Information Literacy Student Learning Activity Packets
Activity Packets Menu
- Discerning Between Scholarly and Popular Literature
- Identifying Primary Research in the Sciences
- Developing a Research Strategy
- Evaluating Information
- Avoiding Plagiarism and Learning to Paraphrase
- Directions for Integrating Activity Packets into Blackboard
Discerning between Scholarly and Popular Literature
Description of Activity:
The scholarly versus popular activity requires students to differentiate between various types of periodical publications. This activity encourages students to think critically about information and to choose peer-reviewed articles that lend credibility to their research.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Differentiates between scholarly and popular literature, primary and secondary research, and current vs. historical research.
- Analyzes information in order to determine if it is an appropriate source for their current information need (scholarly or popular, primary or secondary, etc.)
Association of College & Research Libraries Standards:
Primarily Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 3
Download these documents:
Handouts:
Scholarly Articles or Popular Magazine Articles? (.doc | .pdf)
Periodicals Comparison Chart (.doc | .pdf)Activities:
Examining Scholarly and Popular Information (.doc | .pdf)
Discussion Board Topic:
(.doc)
Quiz
Scholarly or Popular Information Quiz (.doc | .pdf)
Scholarly or Popular Information Quiz Answer Key (Email IL Librarian)Zipped File for Blackboard Document Packager
*Note: You will still need to email the IL Librarian for the quiz answer key.
scholarly_v_popular
Identifying Primary Research in the Sciences
Description of Activity:
The primary research activity requires students to identify research articles that document an original project carried out by a researcher or scientist. This assignment exposes students to how research studies are presented and gives them the scientific framework on which to base their own original research.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Differentiates between scholarly and popular literature, primary and secondary research, and current vs. historical research.
- Analyzes information in order to determine if it is an appropriate source for their current information need (scholarly or popular, primary or secondary, etc.)
Association of College & Research Libraries Standards:
Primarily Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 3
Download these documents:
Handouts:
Primary (Original) Research vs. Secondary Sources in the Sciences (.doc | .pdf)
Identifying Primary Research Articles (.doc | .pdf)Activities:
Identifying Primary (Original) Scholarly Research: Technology Topic (.doc | .pdf)
Identifying Primary (Original) Scholarly Research: Technology Topic Answer Key (.doc | .pdf)Discussion Board Topic:
(.doc)
Quiz:
Primary (Original) Research vs. Secondary Sources in the Sciences Quiz (.doc | .pdf)
Primary (Original) Research vs. Secondary Sources in the Sciences Quiz Answer Key (Email IL Librarian)Zipped File for Blackboard Document Packager
*Note: You will still need to email the IL Librarian for the quiz and activity answer keys.
primary_v_secondary_sciences
Developing a Research Strategy
Description of Activity:
This activity guides students through the process of developing a research strategy for their topic. Students will learn to select keywords and use Boolean logic in order to effectively and efficiently search for information.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Articulates information need in order to develop, focus, and revise a thesis or research question.
- Selects the most appropriate investigative methods or resources (interviews, fieldwork, lab experiments, library catalog, databases, Internet, etc.) in order to retrieve relevant information.
- Identifies keywords, synonyms, and controlled vocabulary in order to construct an effective search strategy.
- Uses Boolean logic, truncation, proximity indicators, and indexes in order to efficiently and effectively search for information.
Association of College & Research Libraries Standards:
Primarily Incorporates ACRL Standards: 1, 2
Download these documents:
Handouts:
How to Form a Research Strategy (.doc | .pdf)
Formulating a Research Question (.doc | .pdf)
Combining Search Terms with Boolean Logic (.doc | .pdf)
Activities:
Research Process Worksheet: Technology (.doc | .pdf)
Research Process Worksheet: Film and Television (.doc | .pdf)
Research Process Worksheet: Journalism and Mass Communications (.doc | .pdf)
Research Process Worksheet: Theater (.doc | .pdf)Discussion Board Topic:
(.doc)Quiz
Developing a Research Strategy Quiz (.doc | .pdf)
Developing a Research Strategy Quiz Answer Key (Email IL Librarian)Zipped File for Blackboard Document Packager
*Note: You will still need to email the IL Librarian for the quiz answer key.
research_process
Evaluating Information
Description of Activity:
The evaluating information activity encourages students to think critically about the reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, point of view or bias of information sources. This activity will engage students in the critically thinking skills necessary to include the most appropriate sources in their assignments.
Student Learning Outcome:
- Evaluates information in order to determine its reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, point of view or bias.
