LIS2004 SYLLABUS

Course Title: Introduction to Internet Research

Course Prefix and Number: LIS2004

Credit Hour: One semester hour

Reading Material:

There is no required textbook for this course. Each lesson contains the required reading material. Each lesson also includes links to supplemental readings and source material. The Reading List provides a bibliography of resources used in creating the course reading material.

Objectives:

Information literacy has become an essential competency in the current environment of ever-increasing technological change and the resulting information explosion. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges defines information literacy in its Criteria for Accreditation as "the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information to become independent life-long learners."

An enormous amount of information is available via the Internet, much of it in an unmediated format, with no indication as to its authenticity, validity, and reliability. This course introduces students to the concept of using the Internet as an information retrieval tool, and teaches strategies for locating and analysing information. This course is designed to help students develop the basic information literacy skills necessary for college course work, general research, and for lifelong learning in an information-centered society.

Attendance/Withdrawal Policies:

Work at your own pace but don't procrastinate. Several lessons, particularly lessons 3 and 6, take significant time to complete, as does the project.

Although this class does not meet physically and attendance is not taken, all work must be submitted to your instructor by the due dates indicated at the end of each assignment. Prompt submission of assignments constitutes attendance in the course. The Course Schedule provides due dates for all course materials.

General Course Instructions:

You must begin the course by carefully reading this Syllabus and the Course Project pages. You may then progress to the Course Introduction and then the lessons. You should complete the chapters and assignments sequentially, beginning with Lesson 1, since each of the lessons expands on information provided in previous lessons.
An exercise follows the reading material for each lesson. Each exercise has been set up as a WebCT quiz. Follow the exercise instructions carefully. Exercises 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 should be answered by filling in the text boxes. When you have finished filling in all the answers, you should copy and paste all of your answers into a text or or word processor file, and save the file as a backup. If you have problems completing a lesson exercise quiz, contact your instructor for instructions on how to proceed.
Although you may work at your own pace, don't wait until the last minute to begin working on lesson exercises or the project. Several of the lessons take some time to complete, as does the course project.

Your instructor will confirm receipt of exercises with an e-mail message. If you do not receive a confirmation of receipt within 3 days, e-mail or call the instructor to confirm receipt. It is the student's responsibility to make sure all course submissions reach the instructor.

Do not hesitate to e-mail or call your instructor with any questions or problems.

Remember, all work must be submitted to your instructor by the due dates indicated at the end of each assignment. The Course Schedule provides due dates for all course materials.

Methods of Evaluation:

The final grade is based upon satisfactory completion of the following activities:

Research Exercises	65%	65 points
Project	25%	25 points
Final Examination	10%	10 points
Total	100%	100 points

Grading Scale:

A = 90 - 100

B = 80 - 89

C = 70 - 79

D = 60 - 69

F = 59 and below

Outcomes and Competencies:

Upon the successful completion of this distance education course, students will be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the types of information resources available via the Internet
Identify research topics and devise effective search strategies to utilize appropriate Internet resources and Internet-accessible library databases in the research process
Demonstrate competence in using keyword and Boolean search techniques as appropriate for Internet search tools
Use Internet communication tools, web search engines, meta-search engines, specialized search engines, and subject directories to locate and access relevant information resources
Evaluate the credibility, quality, and accuracy of Internet resources for specific information needs
Demonstrate an understanding of several social, legal and ethical issues, including netiquette, plagiarism and copyright issues
Document Internet resources using MLA or APA style guides

Course Content:

The course consists of seven lessons, a Course Project, and a Final Examination. Each lesson requires readings from the course web site and the completion of a related exercise. Each exercise is weighted by its relevance to the performance objectives for the course.

The Course Project consists of an annotated list of 5 sources of information on a single topic of interest retrieved from the Internet. The list of citations must be presented in MLA citation format. Annotations must contain an evaluation of the Internet resource. Resources may include World Wide Web pages, Internet journal or newspaper articles, or discussion group postings. Sample citations and annotations are available on the Course Project pages.