I believe in working with students to be successful and reach your academic goals. I fully understand how balancing work, family and school can deplete our energy. And at the same time, we can find the inspiration and motivation to develop our skills around searching for, evaluating, and using information. These skills will help you enhance both your college performance AND research and sifting through information in your personal life.
*Further details on all activities (deadlines, directions, links, online content) are provided in our Canvas course. All reading materials are linked in our Canvas site.
All due dates will be kept current in the Canvas calendar. As a rule, weekly due dates are as follows:
Discussion Post: Thursdays by 11:59pm
Discussion Replies: Sundays by 11:59 pm
Weekly Assignments & Quizzes: Sundays by 11:59pm
Pay attention to announcements and calendar updates for any changes made throughout the semester.
Note about Week 1: This is our orientation week. Week 1 is vital for your enrollment status. OCC requires me to drop students who do not complete the orientation "check-in" activities. I really want you to be in the class so expect lots of reminders. This first week is essential for your success!
Weeks 1-4
We will start the class by diving into understanding our current landscape of information - think: how algorithms, mis-/dis-information, and the glut of information influence the information we see and access. Then we'll look at the variety of types of sources and information and what kinds of information are useful for different situations. We will also learn how to evaluate information and using lateral reading techniques to select the best information for your purpose. Evaluating information is where the serious brain work comes into play in the research process. During this section of the class, you will determine a topic to study for the semester.
Weeks 5-7
In this segment of the class we'll explore research strategies, identify keywords, build search strings, and gain an understanding of all the different library resources available for you to search. You will identify where to search for the best sources whatever your information need!
Weeks 8-12
Each week you will search for a specific type of information - books; magazine, newspaper, and scholarly articles; films- on your research topic. You will use the skills built in the previous weeks to find and access information, as well as develop research diaries to track your information discoveries.
Weeks 13-15
Then, we'll get into citing your sources and ways to avoid plagiarism in your use of info and writing. Finally, you will create an annotated bibliography using the research diaries you developed throughout the semester. Honors students will also create an abstract answering their research question.
Week 16
The last week of the semester is dedicated to the final exam.
Note About Syllabus/Schedule: This syllabus is subject to change or revision due to the need to make course adjustments based on the instructor’s judgment. This syllabus (and any changes to it) should be seen as a road map to help students attain academic success and maximize their potential.