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This information has been provided for librarians, instructors,
faculty and other educators interested in learning more about Searchpath.
What
Is Searchpath?
Searchpath is
a new resource for U-M students, a self-instructional tutorial to
teach them basic library and research skills. It covers the research
process from initial topic selection to citation styles and the
issue of plagiarism. There is a link to Searchpath on the Undergraduate
Library home page or
it can be accessed directly from http://lib.umich.edu/ugl/searchpath.
Its content is organized into six modules:
| 1
- Starting smart |
an
overview that introduces students to various types of sources. |
| 2
- Choosing a topic |
which
provides tips on broadening and narrowing a topic and discusses
search concepts. |
| 3
- Finding Books |
which has live practice searches in our online catalog. |
| 4
- Finding articles |
in
which students can practice searching the Periodical Abstracts
database. |
| 5
- Using the Web |
which includes the comparative evaluation of Web sources. |
| 6
- Citing sources |
a module that also includes the topics of plagiarism and copyright. |
Each
of the six sections takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, and students
can do this on their own time outside of class. Each of the modules
is followed by a short quiz.
Who
Is It Designed For?
U-M Searchpath
is designed primarily for introductory-level research classes. It
can be used with any class that has a library research component.
How
Can Instructors Effectively Use Searchpath with Their Courses?
Please
have students complete Searchpath before they begin their
research or attend a library session. Students can complete Searchpath
on their own time and submit their quiz results to you.
Each module
is followed by a short quiz and a results page, which provides a
summary of questions answered right or wrong and an overall percentage
score for that module. The results pages can be printed out with
the student’s name at the top and submitted to you as proof
of completion. We have not assigned a "passing grade"
for these results, but leave that to your discretion, (e.g., whether
or not you consider 80%, etc. a passing score). Many instructors
have chosen to give extra credit points to students who complete
Searchpath.
Does
Searchpath Replace Library Instruction?
No!
We continue to offer course-related library instruction and hope
that you will incorporate it into your syllabus. Timing is important!
Please schedule library instruction with us for a date after
your class has received a research assignment, so students learn
about searching databases at a time when they need to know this
information. Also, we generally do not offer instruction sessions
without an accompanying assignment. Research has shown that:
- Students
learn best and retain most when they need the information.
- Library instruction
is more effective when the course instructor is present.
- Library instruction
is more effective when coordinated with a class assignment.
The library
has its own electronic instructional facility.* Please schedule
early to reserve the date and time you need -- preferably call us
two weeks ahead. Requests will be filled on a first-come basis.
We can also arrange a library instruction session. Contact:
Barb Reed, phone:
763-5084, email: barbreed@umich.edu
or
Debbie Tenofsky,
phone: 763-9761, email: dtenofs@umich.edu
*If necessary
we can hold sessions in ITCS Sites labs.
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