Association of College & Research Libraries Standards:
Primarily Incorporates ACRL Standard: 3
Download these documents:
Handout:
Evaluating Sources of Information (.doc | .pdf)
Activities:
Evaluating Articles (.doc | .pdf)
Evaluating Books (.doc | .pdf)
Evaluating Webpages (.doc | .pdf)Discussion Board Topic:
(.doc)Quiz:
Evaluating Sources Quiz (.doc | .pdf)
Evaluating Sources Quiz Answer Key (Email IL Librarian)Zipped File for Blackboard Document Packager
*Note: You will still need to email the IL Librarian for the quiz answer key.
evaluating_information
Avoiding Plagiarism and Learning to Paraphrase
Description of Activity:
The avoiding plagiarism and learning to paraphrase activity helps students understand plagiarism, paraphrasing and citing sources. Students will learn how to accurately and appropriately document sources and paraphrase passages to avoid plagiarism.
Student Learning Outcome:
- Accurately and appropriately documents sources, and uses paraphrases and direct quotes in order to avoid plagiarism.
Association of College & Research Libraries Standards:
Primarily Incorporates ACRL Standard: 5
Download these documents:
Handout:
Understanding Plagiarism, Paraphrasing and Citing Sources (.doc | .pdf)Activity:
Paraphrasing Activity (.doc | .pdf)Discussion Board Topic:
(.doc)Quizzes:
Plagiarism Pre-Test (.doc | .pdf)
Plagiarism Pretest Answer Key (Email IL Librarian)
Plagiarism Quiz (.doc | .pdf)
Plagiarism Quiz Answer Key (Email IL Librarian)Zipped File for Blackboard Document Packager
*Note: You will still need to email the IL Librarian for the pretest and quiz answer keys.
avoiding_plagiarism
Directions for Integrating All Information Literacy Student
Learning Activity Packets into Blackboard
*You may also choose to unload the packets with the Blackboard Document Packager. See the Blackboard Support Pages for guidance.
1) Download All Included Documents for One of the Following Packets
- Discerning Between Scholarly and Popular Literature
- Identifying Primary Research in the Sciences
- The Research Process
- Evaluating Information
- Avoiding Plagiarism and Learning to Paraphrase
2) Create a Folder for Library Assignments
- From the Control Panel in Blackboard, choose the Assignments content area.
- Add a folder.
- Type "Information Literacy Assignments" in the Name Field.
- Click Submit.
- If you plan to include more that one of the Activity Packets, you may want to consider adding each one as a separate 'Learning Unit' inside of the Information Literacy Assignments folder.
2) Integrate Handouts into Blackboard
- From the Control Panel in Blackboard, choose the Assignments content area.
- Click on the Information Literacy Assignments folder.
- Add an item.
- Change the drop-down menu to choose the name 'Reading Assignments.'
- In Section 2, browse for the file to attach (locate the desired file on your computer or other location).
- Type in the name of the document under 'Name of Link to File.'
- Leave the Special Action section on 'Create a link to this file.'
- Click Submit.
3) Integrate Activities into Blackboard
- From the Control Panel in Blackboard, choose the Assignments content area.
- Click on the Information Literacy Assignments folder.
- Add an item.
- Type 'Research Assignments' in the name field.
- In Section 2, browse for the file to attach (locate the desired file on your computer or other location).
- Type in the name of the document under 'Name of Link to File.'
- Leave the Special Action section on 'Create a link to this file.'
- Click Submit.
4) Add Discussion Board Topics in Blackboard
- From the Control Panel in Blackboard, choose Discussion Boards under course tools.
- Click on the 'Add Forum' icon.
- Type in the name of the forum topic.
- Highlight the discussion topic from the file you downloaded and press Ctrl-C to copy the topic.
- Press Ctrl-V to paste the discussion topic into the text box in Blackboard.
- Click Submit.
- Click on the title of the discussion forum (optional).
- Add a new thread to get the discussion started (optional).
- Either repaste the directions as a new thread or get the students started with your own answer (optional).
5) Add Quizzes to Blackboard
- Open the test you downloaded as part of the Information Literacy Student Learning Activity Packet.
- From the Control Panel in Blackboard, choose Test Manager under Assessment.
- Add a test.
- For the test name, description and directions, highlight the content on the test and press Ctrl-C to copy it.
- Press Ctrl-V to paste the content into the appropriate field in Blackboard.
- Click Submit.
- Begin building the quiz by copy-and-pasting the questions and answers.
