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First Year Experience Faculty: Welcome!

A Guide for First Year Experience Faculty Teaching UNIV 100

Information Literacy Objectives of First Year Experience

University 100 students will be able to:

  • Locate and describe the services and resources in the university library, including those available from the library home page.
  • State a research question or problem, and identify keywords and concepts.
  • Develop a search strategy.
  • Select appropriate resources such as databases or research guides in order to locate relevant books, articles, and other materials.
  • Critically evaluate information for relevancy, authority, objectivity, accuracy, and currency.
  • Cite sources using a standard style.
  • Apply the principles of academic integrity to the responsible use of information, including proper acknowledgement of sources used.

In order to promote the successful and gradual development of information literacy skills for UNIV 100 students, the use of assignments other than a traditional research paper is strongly recommended. The next section offers examples of alternative assignments that not only provide UNIV 100 students with an incremental approach towards the acquisition of information literacy skills, but also prepare them for future courses requiring a more formal research paper.

Research-Based Alternatives to Traditional Papers

  • Create a class wiki or encyclopedia. You can create one online using a free wiki maker, such as PBworks. Visit the entry on wikis on the Pollak Library's 10 Things Blog to learn more about wikis. You can also set up a wiki as a series of threads in a Blackboard discussion group.

  • Ask students to make Podcasts or Vodcasts, complete with a sources cited and/or sources for additional study sections. There are equipped group study rooms and podcasting studios available at the library. Students can also add narration to a PowerPoint slide show or capture screenshots and movement using free software like Jing.

  • Create a mock Web page using Microsoft Word and embed links and images.

  • Try "lightning" presentations using formats such as Ignite or Pecha Kucha.

  • Ask students to write an annotated bibliography.

  • Have students share their research findings through a poster or PowerPoint presentation.

  • Offer students the opportunity to create a YouTube-type video.

  • Invite students to keep a journal documenting and reflecting on the research process.

  • Ask students to find and compare popular and scholarly articles on their research topic.

Schedule a Library Instruction Session

To begin the process of scheduling a library instruction session for your First Year Experience UNIV 100 class, please click here.