Course Syllabus

Course Syllabus: LIB 100 -  Critical Approaches to Information Research

 

Instructor Contact Information

  • Instructor Name: Adina Lerner
  • Contact Phone:  818-240-1000 x3379 * (please try to contact me through email or chat first, I don't check the phone as often as my email.)
  • GCC Email: alerner@glendale.edu OR click on "Inbox" in Canvas
  • Online Office Hours: Wednesdays 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm on Zoom

I will be holding online “office hours” every Wednesday from 5:00-6:00 pm. During this time, you can ask questions and I will go over course materials. You can join our online meetings by clicking on "Glendale Zoom" in the links on the left-hand side of our course in Canvas. You will see a new meeting that you can join every week from 5:00-6:00 pm.

Course Description

100 CRITICAL APPROACHES TO INFORMATION RESEARCH 3.0 Units

LIB 100 introduces students to the effective use of library and non-library information resources and services in a variety of academic disciplines and professions. Students learn the core concepts of information retrieval and the essential techniques of organizing, presenting, evaluating, and analyzing information as well as how to properly attribute sources used.

Topics include: information cycle and timeline; comparing, contrasting, and selecting library and open web resources; types and characteristics of information sources; effective information research planning; search techniques, evaluation criteria, and ethical use of information.

This class enhances critical thinking and evaluation skills by using a variety of textual, graphical, visual, and audio (re)sources to assess how information is produced, consumed, and presented and teaches students how to assess sources for perspective, veracity, and authority in order to develop the ability to apply critical thinking practices to specific disciplinary contexts and information problems within the student’s field of interest. Lecture 3 hours.

Recommended Preparation: ENGL 101, 120 or ESL 151 

Transferable to the CSU.

About Your Class 

  • This course is 100% Online: We will not meet on-campus for any reason. 
  • This course will officially begin on February 22, 2022 date and end on June 15, 2022.
  • This is a 16-week course with synchronous office hours.
  • Browser Compatibility:

I highly recommend using the most recent version of Google Chrome as your browser to make sure everything works correctly in Canvas.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be able to:

  • apply research techniques and strategies as a means for inquiry in developing a research question to fulfill an information need;
  • recognize how to use information ethically;
  • critically assess a source for its value, context, degree of credibility, authority, and purpose to determine its value as evidence to support a claim;
  • develop a critical approach to assessing source types and formats within the information creation and dissemination process.

 

Course Exit Standards

Upon successful completion of the course, you will complete the following tasks:

Complete all assignments in a timely manner,  participate in discussions, group projects and complete work on an annotated bibliography based on a research question created as part of a group project. 

Textbook(s) and Required Materials

This is a ZTC (Zero Textbook Cost) class. Our two OER textbooks are fully online. You will be assigned readings from the textbooks inside the modules. There are no textbooks to purchase.

Course Communication

Email

If you ever have any questions, please email me through Canvas by clicking on "Inbox" on the left side of your homepage. Click on "Compose a new message", select this course and then select "Teachers" under the "To" field and you will find my name, Adina Lerner / alerner. This is email inside Canvas :-) I am not supposed to receive any personal email...Canvas email only, please! I will respond to your email within 24 hours, M-F. If you do not hear back from me within this time, please assume I did not receive your email and resend it.

Course Assignments

Important Dates

The due dates for your assignments can be found in the Calendar in the global navigation links at the top of your screen. Please review these. In addition, I will post reminders prior to the due dates in the Announcements.

Weekly Assignments

Each week you will need to complete the following:

  • Read the weekly lesson. This will be available every Monday until the following Sunday .
  • Post in the weekly Discussion Forum by Thursday at 11:59 pm.
  • Respond to two other students’ posts in the Discussion Forum by the following Sunday at 11:59 pm .
  • Complete the lesson assignments in each course lesson by the following Sunday.

For every one hour of class, expect to put in TWO additional hours a week of outside-of-class time, which includes reading, completing individual or group assignments, postings, responding to discussions, viewing videos, completing assessments such as quizzes, etc. (some weeks will be lighter and others heavier). This means you should expect to put in between 6-9 hours of work for this 3-unit class each week, depending on your own pace.

