Graduate / Masters / Doctoral

Submitted by Josh Rose on January 30th, 2017
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Short Description: 

Through a reading assignment, a brief lecture, and small group discussion, students training to be high school teachers learn about Information Literacy (IL) and Critical Information Literacy, and consider how they can apply these concepts within their disciplines and in their teaching practice. This short, 55-minute session was taught for a course called "Foundations in Secondary Education", offered through the Single Subject (Secondary) Teaching Credential program at Saint Mary's College of California's Kalmanovitz School of Education.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
An_Introduction_to_Information_Literacy_for_Secondary_Education.pptxdisplayed 1307 times308 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

1. Students describe what the term "information literacy" means, where it comes from, and how it works.
2. Students describe a process model of information literacy such as the Big6.
3. Students compare information literacy with critical information literacy.
4. Students discuss how they might apply information literacy or critical information literacy concepts within their discipline and in their teaching practice.
5. Students plan how they might work with a high school librarian or media specialist to teach information literacy concepts in the classroom.

Discipline: 
Education

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This session was in response to a faculty member's request for a lecture about information literacy.

Prior to the session, students were asked to read James Elmborg's "Critical information literacy: Implications for instructional practice" (2006). During a brief lecture students learn about Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz's Big6 model of information literacy. Students then form small discussion groups organized loosely by their discipline (i.e. math and science; language arts; social studies) and discuss and answer the following questions:

- What are some potential criticisms of information literacy standards?
- What does information literacy (IL) look like in your discipline?
- How might you apply IL (e.g., the Big6) within your discipline and in your teaching practice?
- How might you apply critical IL within your discipline and in your teaching practice?
- Does your practicum school have a dedicated librarian or media specialist? How might you work with him or her to teach IL or critical IL in the classroom?

Students were then asked to report out to the larger group about what they discussed.

Suggested Citation: 
Rose, Josh. "An Introduction to Information Literacy for High School Educators." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2017. https://projectcora.org/assignment/introduction-information-literacy-high-school-educators.
Submitted by Margaret Brown-Salazar on January 26th, 2017
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Short Description: 

Created by M. Brown-Salazar Saint Mary's College of CA This lesson was developed to have graduate level students explore social justice issues in information found on the internet. It is based on Dr. Safiya Noble's work: Algorithms of Oppression. Simplified, we asked students to consider that when we seek information, we need to examine the perspective/privilege of the voices/sources of information and identify/understand whose voices are represented and whose voices are missing and how that impacts/influences our understanding. Students were asked to consider issues we uncovered in relationship to themselves personally, as students and also also professional practitioners. We used clips from a lecture by Dr. Noble to stimulate discussion and asked to students to critically examine results of google image searches as an illustration of inequities. Students completed a survey as assessment.

AttachmentSize
Pre-session Handoutdisplayed 795 times25.63 KB
In Class Assignmentdisplayed 781 times16.76 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

Learning Objectives (include SMC institutional learning outcomes, ACRL Standards, Framework, or others) Students understand that Google is the dominate search engine. Students understand that most internet searchers believe the information they find is trustworthy, accurate, unbiased, credible Students understand that search engine algorithms are based on criteria for increasing advertising and marketing and not criteria to provide the best information available to answer their search query SRIL 1 Students understand that there are influences (social, political, economic, …) that shape social justice issues in information retrieval SRIL 1 Students can articulate a personal or professional practice that they could develop to become more critical consumers of information specifically as it relates to internet search results SRIL 1 SRIL 2 Students can articulate one action they might take to make the issue of social justice in information more apparent to others

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This was a new unit added to a series of 3 information literacy sessions that graduates students complete in their Research Seminar course. The intention is to extend a lesson plan on using the internet for research to have students consider "the social, political, economic, and corporate systems that have power and influence over information production, dissemination, access, and consumption." (Gregory, L. and Higgins, S. (Eds.) (2013). Information literacy and social justice: Radical professional praxis. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press.) .

