GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE PROPOSAL
WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY
COMPUTER AND INFORMATION LITERACY
Requirement(s) (check all that apply):
_____Part A: Word Processing
_____Part B: Operating Systems, E-mail, and Graphic Presentations
_____Part C: Spreadsheets
__X _Part D: Information Literacy (Library and Internet Research Skills)
Date: 9/12/2011
College: Stewart Library
Department: Library Science
Catalog Abbreviation: LIBS
Catalog Title: Information Resources in the Social Sciences
Course Number: LIBS TD2804
Credit Hours: 1
SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Substantive: ______
New: ______
Revised: ______
Renewal _ X___
Effective Date ___N/A______
Course description as you want it to appear in the catalog:
No change is requested in the catalog description as it currently appears.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION LITERACY GENERAL EDUCATION MISSION STATEMENT
The Weber State University Computer and Information Literacy (CIL) requirement provides students with the ability to use computers, the Internet, and library resources. Specifically it provides students with skills and knowledge to input, format, find, identify, retrieve, analyze, and evaluate information to support academic success and lifelong learning.
Course Title: Information Resources in the Social Sciences
Department: Library Science
Provide justifications in Sections A-D for each of the CIL Part Requirements checked above.
A. Justification for Course Covering CIL Part A Requirement: Word Processing.
Part A Core Competencies:
A1. Create, edit, save/print, and retrieve a document.
A2. Move/copy, indent, space, find/replace, bold/underline/italicize, and center text.
A3. Number pages, format font, create references, insert headers and footers, place graphics, and spell check documents.
A4. Create, format, and edit tables.
Describe how the course prepares students to successfully complete tasks related to Word Processing. Cite specific lecture topics, written assignments, and/or lab projects that address each of the core competencies listed above. Refer to your attached syllabus as needed.
B. Justification for Course Covering CIL Part B Requirement: Operating Systems, E-mail, and Graphic Presentations.
Part B Core Competencies:
B1. Operating Systems: Use appropriate applications to create folders and subfolders, format storage medium, name, rename, copy, move, and delete files and folders.
B2. Internet: Fundamental knowledge of how to use the Internet as a source of information.
B3. E-mail: Delete, print, and attach files to e-mail messages as well as send, copy, forward, and save e-mail.
B4. Presentations: Use design templates to create slide presentations that include titles, bulleted lists, clipart, and animated gifs. Modify presentations by adding slides, changing their order, formatting text, correcting spelling, adding headers and footers, and applying animation effects.
Describe how the course prepares students to successfully complete tasks related to Operating Systems, E-mail, and Graphic Presentations. Cite specific lecture topics, written assignments, and/or lab projects that address each of the core competencies listed above. Refer to your attached syllabus as needed.
C. Justification for Course Covering CIL Part C Requirement: Spreadsheets.
Part C Core Competencies:
C1. Format and edit spreadsheets, retrieve spreadsheets, spell check spreadsheets, and save/print spreadsheets.
C2. Create and enter data, add/erase data cells, use absolute cell references, create column/row labels, adjust column width, format data.
C3. Enter/copy functions and formulas such as AVG, IF, MAX, MIN, PMT, SUM, Know basic formulas for percentages and markup.
C4. Create graphs.
Describe how the course prepares students to successfully complete tasks related to Spreadsheets. Cite specific lecture topics, written assignments, and/or lab projects that address each of the core competencies listed above. Refer to your attached syllabus as needed.
D. Justification for Course Covering CIL Part D Requirement: Information Literacy.
Part D Core Competencies:
D1. Identify Information Needs: Use the research process, construct a research question with a manageable focus, differentiate and apply different types and formats of information (scholarly/popular, primary/secondary, etc.).
D2. Find Information Effectively: Demonstrate how information is organized, use Boolean Logic and other search strategies to effectively use library catalogs, article databases, and Internet search engines.
D3. Critically Evaluate Information: Identify and apply evaluation criteria to assess the quality of information retrieved.
D4. Use Information Ethically: Demonstrate the importance of properly and correctly citing a source used. Identify what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Describe how the course prepares students to successfully complete tasks related to Information Literacy. Cite specific lecture topics, written assignments, and/or lab projects that address each of the core competencies listed above. Refer to your attached syllabus as needed.
D1. Identifying Information Needs: The library research process in the social sciences is discussed in detail during the second week of class (see syllabus), including how to construct a research question with a manageable focus. Students demonstrate their abilities related to this competency through a topic selection essay (Exercise 1), a brief, informal oral report during the third week, and an Annotated Bibliography Project. In addition, Quiz 1 includes questions related to this compentency. The ability to differentiate and apply different types and formats of information is discussed throughout the course and is assessed through questions on Quizzes 1 & 2; performance on Exercise 2 (Library Catalog), Exercise 3 (Reference Resources), and Exercise 4 (Article Databases); and performance on the final Annotated Bibliography Project. Questions regarding this competency are also included on the Pre-Test/Post-Test which is used to assess overall student learning.
