Course Materials: Syllabus

Download a PDF version of this syllabus.

S574: Information Instruction
IUPUI - SOIC
Department of Library and Information Science

Information Instruction provides a comprehensive examination of the systematic design of instruction including the design, development, dissemination, and evaluation of instructional programs in library and information settings. The course places emphasis on information instruction; focuses on theory and practice related to teaching and learning; and stresses the use of technology in materials development and dissemination across all library and information settings.

Instructor Information
Name - Annette Lamb, Ph.D.
Address - PO Box 206 Teasdale UT 84773 (I often travel during the semester)
Email - alamb@eduscapes.com or anlamb@iupui.edu

Course Description

This three-credit hour graduate course focuses on the systematic design of instruction. Students learn to design, develop, and evaluate instruction for all delivery formats. Emphasis is placed on educational, training, and learning theories, along with instructional design models that can be applied to information users regardless of the instructional setting or subject area focus. The use of technology for the production and dissemination of instructional materials is stressed.

The course explores pedagogy including teaching styles, philosophies of teaching, and the application of instructional theory to teaching and learning. It examines a variety of instruction delivery types including face-to-face lessons and presentations, self-guided tutorials, simulations and games, and online approaches for both formal and informal learning situations.

The course examines the varied needs and interests of learners, the differences between novice and expert learners, child and adult learners, and students of varied learning preferences and styles.
Information literacy standards from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), American Association of School Libraries (AASL), and others are applied to instructional design and practice.
The course also examines instructional program design, administration, and evaluation.

Finally, the course features the essential role of instruction in a comprehensive academic, school, public, and/or special library setting, along with how instruction and training are built into other professional information settings including business, health professions, and allied areas.

The course will be taught entirely online including web-based readings and resources, threaded discussions, plus online presentations and activities.

Course Assumptions

The following entry skills are required for this course:

• Demonstrate technology skills including use of productivity tools (i.e., word processing, spreadsheet, presentation), web development tools, social media, and utilities (i.e., downloading drivers and plugins).
• Identify, select, access, and evaluate information found on the Internet and in the library.
• Use Canvas for discussions and information sharing.

This course makes the assumption that students are able to work independently. There are no required face-to-face meetings. There are no required synchronous online meetings. However, students are encouraged to e-mail or arrange a chat with the instructor at any time.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Apply models of instructional design in designing, developing, disseminating, and evaluating effective, efficient, and appealing instructional materials.
  
• Describe how educational, training, and learning theories can be applied to specific instructional situations.
  
• Address standards related to information literacy in various instructional and training settings related to the library and information professions.
  
• Design learning experiences to address the varied needs, preferences, and learning styles of a target audience.
  
• Evaluate instructional materials.
  
• Select and apply instructional materials.
  
• Apply technology tools and techniques to the production and delivery of instructional materials.
  
• Address information literacy standards through the design, development, and evaluation of instructional materials.
  
• Plan educational programs using outcomes-based planning and evaluation.
  
• Demonstrate professional instructional delivery skills.

MLS Program, Graduate Program and ALA Competency Connections

This course addresses competencies related to the MLS program in the following areas:

• Assist and Educate Users
• Apply Management and Leadership Skills
  
• Work Effectively Within and Across a Variety of Organizational Structures
  
• Conduct and Analyze Research
  
• Demonstrate Basic Technical Expertise
  
• Approach Professional Issues with Understanding

This course is connected to the Principles of Graduate and Professional Learning in the following areas:

• Demonstrating mastery of the knowledge and skills expected for the degree and for professionalism and success in the field
  
• Thinking critically, applying good judgment in professional and personal situations
  
• Communicating effectively to others in the field and to the general public
  
• Behaving in an ethical way both professionally and personally

This course addresses a number of ALA competencies. According to ALA (2009), a person graduating from an ALA-accredited master’s program in library and information studies should know and, where appropriate, be able to employ:

• Foundations of the Profession
  
• Information Resources
  
• Technological Knowledge and Skills
  
• Reference and User Services
  
• Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning
  
• Administration and Management

Course Materials

The course content will be accessed through a series of web pages. In addition to readings and presentation materials, the pages also contain reflective questions and individual exercises to reinforce key concepts.

No print textbook is required.

Rather than formal textbook, I've provided some useful open sources texts:

• Handbook for Information Literacy Teaching (HILT) from Cardiff University
• Horton, Forest Woody (2014). Overview of Information Literacy Resources Worldwide, UNESCO.

