Course Syllabus

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LBRY 170: Library Research Methods

Spring 2019

Instructor: Kellye Cohn

                 Assistant Professor/ Librarian

                 kellye.cohn@hancockcollege.edu

                 (805)922-6966 ext.3474

My office hour is Friday, 11am-12pm. I can Skype, answer your emails, or you can stop by my office, located in the Library: L-330A. As this is an online course I do not expect you to be able to come to my office. 

Course Description:

This course will help students acquire the information competency skills necessary to conduct academic or personal research. The course presents effective methods for library research to locate, critically evaluate, and ethically use information from a variety of print, non-print, and online resources. Students will learn research skills and strategies for college term papers and life-long learning while exploring the changing world of information.

Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC-credit limitation.

Student Learning Outcomes:

After completing LBRY 170, students should be able to:

* Formulate and state a research question, problem, or issue in a manner that others in the discipline can readily understand.

* Compare and contrast information resources to select those that meet a particular information need.

* Use information technology tools and a variety of delivery mechanisms to locate and retrieve information relevant to their research question, problem, or issue.

* Evaluate the accuracy and bias of information in the context of an information need.

* Analyze the ethical and legal issues surrounding using information.

* Prepare research pathfinders or annotated bibliographies that integrate a variety of timely and appropriate sources.

Assignments and Participation:

  • Class Requirements: LIBRY 170 is a two-unit, graded or pass/no pass class. To complete the class and receive credit you must:

    1. Satisfactorily complete ALL assignments (including weekly Canvas posts)

    2. Satisfactorily complete the final project, the Research Pathfinder. Information about the final will be available later in the semester.

    Complete the assignments each week to stay on schedule. Turn in assignments by their due dates. Plan to spend at least four hours each week in outside study, in addition to the time spent in class. If you have a problem meeting a deadline or keeping up with the assignments, contact the instructor.

  • Assignments and Due Dates: Assignments should reflect your work only. If you work with others, make sure to do your own work rather than getting or copying answers from others. See the Statement on Academic Honesty (below) for more information.

    All reasonable accommodation will be made when unexpected incidents arise. Make sure to contact the instructor as soon as you are aware there may be a break in work or if there is a possibility you may need an extension.

    In order to achieve the student learning outcomes you will be evaluated through the following assignments:

    • Quizzes: To assess general knowledge of course material and critical thinking skills, students will course exams.  
    • Discussion Forums: To make sure students engage each other over the material, each student will be graded on discussion forums dispersed throughout this course worth points.  These posts must be professional and meaningful.
    • Research Project: Students will select a topic to research. Preferably something to be used in another course. 
    • Reading Assignments:  In order to understand what information literacy is and the requirements of research, students must complete reading assignments for certain chapters our textbook.  
  • Participation: Much of LBRY 170 will involve Canvas roundtable discussions. Such discussions can prove to be very productive and enlightening and can enrich the classroom experience. As such, students are expected to have completed all course readings before the readings are discussed. Participation may include short responses and mini essays, journal assignments, group work, textbook exercises and various homework assignments, to be assigned at the instructor’s discretion. Many higher level college courses require in-depth discussions, and this course will run in that same vein to help prepare you. Beyond the classroom, however, nearly every day, as thoughtful, responsible citizens, we are asked to share our ideas and engage in reasoned discourse with our fellow citizens. Students may consider the reasoned discourse in which they will engage in LBRY 170 as excellent preparation for real-world discussions. Students who participate regularly in assignments and discussions will gain much more from this course.
  • Syllabus Change Policy: Except for changes that will substantially affect implementation of the grading guidelines, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online! 

The Information Literacy User’s Guide: An Open, Online Textbook

You have a few options to obtain this book:

You can use whichever format you want. There are also 2 print copies on reserve at the Library for 2 hour checkout. If you would like to print your own copy I would recommend using Campus Graphics. 

Important Notes:

  • All first week assignments need to be completed and submitted by the due date to avoid possibly being dropped from the class.
  • Disability Accommodation: All reasonable accommodation will be made for students with disabilities. Please contact me as soon as possible if you will need any accommodation, and I will be very happy to assist. Please also feel free to contact the Learning Assistance Program at (805) 922-6966 extension 3274, by video phone at (805) 266-7874 or (866) 327-6218, or visit the Building A (on the first floor) for further information. At the Lompoc Valley Center campus, contact LAP in Building 1, room 102K.
  • Academic Dishonesty: There is a zero-tolerance policy in LBRY 170 as concerns plagiarism. All of your work must be original, and if you borrow the words and ideas of any outside source, you must cite where the outside ideas are coming from. Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. "Ideas or phrasing" includes written or spoken material, from whole papers and paragraphs to sentences, and, indeed, phrases but it also includes statistics, lab results, art work, etc. We will discuss plagiarism and the ethical use of information in this course. Please see page 43 of the Catalog for Academic Honesty policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc. or you may view them online.
  • Grades: Your final grade will be determined as follows:

    Final project/pathfinder: 25%

    Class Participation/Discussion/Exercises: 75%

  • Grading Option: Students in this course will receive grades of P/NP or letter grades.

    Grading Breakdown:

    90-100%    A

    80-89%      B

    70 – 79%   C

    60-69%      D

    Below 60% F

 

 

LBRY 170 Syllabus-1.pdf

 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due