fostered autonomy, creativity, humor, and hands-on learning. Faculty appreciated how this successfully addressed pinch points of freshman research skills, and were enthusiastic to adapt it to their own classrooms.