Overview of multiple types of digital searching tools used in commercial bibliographic databases and on the Web. Focuses on selection, understanding, use, and evaluation.
Successful completion of this course will help students achieve the A1, A3, and B4 competencies outlined at http://www.sir.arizona.edu/about/studentCompetencies.html. More specifically, by the end of the semester, students will be able to:
· Demonstrate knowledge of basic concepts and terms such as relevance, recall, precision, indexes, truncation, wildcard characters, fielded searching, and more
· Formulate search strategies, evaluate results, and modify search strategies as needed to improve results
· Articulate the functions of Boolean and proximity operators and apply them appropriately
· Understand the advantages and disadvantages of natural language and controlled vocabulary searching
· Evaluate the services and products offered by different database vendors and creators
· Demonstrate the ability to select the best databases for particular information needs
· Use software for managing results
· Discuss in some depth at least one major issue related to online searching
Academic Code of Integrity
Students are expected to abide by The University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity. 'The guiding principle of academic integrity is that a student's submitted work must be the student's own.' If you have any questions regarding what is acceptable practice under this Code, please ask an Instructor.
Accommodating Disabilities
The University has a Disability Resource Center. If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the Disability Resource Center and request that the DRC send me, the Instructor, official notification of your accommodation needs as soon as possible. Please plan to meet with me by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how my course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.Assignment Policies
Detailed assignment descriptions are available in the course space. Late assignments will not be accepted except in extreme emergencies. The searching exercises and evaluative paper are to be submitted via the course dropbox in d2l. Students are expected to work on their own on the exercises and paper; do not ask library staff members or other students for help on the assignments.
Incompletes
The current Catalog reads:
The grade of I may be awarded only at the end of a term, when all but a minor portion of the course work has been satisfactorily completed. The grade of I is not to be awarded in place of a failing grade or when the student is expected to repeat the course; in such a case, a grade other than I must be assigned. Students should make arrangements with the instructor to receive an incomplete grade before the end of the term ...
If the incomplete is not removed by the instructor within one year the I grade will revert to a failing grade.
In points:
1. Exercises ( 5 @ 10 pts) 50
2. Evaluation Paper 15
3. Quiz 15
4. Discussion Participation 20