D2. Find Information Effectively: The organization of information and the development of effective search strategies using Boolean operators and other search techniques are covered through lectures, demonstrations and classroom practice during Weeks 3, 4, 6, 8 & 9. Student learning in this competency is assessed through Exercises 2-4, questions on Quizzes 1-2, and performance on the Annotated Bibliography Project. Questions related to this competency are also included on the Pre-Test/Post-Test.
D3. Critically Evaluate Information: Evaluation of materials found in the library catalog is discussed and demonstrated during Week 3. Similar coverage is given to web resources, reference resources, and articles during Weeks 5, 7, and 10 respectively. Student learning in this competency is assessed through in-class exercises, formal Exercises 3 & 4, questions on Quiz 2, and the requirement to included evaluative annotations for each resource cited in their Annotated Bibliography Project. Creation of evaluative annotations is discussed during Week 13. Questions related to this competency are also included on the Pre-Test/Post-Test.
D4. Use Information Ethically. Two class sessions (Weeks 11 & 12) are devoted to the process of creating complete and accurate citations. Student learning in this area is assessed through Exercise 4, questions on Quiz 2, and the Annotated Bibliography project, where students are required to provide complete and accurate citations for 10 resources that must include at least two books, four articles, and two web resources. Information ethics, including copyright, fair use, and plagiarism are discussed in class during Week 14. Student learning in this area is addressed through classroom discussion and the Pre-Test/Post-Test.
COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING
1. Has this proposal been discussed with and approved by the department? Yes.
2. List those general education courses in other departments with similar subject matter and explain how this course differs.
There are no classes in other departments with similar subject matter.
3. If the proposed new general education course affects course requirements or enrollments in other departments, list the departments and programs involved and attach comments from each.
This is not a new course and it has had no effect on course requirement or enrollments in other departments.
4. Attach a syllabus of the course. Include the number of contact hours per week and the format of these hours (e.g., lecture, lab, field trip, etc.). The Fall 2011 syllabus is appended to this form.
New Courses Only:
5. Discuss how you will assess student learning outcomes associated with this course. N/A
Current General Education Courses and Existing Courses Seeking General Education Status:
6. Discuss how you have assessed the applicable or identified student learning outcomes associated with this course.
All exercises, quizzes, in-class activities, and projects for this course have been designed to address one or more of the applicable or identified student learning outcomes for this course. The Pre-Test/Post-Test used for this course also includes questions related to each of these student learning outcomes.
7. How has this assessment information been used to improve student learning?
At the end of each semester, this assessment information is reviewed in order to identify areas in which improvement is needed. Over the years, improvements in all aspects of the course have been made in response to this review.
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE APPROVAL PAGE
Approval Sequence:
________________________________________
Department Chair/Date
_________________________________________
Dean of College/Date
_________________________________________
University Curriculum Committee/Date
Passed by Faculty Senate_____________________________Date
LIBS 2804
Information Resources in the Social Sciences
Fall 2011
10:30-11:20 W, LI 106
A web version of this syllabus is available at: http://libguides.weber.edu/LIBS2804Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Wade Kotter, Social Sciences & Music Librarian
Office: LI 141 Phone: 626-7458
Email: wkotter@weber.edu Office Hours: By appointment
Course Schedule:
|
Date Week |
Topic, Activities |
Deadlines, Quizzes |
|
8/24 1 |
Introduction/Pre-Test |
|
|
8/31 2 |
The Research Process |
|
|
9/7 3 |
Basic Search Techniques |
Exercise 1 Due |
|
9/14 4 |
|
|
|
9/21 5 |
Evaluating Internet Information |
|
|
9/28 6 |
Reference Resources |
Exercise 2 Due |
|
10/5 7 |
Evaluating Reference Resources |
Quiz 1 |
|
10/12 8 |
|
|
|
10/19 9 |
Advanced Search Techniques |
Exercise 3 Due |
|
10/26 10 |
Evaluating Articles |
|
|
11/2 11 |
Documenting Your Research |
|
|
11/9 12 |
Documenting Your Research (cont.) |
Quiz 2 |
|
11/16 13 |
Creating Annotations |
Exercise 4 Due |
|
11/23 14 |
Information Ethics |
|
|
11/30 15 |
Post-Test/Student Evaluations |
Annotated Bib. Due |
Course Materials:
All course materials will be provided. There is NO textbook for this course. Copies of the following manual are available at the Reference Desk and on Reserve at the Circulation Desk on the lower level of the library; you are not required to purchase a copy:
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: The Association
Course Description & Learning Objectives:
Intended for students interested in the social sciences, this one-credit hour course will assist you in developing information literacy and basic research skills to support life-long learning. You will develop skills in identifying, locating, retrieving, documenting and critically evaluating both electronic and print resources that are appropriate for undergraduate research, with an emphasis on the social sciences. Completing this course fulfills Part D of the WSU Computer & Information Literacy requirement. Prerequisite: At least one Social Science General Education Course.
