Distinguishing between skills used to conduct research at the high school and college level, this module providea basic instruction in information retrieval strategies necessary to complete college assignments.
Type of Material:
A video tutorial presentation with quizzes appended to each module to test for comprehension and retention of materials presented.
Recommended Uses:
This is an excellent tutorial to use in developmental studies library orientations for students who are about to begin their first college research paper.
Technical Requirements:
Flash
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Adhering to the basic instructional format of identifying what is to be learned, followed by the delivery of instruction, and concluding with a review of key concepts and ideas discussed, the specific student learning outcomes focus on introducing students to the libraries at the University of Wisconsin--Madison, library portal web page, and information retrieval skills.
Target Student Population:
First year college students.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Basic computer use skills.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Effectively identifies and distinguishes between those characteristics associated with conducting high school research from that conducted at the college level. Very easy to use. Quizzes after each lesson reinforce understanding.
Concerns:
Usefulness of the five module instructional unit is somewhat restrictive given references to specific issues and concerns relevant only to large research university libraries. Modules 2 and 4 are specific to UW-Madison libraries and their online catalog called MadCat.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Directly addressing the needs of emergent college researchers, the instructional module provides a good introduction to basic functional and conceptual skills necessary to develop effective strategies for identifying and retrieving information. Shows graphically why library databases are more reliable and than just using Google.
Concerns:
An explanation of incorrect responses to quiz questions would be a useful instructional tool.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The choice and presentation of graphics is very good with overall technical production being excellent.
Concerns:
Providing an easy means by which to select smaller instructional units within the module would have enhanced navigational functionality.
Creative Commons:
Search by ISBN?
It looks like you have entered an ISBN number. Would you like to search using what you have
entered as an ISBN number?
Searching for Members?
You entered an email address. Would you like to search for members? Click Yes to continue. If no, materials will be displayed first. You can refine your search with the options on the left of the results page.
