Instructor: Nicole Campbell	Office: LB160E
Email: campbell@vancouver.wsu.edu	Phone: 360-546-9687
Office Hour: By arrangement

Class meetings: Wednesdays 12-1:15pm, from Jan. 31 - Apr 28
Class meeting location: Class will meet in LB102, unless told otherwise.
Texts: There is no required text for this class. There are a few required readings that will either be available on the Web or be placed on reserve in the library.

Course Description and Objectives:

GenEd 300 is a one-credit course designed to help you develop advanced strategies and skills for research and for using information resources effectively. It is designed to work in combination with research you are doing in other classes. By the end of this course, you should:

• Understand the modern information landscape.
• Better understand research models, methods and sources.
• Develop important strategies, principles, and skills for your own research, including database searching and Internet skills.
• Develop and apply criteria for evaluating information.

In-class activities and discussions are an integral part of this course. Because of this, participation and attendance are important and are a significant portion of your final grade. In addition, there will be several assignments and a final project.

Advice and Policies:

Please turn in assignments on time. The assignments are designed to build on one another and are an important part of your final project. Late assignments will receive a lower grade, unless you receive prior approval to turn them in late.

Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documentation of the disability on file in the Office of Student Services. Please notify the instructor of any approved accommodations during the first week of class. Accommodations are approved through the Office of Student Services, SS200.

You are responsible for the WSU policy on academic honesty. See the Student Handbook for more information.

Class Schedule:
 

Week 1 - 1/31/01 -- Introduction	Introduction to Course Tour Library Web site/services Defining Libraries, Research, and Library Jargon
Week 2 - 2/7/01 -- Defining Information	What is information Types and sources of Information Research process In-class exercise on primary sources Read: Introduction article (on reserve) for today
Week 3 - 2/14/01 -- Beginning Research	Topic development In-class exercise on topics
Week 4 - 2/21/01 -- Basic Tools	Reference tools & Books. Ordering materials
Week 5 - 2/28/01 -- Introduction to Databases	What are databases?  Search strategies & Choosing Databases Read: Database Design article (on reserve) for today Workshop on search strategies
Week 6 - 3/7/01 -- More databases	More about databases Look at databases in other disciplines Book Assignment due today Workshop on databases
Week 7 - 3/14/01	Research Lab
Spring Break (3/19-3/23)	No class!
Week 8 - 3/28/01	Searching, Evaluating and Citing Internet Resources Database Assignment Due Read Information Quality Criteria article (on reserve) for today
Week 9 - 4/4/01	Reading, Understanding and Evaluating Research In-class exercise on evaluation
Week 10 - 4/11/01	Research as a Process  Organization and Management of Research Internet Assignment Due
Week 11 - 4/18/01	Presenting Research-Documentation and Style Workshop on bibliographies and citations
Week 12 - 4/25/01	Wrapping it all up Class evaluations Research Portfolio Due