Georgia Southwestern State University

LIBR1101 Syllabus
Spring 2018

Course Title Fundamentals of Information Literacy

Course Time Online
2 Credit Hours

Professor Ru Story-Huffman
Professor
Dean of Library Services
229-931-2259
ru.story-huffman@gsw.edu

Office Hours My schedule is as follows:

Monday 2-10
Tuesday – Thursday 8-5
Friday 8-3
I will make every effort to answer emails within 24 hours during the week.
If you email on a weekend, I will respond Monday afternoon.
All communication is to be conducted using GeorgiaVIEW.

Course Description:
This course explores the impact of information on academics, work, and life. Students will learn
Information Literacy concepts, theory, and practical applications to learn to acquire, evaluate, organize,
and present data collected via a variety of media. The knowledge and skills gained in this course create a
foundation for academic success and lifelong learning.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will be able to understand the theory and concepts of Information Literacy and the
information seeking process by:
 Choosing, defining and limiting a research problem
 Identifying appropriate types of resources to answer the information need
 Locate print, electronic, and multimedia resources
2. Students will practice ethical use of information and to evaluate information and its sources
critically by:
 Articulating and applying criteria for evaluating both the information and its source
 Evaluating the usefulness of retrieved information to the research problem
 Understanding the definition and various forms of plagiarism and its impact on academic
success and future goals
3. Students will work toward proficiency in the Information Literacy Competency Standards for
Higher Education through:
 Understanding theory and practical application of Information Literacy
 Developing skills in identifying and defining information needs
 Developing skills for advanced research using print and electronic information sources

Readings and Text

There is no specific textbook for this course; however there will be reading and assignments. The
assignments ask students to read, and critically respond or evaluate, while the Midterm and Final Projects
use technology to create an information product. The course will use GeorgiaVIEW and the LIBR1101
Subject Guide to provide all content.

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Assignments:
All assignments are to be turned in through GeorgiaVIEW Dropbox unless otherwise indicated by the
instructor. Of Special Note: All assignments and the Mid Term and Final Projects are due at 11:59
PM on the date noted in the Syllabus and Learning Modules. There will be NO late acceptance for
Assignments or the Final Project. Any late assignments will result in a grade of Zero (0%).

Course Grading
Assignments, Quizzes, Discussion 50% Grade Scale
Midterm Project 20% 90% - 100% A
Final Project 30% 80% - 89% B
70% - 79% C
60% - 69% D
Class Management 50% - 59% F
This class will utilize GeorgiaVIEW for email communication, class calendar, links to selected
readings, submission of assignments, discussion posts, and a copy of the syllabus. Please use the
email function in GeorgiaVIEW for communication in this class, or use the telephone number
listed at the top of this syllabus. The main content for the course is on the LIBR1101 Subject
Guide: http://libguides.gsw.edu/libr1101

I plan to release new Learning Module content on Monday and Thursday each week. Any
Discussion Posts and/or Assignments associated with the topic will be due by 11:59 PM on the
due date noted in the Learning Module and the syllabus. Each Learning Module will contain all
content for the topic. You must view all parts of the Learning Module before you will have access
to an assignment.

Discussion Posts
Throughout the class, discussion posts will be part of the Learning Module.
These discussion posts provide you with extra content encourage you
to think about your situation and how information plays a role in your life as a college
student. You will be required to make an initial post to each discussion thread, and then
comment on at least 2 peer posts for a grade of 90%. Your responses to peers need to go beyond
“Me too.” or “I agree.” Full credit for posts of this type will not be given in the grading. You will
be directed by GaVIEW to make your initial post before you will be allowed to make comments
to peers.

Mid Term & Final Projects

Information for both projects will be located on the LIBR1101 Course Page in
GeorgiaVIEW and the LIBR1101 Subject Guide.. The Mid Term Project requirements will be
released January 18 and is due February 19, 2018 at 11:59 pm. Final Project information will be
released February 8, 2018, and is due April 25, 2018. There will be no late acceptance of either
project.

