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Instructor's Companion to Research Now! — Home

Strategies for Implementing the UConn Library's Online Modules

Suggestions for Use

In a college setting, we have the opportunity to practice information literacy through research assignments. These modules are centered around helping your students learn about information in a college setting, and help them with their research assignments. There is no one right way to do this. If we conceive of information literacy as a literacy, then it is less about us teaching the exact right thing, and more about giving students a mental framework for learning.

An important note: Research Now works best when it is used to supplement and support an assignment.

Related Guide: First Year Writing Instructor's Guide

The Library Research Tools are Open Educational Resources, to allow for maximum adaptation to your particular course and context. Not quite sure how these fit in your course? Contact us: infolit@uconn.edu

 

How do I get started?

Start (with or without help from a librarian – and we’d be happy to help!) by looking over your syllabus:

  • Where do you teach research, or use information in you course? 
  • How do you scaffold research throughout their course?
  • Do you give your students time and structure to make meaning from their sources and find a focus for inquiry?
  • How do you assess student's research or information skills?

Think about what you teach, too:

  • What is most important for students to know about information creation in your discipline?
  • What do you want your students to know about research or information? 

What is Information Literacy?

Information Literacy is an intellectual framework for recognizing the need for, understanding, finding, evaluating, and using information. These are activities which may be supported in part by fluency with information technology, in part by sound investigative methods, but most importantly through critical discernment and reasoning. Information literacy initiates, sustains, and extends lifelong learning through abilities that may use technologies but are ultimately independent of them.

-Bundy, Alan L, et al. Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework : Principles, Standards and Practice. 2nd ed. ed., Adelaide, Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy, 2004.

Strategies for Intervening in the Search Process

  • Collaborate: Work jointly with others.
  • Converse: Talk about ideas for clarity and further questions
  • Compose: Write all the way along, not just at the end; keep journals.
  • Choose: Select what is interesting and pertinent.
  • Chart: Visualize ideas using pictures, timelines, and graphic organizers.
  • Continue: Develop understanding over a period of time.

What Information Literacy is Not

Information literacy is often confused with computer literacy and information retrieval. These two skill sets, while they can inform information literacy, are very different. Computer literacy and information retrieval  are focused on the technical aspects of using technology and finding information while information literacy is focused on the content found with the technology and information retrieval systems. Information and library literacy are also often confused with one another or used interchangeably. Library literacy and information retrieval are much narrower in scope than information literacy.

 
From :

Research Log

The Research Log is meant to be modified to support any research assignment. It's a tool that can be used to support student thinking throughout the research process, so it's been included in every module.

So, how do you use it? Any way you want! If you would like assistance figuring out how to adapt the log to your course, please ask a librarian - we'd love to work with you.

The Research Log is hosted as a Word document. It is available for download to your computer, and you are encouraged to make any changes you'd like.

Here are a few examples showing how the Research Log has been adapted to different class assignments:

EN 1010 Research Log Assignment

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