By the end of this course, each student will be able to:
· Develop an effective and efficient research strategy to answer their research question using keywords & phrases, controlled vocabulary, Boolean operators and other advanced search techniques
· Identify, locate, describe and evaluate information resources appropriate for their research question in the social sciences using library catalogs, article databases, Internet search engines and other appropriate finding tools
· Articulate the purpose and importance of documenting their research and demonstrate their ability to accurately document their research using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association or another appropriate style manual
· Demonstrate their understanding of information ethics by being able to define intellectual property, copyright, fair use and plagiarism
Course Requirements:
Attendance: Success in this class requires regular attendance. Roll will be taken during each class session except on days when an assignment is due or a quiz is given. Any student missing more than three class periods without an acceptable excuse will have her/his final grade reduced by one letter (e.g. A to B, or C+ to D+). The instructor's decision on the acceptability of an excuse is final.
Exercises (40 points each; 160 total): Four exercises, each of them requiring hands-on application of skills introduced in class, will be assigned during the semester. Students should ask for assistance from the instructor and/or a reference librarian whenever they need help. Students are required to hand in each exercise in class on the date indicated on the course schedule; electronic submission will only be allowed through prior arrangement with the instructor. Four points will be subtracted from your score for each school day that the assignment is late. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
Quizzes (30 points each; 60 total): Two objective quizzes are scheduled during the semester. Students are required to take the quizzes as scheduled. There will be no exceptions to this policy unless other arrangements are made prior to the date of the quiz.
Annotated Bibliography (260 points): Each student is required to submit an annotated bibliography on an instructor-approved social science research question of their choice by the last day of class; electronic submission will only be allowed through prior arrangement with the instructor. There will be no exceptions to this deadline. Detailed instructions for the annotated bibliography will be distributed during the second week of class.
Pre-test/Post-test (10 points each; 20 points total): Each student is required to take a pre-test on the first or second day of class and a post-test on the last day of class. Everyone who takes these tests will get the full 10 points for each test. The purpose of these tests is to evaluate overall student learning in the course. Individual scores will not be recorded.
Grading:
500 points are possible, distributed as follows:
|
|
Points |
|
Pre-test |
10 |
|
4 Exercises (40 points each) |
160 |
|
2 Quizzes (30 points each) |
60 |
|
Post-test |
10 |
|
Annotated Bibliography |
260 |
|
Total Points |
500 |
|
460-500 = A |
450-459 = A- |
440-449 = B+ |
410-439 = B |
|
400-409 = B- |
390-399 = C+ |
360-389 = C |
350-359 = C- |
|
340-349 = D+ |
310-339 = D |
300-309 = D- |
000-329 = E |
Final grades
will be assigned based on the following scale:
Expectations:
You can expect me
· To start class promptly
· To be prepared for each class period
· To give you a chance to ask questions
· To give prompt feedback on quizzes, exercises and projects
· To be courteous and respectful
In turn, I expect you:
· To be in your seat when class begins
· To let me know if you need to leave class early
· To ask questions
· To not talk except when asked to do so
· To turn off cell phones, beepers, IPods, IPads, etc.
Academic Dishonesty:
Cheating, plagiarism and all other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. You are expected to abide by the Student Code as printed in the WSU Student Handbook. Proof of academic dishonesty will result in a final grade of E for the course and the circumstances will be reported to the Division of Student Affairs.
Services for Students with Disabilities:
Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must register with Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student Services Center and must provide me with a letter from the SSD office indicating their eligibility. SSD can also arrange to provide course materials (including this syllabus) in alternative formats if necessary.
In Case of the Flu:
If you are suffering from flu symptoms, stay home. If you develop flu symptoms while on campus, go home. Be sure to notify me if you are ill or have a family member you must care for. I will make appropriate accommodations in either case. If campus is closed, I will continue to provide instruction via email. PDFs of lecture notes and handouts will be sent out via email once a week. Alternative arrangements for completion of exercises, assignments and quizzes will also be provided.