Assessment or Criteria for Success
(e.g. rubric, guidelines, exemplary sample paper, etc.): 
AttachmentSize
2016 2017 SeekingSocialJusticeinInformationAssessmentWorksheet.docxdisplayed 667 times15.61 KB
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Although I asked students to watch the Noble video before the session - NO ONE did that! As I reconsider, I think it works fine without the pre-session video - I removed it from subsequent instruction sessions. This instruction takes on its own unique life with each group - it is fascinating. I am fortunate to work with faculty who allowed the session to take as long as it took. One session concluded and 15 minutes later students were still in the room talking about it in small groups on their own.

Suggested Citation: 
Brown-Salazar, Margaret. "Seeking Social Justice in Information | Graduate Counseling, Leadership and Education Students." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2017. https://projectcora.org/assignment/seeking-social-justice-information-graduate-counseling-leadership-and-education-students.
Submitted by Candice Benjes-Small on November 17th, 2016
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Short Description: 

As people rely more and more on social media to get their news, the filter bubble becomes increasingly problematic. In this workshop, students learn how to evaluate whether a news site is reliable. This group activity takes about 30 minutes and can be used for many different audiences by adjusting the examples used.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Evaluating news worksheet.docxdisplayed 12807 times16.96 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

• Students will be able to identify characteristics of credible news sources.
• Students will critically examine news sources to determine credibility.

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

The workshop opened with an ice breaker, having students brainstorm three things they look for when deciding whether a news Website is believable. They did a quick pair-and-share, and then I recorded what they said on the white board. Next, I broke them into teams of two and asked each to look at two Websites and complete a worksheet. In our lesson, Source A was a Reuters news article and Source B was a Bipartisan Report article. Both are on the same story, although Source A correctly identifies it as happening in January 2016 while B plays it as if it just happened (October 2016). The worksheet included questions which showed similarities as well as differences. It took about 15-20 minutes for the students to complete the worksheets; then we discussed the answers. Talking points: Source A is a Reuters news report, while Source B is from a muckraking site. Both are on the same story, although Source A correctly identifies it as happening in January 2016 while B plays it as if it just happened (published Oct 2016).
Discuss which criteria made a difference in judging the credibility- and which weren’t important- notably, the domain name, the advertising presence,a nd the date were not significant.
Note that it’s best when the reporter has done the reporting themselves, not just repeating other media outlets’ reports.
Would people on the left be more willing to believe the bipartisan report because it fits into their worldview? We need to be careful to avoid confirmation bias: believing a source is legit because we want to believe what it says.
Opinion journalism is a good and valuable resource but it’s different from NEWS. With opinion journalism, you need to verify the facts in the story. In opinion pieces, they are making an argument and you need to analyze it.

After the discussion, I had students brainstorm three criteria they would now use to evaluate a news source. They shared out, and then I collected them for a quick assessment later.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Teaching Tips: After pairing up the students, have one look at Source A, while the other looks at Source B, and then compare the two to answer the worksheet questions. To find other sample articles, check out http://mediabiasfactcheck.com and Melissa Zimdars's list of unreliable news sites: http://tinyurl.com/j9tldck
Potential Pitfalls: When selecting an article, choose one that is controversial but not inflammatory to your audience

Collaborators: 
Suggested Citation: 
Benjes-Small, Candice. "Evaluating news sites: Credible or Clickbait?." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2016. https://projectcora.org/assignment/evaluating-news-sites-credible-or-clickbait.
Submitted by William (Bill) Badke on August 25th, 2016
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Short Description: 

A two-credit online graduate information literacy course.

Learning Outcomes: 

The student will: A. show an understanding of the complex current world of information resources; B. demonstrate the ability to formulate a strategy for research; C. show skill in identifying a research problem, acquiring a variety of informational resources to address that problem, evaluating those resources, and putting them to effective use; D. demonstrate an appreciation for planned research from topic to completed project.