It's useful to become familiar with the issues currently facing information professionals.
Consider signing up for one of the following listservs or following an information instruction blog:

• ALA - Information Literacy Instruction Discussion List at http://lists.ala.org/wws/info/infolit
  
• Information Literacy Weblog at http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/

We have a variety interests represented in our class. For further reading, I suggest these OPTIONAL titles that are geared to particular library types:

• Bravender, Patricia, McClure, Hazel, & Schaub (2015). Teaching Information Literacy Threshold Concepts: Lesson Plans for Librarian. ACRL.
• Callison, Daniel & Preddy, Leslie. (2006) The Blue Book. LMS Associates. This book is focused on the needs of school librarians.
• Dick, Walt, Carey, Lou, and Carey, James O. (2011). The Systematic Design of Instruction. Seventh Edition. Pearson. This book is intended for people who plan to be instructional designers as an integral part of their library work.
• Farmer, Lesley S.J. (2011). Instructional Design for Library and Information Professionals. Neal-Schuman. This book is focused specifically on instruction design for librarians.
• Gilton, Donna L. (2012). Lifelong Learning in Public Libraries. Scarecrow Press. This book is focused on the need of public libraries.
• Grassian, E. & Kaplowitz, J. (2009). Information Literary Instruction: Theory and Practice. (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Neal-Schuman. This book is focused specifically on information literacy instruction.
• Kuhlthau, Carol, Maniotes, Leslie K., and Caspari, Ann K. (2007). Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century. Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited. This book is focused on the needs of school librarians.
• Mackey, Thomas P. & Jacobson, Trudi E. (2014). Metaliteracy: Reinventing Information Literacy to Empower Learners. ALA Neal-Schuman.
• Swanson, Troy A. & Jagman, Heather (2015). Not Just Where to Click: Teaching Students How to Think about Information. ACRL.

For a list of resources used in developing the course, go to Resources.

Course Assignments and Assessments

The learning objectives will be assessed through a series of six activities and two instructional experiences.

Course assignments are intended to help you apply the course materials.

The class contains six "Paseo" activities (60 points) and two instructional experiences (40 points).

For more information about these assignments, go to the CourseGuide.

For information about due dates, go to the Course Calendar.

Course Grades

The points awarded for each activity are indicated on the Course Requirements. High expectations have been set for this course. Please notice that outstanding achievement will require careful attention to course criteria and exceptional quality in course assignments.

Final grades are based on the following range within the total 100 points possible:

A 98-100
A- 95-97
B+ 92-94
B 89-91
B- 86-88
C 80-85
D 75-79
F below 74

The meaning of the letter grades follows the SLIS Grading Policy:

A: Outstanding achievement. Student performance demonstrates full command of the course materials and evinces a high level of originality and/or creativity that far surpasses course expectations. The grade of A+ is not granted in SLIS, except in very exceptional cases.

A-: Excellent achievement. Student performance demonstrates thorough knowledge of the course materials and exceeds course expectations by completing all requirements in a superior manner.

B+: Very good work. Student performance demonstrates above-average comprehension of the course materials and exceeds course expectations on all tasks defined in the course syllabus.

B: Good work. Student performance meets designated course expectations, demonstrates understanding of the course materials, and has performed at an acceptable level.

B-: Marginal work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete understanding of course materials.

C+, C, C-: Unsatisfactory work and inadequate understanding of course materials.

D+, D, D-: Unacceptable work; course work completed at this level will not count toward the MLS degree.

F: Failing. May result in an overall grade point average below 3.0 and possible removal from the program.

Late and Incomplete Work

Students may request an assignment extension due to personal or professional emergencies. These requests must be made prior to the due date. Extensions beyond a couple days will result in lose of points.

A final grade of "I" or "Incomplete" will NOT be given except in extreme situations. Please let me know if you're having difficulty completing the requirements of this course.

IUPUI Mission Statement

The Mission of IUPUI is to provide for its constituents excellence in

• Teaching and Learning;
• Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity; and
• Civic Engagement.

With each of these core activities characterized by

• Collaboration within and across disciplines and with the community;
• A commitment to ensuring diversity; and
• Pursuit of best practices.

IUPUI’s mission is derived from and aligned with the principal components—Communities of Learning, Responsibilities of Excellence, Accountability and Best Practices—of Indiana University’s Strategic Directions Charter.

IUPUI Values Statement

IUPUI values the commitment of students to learning; of faculty to the highest standards of teaching, scholarship, and service; and of staff to the highest standards of service.  IUPUI recognizes students as partners in learning. IUPUI values the opportunities afforded by its location in Indiana’s capital city and is committed to serving the needs of its community.  Thus, IUPUI students, faculty, and staff are involved in the community, both to provide educational programs and patient care and to apply learning to community needs through service. As a leader in fostering collaborative relationships, IUPUI values collegiality, cooperation, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship as well as honesty, integrity, and support for open inquiry and dissemination of findings. IUPUI is committed to the personal and professional development of its students, faculty, and staff and to continuous improvement of its programs and services.