Special Projects/Assessments

In addition to your weekly assignments, there will be group projects.

You may need to turn each project by using VeriCite. For these assignments, you will simply upload your assignment into the Canvas system and click on the "checkbox" with the pledge that this is your original work before you submit your project.

 

Grading Criteria

Grading Criteria Chart

Assignment

Points

Check-in Assignment

15 

Activities, Exercises, Quizzes, Discussion Postings,
Reflections/Analysis, Small Group Work

685

Final Project

200

Total:                  

900

 

Grading Scale

Letter Grade

Percentage

A

90-100%

B

80-89 %

C

70-79 %

D

60-69%

F

59% and below

Assignment Rubrics

In order to understand what is expected of you for each assignment, please check out the rubric -- a table that details the "tips for success" of each assignment and the benchmarks for success -- attached to each Assignment/Discussion for the grading criteria.

Course Grades & Feedback

You can view your grades using the Grades button in the course navigation links. Please check your grades regularly to make certain that I have received all your assignments. If you have a question about a grade, email me through the Canvas Inbox (left-side of your screen). Please do not post your personal concerns in a discussion forum.

I will be using the Canvas grading tool for your discussions and written assignments within 48 hours of submitting your assignment. You can see not only your grades, but also comments and feedback as well.

Submission Policy

Plan for success! Submit your work by the requested due date and time. If you have an extenuating circumstance, please contact me by private message before the assignment is due to make alternate arrangements.

Attendance/Participation/Refund Policies

  • DE Drop: A student must log into Canvas during the first week of an online/hybrid class and pass the Check-In Assignment by Sunday at 11:59 PM (10-16 week classes) in order to remain in the class (this is a state requirement). See Refund/Payment Policy for more information regarding course drops.
    • Any student that is added after the Sunday at 11:59 PM deadline as a 'late add' student has until Census to complete the Check-In Assignment or be dropped. 
  • DE Participation/Attendance: If a student misses more than the equivalent of two weeks’ worth of online assignments  during a fall or spring semester, they may lose credit for, or be dropped from, the course.

Additional Policies and Resources

Academic Honesty

It is expected that all work submitted for grading is original, not copied from others and that the work being graded is indeed done by the student who is receiving the grade. Cheating and plagiarism are serious violations of the student conduct code. Cheating or plagiarizing will result in a zero on the assignment or test and may result in other disciplinary action taken by the College. All incidents of cheating or plagiarizing are reported to the Dean of Students. For more information, please refer to the Glendale Community College Academic Honesty Policy.

Late Work

Late work will only be accepted with the instructor's prior agreement.

Students with Disabilities

  • All students with disabilities seeking accommodations are responsible for making arrangements in a timely manner through the Center for Students with Disabilities. Please let me know right away if you will need accommodations so we can pre-plan together.
  • Please let me know if you have adaptive software and hardware to assist you with taking this course or if you have any specific needs of which I should be aware. You can find more information about Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) or call the office at 818-240-1000 x5905.

Student Technical Support

Go to the Student Tech Support  page if you are having Canvas tech issues or check out the resources below:

If you are having problems go to the HELP button on the global navigation menu (in red). You can check out the Canvas Knowledge Base or ask questions with the chat feature. We also have GCC Canvas LIVE help during the weekdays. Here are additional resources to help you:

Student Online Services

There are many additional services to help you during this course. A few of these include:

  • Free Online Tutoring, which can be accessed through the website or through Canvas.
  • GCC Library (Databases & Online Chat), which can be accessed through the website or through Canvas.

Additional services can be found on the GCC Student Services Webpage.

Schedule of Assignments

Week

Topic

Assignments

Week 1

Check-in Assignment / Media & Confirmation Bias

Syllabus Quiz (5 points)
Check-in Survey (2 points)

Pre-Assessment (3 points)
Getting to Know Each Other (5 points)

Week 2

 

Week 3

 

Week 4

 

Week 5

 

Week 6

 

Week 7

 

Week 8 

 

Week 9

 

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16