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This is a required graduate level course for Associated Canadian Theological Schools of Trinity Western University. The course was implemented in 1987 and the online version has been operating without interruption since late 1999.

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

Textbook: William Badke, Research Strategies: Finding your Way through the Information Fog (iUniverse.com). Other activities located in the assignments on the course website.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Online information literacy instruction requires intense involvement with students: Ready availability by e-mail, maximum 24 hour turnaround for queries and assignment grading, and extensive comments on student assignments following a formative rather than summative assessment pattern.

Suggested Citation: 
Badke, William (Bill). "RES 502 - Research Strategies." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2016. https://projectcora.org/assignment/res-502-research-strategies.
Submitted by Ryne Leuzinger on March 13th, 2016
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Short Description: 

This workshop provides an introduction to creating infographics using Piktochart and includes advice on selecting a design, incorporating data, and structuring a story.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Infographics Workshop.docxdisplayed 930 times325.84 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

1. Participants will view and critique examples of infographics, in order to gain exposure to best practices in infographic design. 2. Participants will utilize the basic features of Piktochart, in order to gain experience employing best practices in infographic design.

Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This workshop was created as an offering of the Savvy Researcher workshop series at the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign [http://www.library.illinois.edu/sc/services/savvy_researcher.html]

Suggested Citation: 
Leuzinger, Ryne. "Infographics Workshop." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2016. https://projectcora.org/assignment/infographics-workshop.
Submitted by Cristy Moran on March 3rd, 2016
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Short Description: 

This activity asks students to work in groups to evaluate Internet sources to meet a research need. Students will use their available wireless devices, smartphones, tablets, computers, or laptops to retrieve the URLs provided to them. Working together, students will ask evaluation questions, guided by a CRAAP handout (attached) or instructor. Then, groups will share their findings with the class. o Students are grouped (3-4 students per group, number of groups in total is irrelevant what it important is the size of the group remains very small). o Each group is handed a scenario card – a 3x5 index card with a URL, beneath the URL is a topic/ question for research. Each student should also receive an Internet evaluation handout with the CRAAP criteria for evaluation on it. (These cards will be created by the instructor. They are recommended to be realistic, likely research questions/ topics for their course and the URLs should be likely search results. Results should vary between acceptable, recommended sources and not recommended sources.) o Students should be given a short time to review - 3-5 mins. Instructor should stress how quickly students can move through a website to capture information such as publication dates and check source links. o At the end of the review period, each group will have a spokesperson make their case to which the class can engage with questions as to the criteria. This activity can be repeated multiple times. It is highly adaptable and reusable.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
CRAAP Evaluation of Web Sources Infographic Handoutdisplayed 2112 times668.5 KB
Example for Scenario Cards - Search on Juvenile Justice Topicsdisplayed 2154 times251.42 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

o Students will analyze sources for currency, relevance, accuracy, authority, and purpose. o Students will determine whether a source meets their information need.

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This activity is a 5-10 minute activity delivered after a tour of library resources, when students are taught about evaluating Internet sources and given tips on how to effectively manage Internet research. This activity has also been implemented with professional faculty acting as students when modeled for faculty professional development workshops.

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

The attached handout is an infographic for the CRAAP evaluation strategies and can be printed out and used in tandem with Internet evaluation skills instruction or provided to students to guide them through this activity.

Suggested Citation: 
Moran, Cristy. "Evaluating the Interwebz with Think/ Square/ Share." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2016. https://projectcora.org/assignment/evaluating-interwebz-think-square-share.
Submitted by Cristy Moran on March 3rd, 2016
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Short Description: 

