Accessing Information for Research in Education (Gen Ed 300)
Spring 2002

Description | Resources | Requirements | Schedule

Section 03 Wednesdays 3:15 - 4:30 p.m. Holland/New Library 105 Instructor: Scott Walter Office: Cleveland Hall 130 (Education Library) Office Hours: By appointment Office Phone: (509) 335-5579 e-mail: swalter@wsu.edu

graphic credit

Course Description: This course is designed to help you learn more about the information resources available to you when conducting research in the field of education and to teach you how to critically evaluate a variety of resources, including printed reference materials, electronic journal indexes, and information made available over the World Wide Web. By the time you have completed this course, you should: be familiar with the information landscape in the field of education, including resources aimed primarily at researchers, resources aimed primarily at practitioners, and resources aimed at the general public; be able to effectively use the online catalog (Griffin) to search for books and journals available in the WSU Libraries; be able to effectively use printed and online indexes to the literature of education in order to locate journal articles, bibliographies, literature reviews, and "fugitive literature," e.g., speeches, conference papers, and research reports; be able to critically evaluate information resources in education in regard to their authority, relevance, currency and accuracy; and, be able to correctly cite your resources according to a standard style manual, and to present the results of your research. Return to top The Guide to Information Resources in Education Though not designed specifically for this course, you should make a regular habit of visiting the Web-based Guide to Information Resources in Education, available online at: http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/educ/guide/. The Guide will provide easy access to a wide variety of resources housed on the Web and in the WSU Libraries. You will regularly be asked to review certain sections of the Guide in preparation for class discussion. Attention to these assignments will be factored into your "Class Participation" grade (see below). Return to top Course Requirements: Attendance – Gen Ed 300 is focused on "hands-on" classroom discussion and activities. Consequently, it will be difficult to make up for time missed during class. Students are expected to attend all class sessions and to participate actively in class discussion and activities. If circumstances conspire to thwart your good intentions in regard to attendance, you should contact your instructor immediately. Missing more than two (2) class sessions is grounds for failure. Readings – There is no assigned textbook for this course. There will be a number of short readings that will either be made available in class, via electronic means, on reserve in the Education Library (130 Cleveland Hall), or that you will choose individually as part of related assignments. Many Web-based news outlets and electronic journals are accessible through the Guide to Information Resources in Education. Assignments – In addition to regular class attendance and active participation in classroom discussions and activities, you will be required to complete a set of short assignments. These assignments will familiarize you with a variety of information resources in the field of education and will prepare you for more advanced research requirements in future courses. These assignments and their weight in determining your final grade for the course are as follows: Take-Home Assignments and Research and Response Journal (40%) - throughout the course, you will keep a journal consisting of your reactions to class readings, a description of the way in which you completed in-class and take-home assignments, high points of class discussions, and a record of completed assignments. Assignments will be due as noted in the Class Schedule as "TH1," "TH2," etc. The Research and Response (R/R) Journal will be collected for review on March 6th and April 17th. Annotated Bibliography (30%) - at the conclusion of the course, you will prepare an annotated bibliography of no fewer than 15 print and electronic resources germane to your area of interest in the field of education. You will prepare an introduction that describes your area of interest, the resources you consulted in order to locate the items cited in the bibliography, and provides an overview of the information resources available in print and electronic form. The bibliography will be due in class on May 1st. Class Participation (30%) - Active, informed, and constructive contributions to the work of the class will improve your grade. Classes missed (either physically or intellectually) will have a negative impact on your grade. Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a documented disability. Please notify the instructor during the first week of class of any accommodations needed for the course. Late notification may cause the requested accommodations to be unavailable. All accommodations must be approved through the Disability Resource Center (DRC) in Administration Annex 205, (509) 335-1566. Return to top

Class Schedule Topic Reading Handouts Assignment January 30th Introduction: What is Information, where do we find it, and what's the big deal? None Glossary TH1: Read Trotter & Carr for next week. Respond to the articles in your R/R journal. February 6th Critical Thinking (and Teaching) in the Information Age Trotter, Preparing Teachers for the Digital Age Carr, Information Literacy and Teacher Education None TH2: Read different types of articles aimed at educators. Locate one NEWS article, one PROFESSIONAL article, and one SCHOLARLY article on a topic of your interest. Respond to the articles in your R/R journal. Note: A variety of these resources can be found through the Guide to Information Resources in Education February 13th Education Information: Popular, Professional, and Scholarly (Class Meets in the Education Library) Articles of your choice from TH2 None TH3: Review several issues of a professional or scholarly journal of your choice in the field of education. Prepare a 1-2 page overview of the topics discussed in the journal in your R/R journal. February 20th Asking the Right Questions: Beginning the Research Process and Preparing Search Strategies Articles of your choice from TH3 Keyword Search Strategy TH4: Choose a general area of research that you would like to pursue this semester, e.g., science education, gender in education, school choice. February 27th Reference Resources in Education: Using Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks to Jumpstart Your Research (Class Meets in the Education Library) None None TH5: Identify a reference resource that will help you begin research in your area of interest. Write a short overview and review of that resource in your R/R journal. March 6th Finding the Right Answers: Choosing and Using Bibliographic Databases R/R Journals Collected in Class Reference Resource Reviewed for TH5 None None March 13th The Educational Resources Information Center I: The ERIC Database None None TH6: Conduct an ERIC search for materials in your area of interest. Describe the steps you took to conduct the search. Bring 5 citations from ERIC with you to class and prepare to describe why you chose the citations you did. Note any problems you had completing this assignment in your R/R journal. TH7: Read Schrock for next class (see below) March 20th SPRING BREAK - NO CLASS MEETING March 27th Education Information on the World Wide Web: An Introduction Schrock, Teaching Media Literacy in the Age of the Internet Education on the WWW Evaluating Web Sites TH8: Identify a Web-based "portal" to information in your area of interest and evaluate 5 of the resources you find there. Note: A variety of Web portals can be found through the Guide to Information Resources in Education April 3rd AERA - NO CLASS MEETING April 10th The Educational Resources Information Center II: ERIC on the World Wide Web None None TH9: Identify an ERIC Clearinghouse in your area of interest, and review the resources made available through its Web site. Prepare an overview of those resources. Note: A listing of ERIC Clearinghouse sites can be found through the Guide to Information Resources in Education April 17th Lessons, Units, Guides, and Standards: Finding Practitioner-Oriented Information and Materials (Class Meets in the Education Library) R/R Journals Collected in Class None Finding Lesson Plans Work on Annotated Bibliography April 24th Presenting Your Findings: Citation Style, Abstracts, & Oral Presentation None Style Guides Work on Annotated Bibliography May 1st Presentations and Annotated Bibliography Due in Class

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