As annotated bibliographies (ABs) become more commonly assigned, it is important to not only know what they are, but why they are important. Annotated Bibliographies is an interactive web comic that walks students through the reasons why their instructor would assign an AB and explains several types of ABs that a student might be asked to create. The material helps learners gain confidence in applying concepts from the basic to a more advanced stage of learning on research studies.
Type of Material:
Tutorial
Recommended Uses:
When assigning an annotated bibiliography, ask students to go through the tutorial as homework, submit their "check for understanding," and review questions/expand in class.
Technical Requirements:
Any web browser available to any operating system and in any mobile phone device
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Identify components of an annotated bibliography
List reasons for making an annotated bibliography
Define four types of annotations
Target Student Population:
College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Graduate School
librarian/information science and education majors
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Basic ICT literacy
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The concept of, and reasson for, an annotated bibliography (AB) is clearly stated. Examples concretize types of ABs. The tutorial was created by UCLA librarians and students; a brief biography of each contributor provides useful information. The tutorial is a stand-alone learning object that can be used across academic disciplines. Attributions are appropriate.
Concerns:
It would be good to have a different example for the check for understanding. It would also be good to have an example of a combined AB. It would also be good to show what a AB list would look like. The content seems a bit incomplete.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
In terms of information management and analysis, the learning objectives are in line with ICT literacy requirements. The webcomics tutorial begins with the fundamentals, requiring no prior understanding of research. Concepts are clustered and built on previous features. Each functionality is discussed in a clear and concise manner. Other annotated bibliographies, extra e-resources, and items such as videos are also linked throughout the tutorial. This type of learning strategy can simply be included in any curriculum as part of the computer skills taught in the subject. Furthermore, the examples can be used in both academic and everyday situations.
Concerns:
Since there are other tutorials in this series, it would be nice to mention those that would related to this one in terms of concepts. Without the embedded related topics, it does not seem that the information is efficiently presented; a one-page document would cover all the details.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Users will probably enjoy the visually appealing comics interface and the little bits of humor; the quality is nearly professional looking. The web-based tutorials can be easily navigated independently, and is very interactive. The help feature appears to be a "contact" tab on the page. The site is ADA-compliant to a significant extent.
Concerns:
No accessibility information is provided. The checks for understanding do not seem to be accessible. The icons are very small, and can be easily overlooked. There was no apparent transcript for the video, and the icon might not be read by a text-to-speech program. I is possible to go through the tutorial without answering any of the checks for understanding; the resultant score is then "off."
Creative Commons:
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