This is a short, engaging activity suitable for learners of all levels. In it, students evaluate web sources that are provided by an instructor using the acronym CRAAP (currency, relevance, accuracy, authority, and purpose). Students work together in groups and explore evaluation processes aloud, with guidance from the CRAAP cards and the instructor. This is an adaptation of various evaluating sources activities available in LIS literature and professional resources. This activity is ideally implemented as a kind of collaborative game moderated by the instructor. It is highly adaptable. o Students are grouped into 5 groups - one for each criterion of CRAAP. Each group will receive a CRAAP card or 3x5 index card with evaluation questions pertaining to Currency, Relevance, Accuracy, Authority, and Purpose – different for each table. o A source will be shared with the class on the projector. These sources will include scholarly articles, websites (blogs and orgs), and reference entries. It is essential that the instructor select sources that are relevant to their students (either by course, subject, or level) and that would be likely results on a student Internet search for a research topic/ question. o Each group will evaluate the source aloud on the single criterion they’ve been assigned. If it “passes,” then the source gets asked the next question. If it “fails,” the source is dismissed. o This activity can be repeated with various websites or web sources.

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CRAAP Cards 2 sideddisplayed 952 times3.97 MB
Learning Outcomes: 

o Students will examine sources for currency, relevance, accuracy, authority, and purpose. o Students will explain how different elements of a source (author, date, scope, slant, reading level, etc.) effect how the source meets or doesn’t meet their information gathering needs.

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This is implemented in one-shot library instruction sessions at a state college. It has also been implemented as a way to model the activity in professional faculty workshops.

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

CRAAP Cards print 2 sided for criterion (ex: Currency) on one side and questions (ex: What date...?) on back.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

This activity is engaging, student-centered, and metacognitive. It is recommended that instructors curate a list of acceptable or recommended Internet resources for their various subject areas and use those among not recommended web sources for this exercise.

Suggested Citation: 
Moran, Cristy. "Evaluating the Interwebz with Designated Skeptics." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2016. https://projectcora.org/assignment/evaluating-interwebz-designated-skeptics.
Submitted by Susan Archambault on June 9th, 2015
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Short Description: 

Students pick a topic related to Communication Studies (or another social science discipline) and then define the topic operationally by finding a way to measure it. They test out their instrument on a partner.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
operationalize-exercise.docxdisplayed 1116 times22.88 KB
Learning Outcomes: 
  • To prepare the student to assess the appropriateness of various research methods in response to questions asked by communication researchers
  • To build general knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative research methods and objectives

Individual or Group:

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

SDSU Test Finder for Books

SDSU Test Finder for Journal Articles

Suggested Citation: 
Archambault, Susan. "Measure a Concept." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2015. https://projectcora.org/assignment/measure-concept.
Submitted by Lindsey McLean on May 8th, 2015
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Short Description: 

The primary purpose of a literature review is to provide a rationale for your proposed research question(s). You need to locate your research question within the broader conversation of a particular discipline. A review of literature should present a synthesis of existing theory and research literature that argues for the usefulness of the research question. The process of constructing a literature review acquaints the researcher with the studies already done in a particular area and allows the researcher to build/extend existing knowledge and enter into the discourse of a particular field. The student selects a research topic that is related to course material and of interest and gets it approved by the instructor. Then they must locate 8-10 scholarly sources that address the research topic. Finally, they write a literature review that includes a clear introduction stating the research topic; and a body that summarizes and synthesizes the 8-10 sources required, ending with a new research question. All sources must be cited in proper APA style. Grading is based on source quality and source relationship to the research topic, organization, ability to synthesize, quality of the research question, and adherence to the proper citation style.

AttachmentSize
Matrices-Worksheet.pdfdisplayed 9595 times186.4 KB
Learning Outcomes: 
  • Construct a well-supported research-based question
  • Find and use scholarly and discipline-specific professional information
  • Select an appropriate documentation style and use it consistently to cite sources
  • Evaluate scholarly articles and understand the research method used
Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This assignment works well when paired with an earlier annotated bibliography assignment.

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

The library’s subject LibGuides (research guides) available at http://libguides.lmu.edu and the ARC’s Writing LibGuide available at http://libguides.lmu.edu/writing.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Students lean towards summarizing rather than synthesizing.

Suggested Citation: 
McLean, Lindsey. "Literature Review." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2015. https://projectcora.org/assignment/literature-review.

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