Course Name

Course Name: Information Resources in Education
Course Prefix: EDUC
Course Number: 2604
Submitted by (Name & E-Mail): Louise Moulding, lmoulding@weber.edu

Current Date: 2/13/2012
College: Education
Department: Teacher Education
From Term: Fall 2012

Substantive

new	Current Course Subject N/A Current Course Number

New/Revised Course Information:

Course Title: Information Resources in Education

Abbreviated Course Title: Info Resources/Educ

Course Type:

LEC

Credit Hours: 1 or if variable hours: to

Contact Hours: Lecture 1 Lab Other

Repeat Information: Limit 0 Max Hrs 0

Grading Mode: standard

This course is/will be:

a required course in a major program
a required course in a minor program
a required course in a 1- or 2- year program
elective

Prerequisites/Co-requisites:

Course description (exactly as it will appear in the catalog, including prerequisites):

EDUC TD2604 Information Resources in Education (1)
Intended for students interested in education, this one-credit hour course will assist in developing information literacy and academic research skills, and an understanding of academic integrity issues unique to the field of education. Students will develop skills in identifying, locating, retrieving, documenting, and critically evaluating both electronic and print resources that are appropriate for undergraduate research, with emphasis in education and related disciplines. Completion of this course meets part D of the WSU Computer and Information Literacy requirement. Cross listed as LIBS TD2604.

Justification for the new course or for changes to an existing course. (Note: Justification should emphasize academic rationale for the change or new course. This is particularly important for courses requesting upper-division status.)

Justification for the new course or for changes to an existing course. (Note: Justification should emphasize academic rationale for the change or new course. This is particularly important for courses requesting upper-division status.)
WSU students have several course options for fulfilling Part D of the Computer & Information Literacy requirement; these include the LIBS TD1704 Information Navigator course, LIBS TD2704 Information Resources in the Business Disciplines, LIBS TD2804 Information Resources in the Social Sciences, and LIBS TD 2904 Information Resources in the Health Professions. Education students currently take either the LIBS TD1704 Information Navigator course, which places an emphasis on general library resources that will benefit a class of students in a variety of academic areas, or LIBS TD 2804, which covers the social science disciplines in a broad fashion.
Teachers are in the unique position of having to understand not only how to identify, locate, retrieve, document, and critically evaluate resources for their own research endeavors, but must also be able to model these skills for their students and understand how to use all types of material appropriately in the classroom. While LIBS TD1704 and LIBS TD 2804 focus on accessing and using interdisciplinary resources, neither of these is dedicated to the field of education or focuses on this unique aspect of teacher education.
This course will focus on the types and characteristics of educational literature, and will provide expanded coverage on the principles of academic integrity and information ethics and their applications in both academic research and in the classroom. Emphasis will be placed on the WSU’s Curriculum Library and Young People’s Collection, and on the reference tools and electronic resources specific to education and related disciplines. With the proliferation of Internet use in the classroom, attention will be given to ethical use of Web resources in the classroom.

INFORMATION PAGE
for substantive proposals only

1. Did this course receive unanimous approval within the Department?

true

If not, what are the major concerns raised by the opponents?

2. If this is a new course proposal, could you achieve the desired results by revising an existing course within your department or by requiring an existing course in another department?

As stated above, the current library science courses focus on general, business, social science, or health resources, which are not the most appropriate for education students. Additionally, as this course will be offered in both online and hybrid formats, which will address all students’ schedules, including those who are distance students.

3. How will the proposed course differ from similar offerings by other departments? Comment on any subject overlap between this course and topics generally taught by other departments, even if no similar courses are currently offered by the other departments. Explain any effects that this proposal will have on program requirements or enrollments in other department. Please forward letters (email communication is sufficient) from all departments that you have identified above stating their support or opposition to the proposed course.

There are a number of courses in the Jerry and Vickie Moyes College of Education that incorporate a research module; however the library's current role in these courses is usually limited to a handout/online resource guide and/or a one-hour session in the library. This course will provide students with a semester-long experience in formulating focused research questions and/or thesis statements on education-related research topics, using education-specific tools to find and evaluate the appropriate literature, and using this information in a manner that they can apply to other education-related courses and in the classroom.
Content dealing with the ethical use of information is covered briefly in Dr. Vicki Napper’s educational technology courses (EDUC 3110 and EDUC 3370), which focus on copyright law and fair use guidelines. The content in this course will complement and expand on the content taught in the educational technology courses where the principles of Fair Use are applied in developing multimedia presentations by teaching the foundational principles of Copyright Law and the Fair Use Guidelines.
Completion of this course also meets part D of the WSU Computer and Information Literacy requirement.

4. Is this course required for certification/accreditation of a program?

If so, a statement to that effect should appear in the justification and supporting documents should accompany this form.

5. For course proposals, e-mail a syllabus to Faculty Senate which should be sufficiently detailed that the committees can determine that the course is at the appropriate level and matches the description. There should be an indication of the amount and type of outside activity required in the course (projects, research papers, homework, etc.).