Learning Outcomes

Library and Information Science

The Z. Smith Reynolds Library offers 100 and 200 level classes in research as well as a course in the history of the book.

Educational Goal

By the end of a Z. Smith Reynolds Library course, the student will be able to:

1. Describe services offered by academic libraries such as interlibrary loan, reference, circulation, and course reserves and other University services such as the Writing Center.
2. Compose a research question, describe the scope of the question, and create a research strategy for addressing the question.
3. Demonstrate advanced search strategies used with academic library electronic resources such as Boolean operators, truncation, filters, facets, etc.
4. Identify the types of information and resources needed to address a research question.
5. Distinguish between fee-based resources which are currently available through their academic institution, and free resources which are reliable and available to the public such as open access journals and government documents.
6. Judge the academic reliability of sources by identifying bias, credibility, scholarliness, quality, and accuracy.
7. Demonstrate familiarity with technology tools used in the research process such as Zotero, RSS feeds, etc.
8. Define and articulate the ethical issues surrounding plagiarism and be able to properly use and cite sources in order to avoid plagiarizing.

Additional Optional Learning Outcomes Depending on Faculty Area of Research

• Identify major themes in the evolution of the Internet, and identify potential trends in the emerging information environment.
• Explain the process of scholarship and publication, and explain Open Access publishing.
• Define copyright, patent, and trademark and explain the differences in these types of intellectual properties.

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

Currently, learning outcomes are assessed individually in each class, through appropriate measures stated in the course syllabi. These assignments may include worksheets, in-class activities, annotated bibliographies, essays, presentations, multimedia projects, quizzes, group work, or other instruments as developed by the course faculty member.