A collection of 11 library research tutorials that introduce students to the research process from Stanislaus State University Library. Tutorial topics covered include: Topic to Keywords, Popular v. Scholarly, Primary v. Secondary, Finding Books, Finding Articles, Research on the World Wide Web, Plagiarism, and Citing Sources. The research tutorials are designed so users have the option to view all tutorials or a select a few based off their research needs. To test students’ knowledge, a quiz is included at the end of each tutorial. These short introductory tutorials are ideal for lower division undergraduate students in any discipline.
Type of Material:
Tutorial
Recommended Uses:
Pair with research assignment or activity; General reference for students.
Technical Requirements:
Flash player; web broswer; used Firefox to view tutorials
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Search for reliable sources to answer a research question
Avoid plagiarism in research papers
Cite sources correctly in APA, MLA, or Chicago style
Target Student Population:
All majors/subjects; College Undergraduates; Lower division
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
None
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Very comprehensive tutorial covering all facets of the research process
Provided several examples of concepts discussed throughout to provide context and even had students narrate to help make the content more relevant to fellow students
Core information literacy standards are covered in the tutorials
Concerns:
Some videos are very long and not concise
Some content is specific to CSU Stanislaus
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
All of the tutorials include active learning components to keep students engaged and review what they just learned
Each tutorial within the suite covers learning objections/introduction and concludes with summarizing concepts learned
Lots of flexibility of how this learning material can be used since the content is broken up over several short tutorials.
Concerns:
Since the tutorials are packaged as a suite on their website, it would be beneficial to have an overall description/introduction before the series outside the first video to provide context.
Some of the tutorials are a little long and may not hold the attention of some students
There is no certificate option or proof of completion available to turn into a profession if these are assigned as homework
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Content in each tutorial is presented in consistent, organized, and clean manner
All of the videos have closed captioning throughout and the narrator is easy to understand.
Users have the ability to select tutorials in any order from the main page as well as the section of interest within each tutorial. Users can easily pause the tutorial and their progress is saved if they use the same browser.
Concerns:
If a student wants to complete several tutorials, it is a little cumbersome to move to the next tutorial in the sequence if you go through the website it is hosted on. ·
Even though the overall look is professional, some of the visual aspects are a little outdated and may be less appealing to students.
Some students may have difficulty viewing the material due to the flash requirement
Creative Commons:
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