GSW Academic Integrity Policy/Plagiarism Statement

In each class offered this semester, it is possible that the instructor will use techniques(s) to
identify any student plagiarism. Students may be required to submit written assignments online
through a plagiarism-prevention service or allow the instructor to submit hard copies of their
writing to such a service. The written assignments may be retained by the service for the sole
purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions. Dishonest work will be
treated as a serious offense, and at the discretion of the instructor, the student may be given a
score of zero on the assignment, may be required to rewrite the assignment, or be given a grade of
F in the course.
For more information about the consequences of plagiarism, go to the GSW Policy on Academic
Integrity at the GSW website. https://www.gsw.edu/campus-
life/resourcesinformation/studenthandbook/student-conduct-code#ACADEMIC_INTEGRITY

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 Spring 2018 Class Schedule
(Subject to Change)

January 9, 2018 Introduction to the Class - Module 1

Assignment: Information Literacy Pre Test Assessment Due January 12 @
11:59pm
Discussion Post

January 11, 2018 Info Lit Defined – Module 2

Assignment: Read & Respond: Badke
Due: January 14 @11:59pm

January 15, 2018 Scholarship as Conversation: Information Overload

Module 3

January 18, 2018 Information as Creation: Midterm Project – Module 4

Assignment: Begin working on Mid Term Project.
Due: February 19, 2018 11:59pm

January 22, 2018 Research as Inquiry: Task Definition – Module 5

Assignment: Brainstorm an Idea
Due: January 25 @11:59pm

January 25, 2018 Midterm Work Day

January 29, 2018 Library 101: (GIL & GALILEO) Types of Information –
Module 6
Assignment: Discussion Post

February 1, 2018 Quiz #1

Assignment: Quiz over material 1/9/18-1/29/18
Due February 3 @11:59pm

February 5, 2018 Searching is Varied – Module 7

Poll

February 8, 2018 Information Creation as a Process: Final Project – Module 8

Assignment: Final Project Preparation in “Read Me First”
Due April 25 @ 11:59pm

February 12, 2018 Is It Real? Is It Fake? – Module 9

Assignment: Midterm Blog Post Topic: Fake News

February 15, 2018 Authority Constructed and Contextual – Module 10

Assignment: CRAP Test
Due: February 18 @11:59PM

February 19, 2018 MidTerm Project Due

Due @11:59 PM
Assignments after this time will receive a grade of Zero 0%

February 22, 2018 Google vs Google Scholar- Module 11

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February 26, 2018 Information Has Value – Module 12
Assignment: Read Chapter Linked in Module 12 (Box #6)
Plagiarism Quiz Linked in Module 12
Due March 1 @11:59

March 1, 2018 Media Literacy_- Module 13

Assignment: Discussion Post on Reading #1 in Module

March 5, 2018 Quiz

Assignment: Quiz #2 over material 2/5/18 – 3/1/18
Due March 7 @11:59pm

March 19, 2018 Social Networking & Media – Module 14

Poll
Assignment: Discussion Post

March 26, 2016 No Class

March 29, 2018 Wikipedia – Module 15

Poll
Discussion Post: #2 in Module

April 2, 2018 Organizing Information – Module 16

Subject Guide #16

April 5, 2018 A Day in the Life of a College Student – Module 17

Assignment: Poll

April 9, 2018 Invisible Web – Module 18

Assignment: Invisible Web Response
Due: April 15 @11:59pm

April 16, 2018 Scholarship as Conversation – Module 19

Assignment: Poll

April 19, 2018 Quiz #3

Assignment: Quiz over all material
Due: April 21 @11:59pm

April 23, 2018 Final Project Help

April 25, 2018 Final Project Due

Assignment: Due April 25 @11:59pm
Late Assignments will be given a grade of Zero 0%