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This information has been provided for instructors,
faculty and other educators interested in learning more about InfoSearch.
If you have contributions or suggestions about using InfoSearch,
please email
us.
What
Is InfoSearch?
InfoSearch is
a new resource for Alvernia Collge students, a self-instructional
tutorial to teach them basic library and research skills. It covers
the research process from initial topic selection to citation styles
and the issue of plagiarism. There is a link to InfoSearch on the
Library's Resources
page or it can be accessed directly from http://www.alvernia.edu/library/infosearch/.
Its content is organized into six modules:
| 1
- Starting smart
|
an
overview that introduces students to various types of sources. |
2
- Choosing a topic
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which
provides tips on broadening and narrowing a topic and discusses
search concepts. |
3
- Using Alvernia's Catalog
|
which has live practice searches in our online catalog. |
4
- Finding articles
|
in
which students can practice searching the Periodical Abstracts
database. |
5
- Using the Web
|
which includes the comparative evaluation of Web sources. |
| 6
- Citing sources |
a module that also includes the topics of plagiarism and copyright. |
Each
of the six sections takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, and students
can do this on their own time outside of class. Each of the modules
is followed by a short quiz.
Who
Is It Designed For?
InfoSearch
is designed for students in classes with a substantial writing component
or introductory-level research. However, we hope instructors of other
classes will find it useful and assign it to their students.
How
Can Instructors Effectively Use InfoSearch with Their Courses?
Please
have students complete InfoSearch before they begin their
research or attend a library session. Students can complete InfoSearch
on their own time and submit their quiz results to you.
Each module
is followed by a short quiz and a results page, which provides a
summary of questions answered right or wrong and an overall percentage
score for that module. The results pages can be printed out with
the student’s name at the top and submitted to you as proof
of completion. We strongly suggest that students
be required to pass the quizzes with a score of at least 85% or
better. They may retake a quiz as many times as they want. Instructors may also choose to give extra credit points
to students who complete InfoSearch.
Does
InfoSearch Replace Library Instruction?
No!
We continue to offer course-related library instruction and hope
that you will incorporate it into your syllabus. Timing is important!
Please schedule library instruction with us for a date after
your class has received a research assignment, so students learn
about searching databases at a time when they need to know this
information. Research has shown that:
- Students
learn best and retain most when they need the information.
- Library instruction
is more effective when the course instructor is present.
- Library instruction
is more effective when coordinated with a class assignment.
To arrange a library instruction session contact:
Leon Weber phone: 796-8352, or email at leon.weber@alvernia.edu
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