Palomar College Course Syllabus LT125 Developing Information Literacy, 1 unit online course Course Dates: (8 weeks) Instructor: April Cunningham Email:
[email protected] Office hours: by appointment Office phone: 760-744-1150 ext. 3696 Cell phone/text: 760-505-7177 Office location: Palomar Library, room LL-210 Mailbox: You may leave print items for me with the librarian at the reference desk at the San Marcos and Escondido Center libraries COURSE DESCRIPTION This course helps students develop the information skills they need to succeed at the college level. Students will learn how to uncover information not readily identified by search engines. Students will also learn how to determine if the information they find is trustworthy and appropriate for college coursework. Lastly, students will learn how to cite sources appropriately in order to support their ideas and avoid plagiarism. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of the course you will be able to: ● Use the Internet to find a variety of information sources, including research studies, on a topic ● Critically examine the usefulness and reliability of the information sources they find SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon successful completion of the course you will be able to: 1. Understand that research is an interactive process that requires strategy, practice, and trial and error. 2. Move from a broad topic to a manageable research question. 3. Identify key terms in order to explore a research question. 4. Use library and other information resources to find relevant, trustworthy information on a topic. 5. Use evaluation criteria to determine the value of an information source for solving your information problem. 6. Use a selected citation style in order to avoid plagiarism and to document sources cited in a paper or project. TEXTBOOK: There is no textbook required for this class. REQUIRED READINGS will be assigned each week and will be available in Blackboard. Students will also need to retrieve materials using the Palomar College Library (www.palomar.edu/library).
INSTRUCTOR AVAILABILITY The best way to reach me is by email –
[email protected]. I check my email every day, Monday through Friday. I will usually check my email at least once during the weekend. If I have to be away because of a conference or other obligation, I will post an announcement. I work at the San Marcos campus library. If you’d like to meet in person or phone please contact me so we can set-up a time to meet. EMAILING THE INSTRUCTOR For consistency and ease of recognition and response put “LT125” in the subject line for ALL email messages sent to me (
[email protected]). This will help to distinguish student email from all the other mail in my email system. TYPOS HAPPEN Since I’m communicating with you almost entirely through written instructions, announcements, emails, and other notes, you can expect to find some minor errors. I will do my best to proofread all of the content that I post (and I assume you will do the same with what you post). If you come across an error in one of my documents that makes it hard for you to figure out what I mean, please email me right away. I will appreciate your help with finding typos that are causing confusion. WEEKLY ACTIVITIES Each week you will complete two learning activities worth 10 points each. When I calculate your final grade, I will drop the lowest assignment grade that you have, which means you can earn up to a total of 120 points for your class activities. I will not accept an activity after the due date and time, NO EXCEPTIONS. This makes it possible for me to post your scores with less delay for the whole class. MAJOR PROJECTS You have two major projects for this course, an annotated bibliography and a source matrix on a topic you choose. Not sure what an annotated bibliography is? Read more about it here. Your weekly assignments will help you to complete your two major projects. You must submit the final drafts of your major projects by the assigned due dates and times. The total combined points possible for your major projects is 80 points. No exceptions are made for these projects since any late work will delay the final grades and the college has a firm deadline. CLASS PARTICIPATION ● Students are expected to contribute to group activities and class discussion. This type of participation is required by the college to make sure that online classes are as much like face-toface classes as possible. ● Students are expected to express their own opinions, pose questions, compare and contrast ideas, and collaborate on group projects. What you learn in this class will come from the connections you make with the content. Your effort is what will make it possible for you to apply what you learn about research in this class to do your research better in all your future classes. EXTRA CREDIT
Extra Credit opportunities might be given during the semester. You cannot earn more than 10 extra credit points. And it may be the case that no extra credit is available during this class.
NOTE ABOUT READINGS, ASSIGNMENTS TIME MANAGEMENT, AND COURSE CONTENT Since this is an online course, you will be doing a lot of reading and writing, and completing weekly learning activities over the next 8 weeks. As a general rule, for each hour that you spend in a collegelevel class, you should plan to spend one to two hours outside of class each week preparing and studying for it. Since this is a one-unit that’s taught online in 8 weeks, you should plan to spend four to six hours each week doing work. Students who are already skilled at research, writing, and at managing their time in online classes can expect the class to take about four hours a week. Students who are not yet highly skilled at research, writing, and managing their time in online classes should expect the class to take them six or more hours per week. If you are not getting the scores you hoped for on your weekly assignments, please use the written feedback to adjust your performance. If after adjusting your performance and spending additional time reading, reviewing, and writing you are still not getting the scores you hope for, please schedule a meeting with me and we can discuss additional techniques for reading efficiently and managing your time in an online class. GRADING POLICY AND STANDARDS: A = 90-100% B = 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = below 60% Final course grade will be based on the following: Weekly learning activities/assignments Annotated bibliography Review of the literature Total Possible Points
120 points 50 points 30 points 200 points*
*This total is subject to change. ACADEMIC HONESTY, PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity. This includes: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Please refer to the College’s Standards of Conduct http://www2.palomar.edu/pages/studentaffairs/home/student-discipline/
Your work in this class should be a representation of your own ideas and understanding. If you copy someone else’s words, or even paraphrase someone’s ideas without giving them credit, you are plagiarizing. Plagiarism and cheating are unacceptable and may result in a failing grade for an assignment or for the entire course. Your weekly assignments will help you to learn what constitutes plagiarism. However, it is still your responsibility to know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. If you have questions about plagiarism, ask me immediately. I report incidents of academic dishonesty to the Director of Student Affairs. See this website for more details on plagiarism: http://www.plagiarism.org/ ACCESS TO COMPUTERS/INTERNET It is very important that you have regular access to a computer that works and a reliable Internet connection in order to complete your weekly assignments on time. If you do not have a personal computer, that’s okay but it means you’ll have to plan ahead. Here are some places on campus where you have free access to computers and the Internet: San Marcos Campus ● Library, 2nd floor, Hours: Monday through Thursday: 7:30am-8:30pm, Friday: 7:30am-4:00pm, Saturday 9:00am to 1:00pm ● Library, 1st floor, Academic Technology Computer lab, Hours: Monday through Thursday: 7:30am-9:00pm, Friday: 7:30am-4:00pm, Saturday 9:00am to 1:00pm ● The new Student Union computer lab (second floor), Hours: Monday through Thursday: 7:30am6:00pm and Friday: 8:00am-12:00pm Escondido Center ● Library, Hours: Monday through Thursday: 8:00am-8:00pm, Friday: 8:00am-12:00pm, Saturday 9:00am to 1:00pm ● Teaching & Learning Center, Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 8:00a.m. to 7:30p.m., Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30a.m. to 7:00p.m., Fridays 8:00a.m. to 3:45p.m. Check the college website to verify these times before coming to campus. If you can’t make it to campus, you have access to computers are your local library. Contact me for help finding a library near you. STUDENT SERVICES Disability Resource Center A student with a verified disability may be entitled to appropriate academic accommodations. If you have a disability and believe that you will need accommodations, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and the Disability Resource Center at 744-1150 ext. 2375. Counseling The Counseling Department at Palomar provides free counseling services for academic and personal guidance. Every student who is planning to complete a degree or certificate should meet with a counselor to find out what classes are required and to complete an education plan. To schedule an
appointment, call the department at (760) 891-7511 or go to their website: http://www.palomar.edu/counseling/Appointments/counappt.htm Tutoring: Tutoring is available, free of charge, at the Tutoring Center on the first floor of the Library. Call (760) 744-1150 x 2448 to make an appointment.