Student Academic Conduct

There is extensive documentation and discussion of the issue of academic honesty in the IUPUI Student Code of Conduct.

All students should aspire to the highest standards of academic integrity. Using another student’s work on an assignment, cheating on a test, not quoting or citing references correctly, or any other form of dishonesty or plagiarism shall result in a grade of zero on the item and possibly an F in the course. Incidences of academic misconduct shall be referred to the Department Chair and repeated violations shall result in dismissal from the program.

All students are responsible for reading, understanding, and applying the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct and in particular the section on academic misconduct. Refer to The Code > Responsibilities > Academic Misconduct at http://www.indiana.edu/~code/. All students must also successfully complete the Indiana University Department of Education “How to Recognize Plagiarism” Tutorial and Test. https://www.indiana.edu/~istd You must document the difference between your writing and that of others. Use quotation marks in addition to a citation, page number, and reference whenever writing someone else’s words (e.g., following the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association). To detect plagiarism instructors apply a range of methods, including Turnitin.com. http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/libinfo/turnitin

Academic Misconduct:

• Cheating: Cheating is considered to be an attempt to use or provide unauthorized assistance, materials, information, or study aids in any form and in any academic exercise or environment.
• A student must not use external assistance on any “in-class” or “take-home” examination, unless the instructor specifically has authorized external assistance. This prohibition includes, but is not limited to, the use of tutors, books, notes, calculators, computers, and wireless communication devices.
• A student must not use another person as a substitute in the taking of an examination or quiz, nor allow other persons to conduct research or to prepare work, without advanced authorization from the instructor to whom the work is being submitted.
• A student must not use materials from a commercial term paper company, files of papers prepared by other persons, or submit documents found on the Internet.
• A student must not collaborate with other persons on a particular project and submit a copy of a written report that is represented explicitly or implicitly as the student’s individual work.
• A student must not use any unauthorized assistance in a laboratory, at a computer terminal, or on fieldwork.
• A student must not steal examinations or other course materials, including but not limited to, physical copies and photographic or electronic images.
• A student must not submit substantial portions of the same academic work for credit or honors more than once without permission of the instructor or program to whom the work is being submitted.
• A student must not, without authorization, alter a grade or score in any way, nor alter answers on a returned exam or assignment for credit.
• Fabrication: A student must not falsify or invent any information or data in an academic exercise including, but not limited to, records or reports, laboratory results, and citation to the sources of information.
• Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, unless the information is common knowledge. What is considered “common knowledge” may differ from course to course.
• A student must not adopt or reproduce ideas, opinions, theories, formulas, graphics, or pictures of another person without acknowledgment.
• A student must give credit to the originality of others and acknowledge indebtedness whenever:
• directly quoting another person’s actual words, whether oral or written;
• using another person’s ideas, opinions, or theories;
• paraphrasing the words, ideas, opinions, or theories of others, whether oral or written;
• borrowing facts, statistics, or illustrative material; or
• offering materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without acknowledgment
• Interference: A student must not steal, change, destroy, or impede another student’s work, nor should the student unjustly attempt, through a bribe, a promise of favors or threats, to affect any student’s grade or the evaluation of academic performance. Impeding another student’s work includes, but is not limited to, the theft, defacement, or mutilation of resources so as to deprive others of the information they contain.
• Violation of Course Rules: A student must not violate course rules established by a department, the course syllabus, verbal or written instructions, or the course materials that are rationally related to the content of the course or to the enhancement of the learning process in the course.
• Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: A student must not intentionally or knowingly help or attempt to help another student to commit an act of academic misconduct, nor allow another student to use his or her work or resources to commit an act of misconduct.

Beginning Fall 2014, all students are required to complete the plagiarism tutorial during s401.

Student Accommodations for Disability

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities.

Students needing accommodations because of disability must register with Adaptive Educational Services and complete the appropriate form before accommodations will be given. The AES office is located in Taylor Hall Room 127, 815 W Michigan St Indianapolis, IN 46202 and may be reached by phone 317/274-3241 or 317/278-2052 TTD/TTY; by fax 317/274-2051; or by email aes@iupui.edu  
For more information, go to http://diversity.iupui.edu/aes/

Disability Accommodations:  Students with learning disabilities for which accommodations are desired should contact the Adaptive Educational Services office on campus, and inform the instructor as soon as possible. Go to http://aes.iupui.edu 

• Learning disabilities means any mental/physical / health condition that affects your ability to learn and complete assignments. 
  
• If you have a sudden and clearly temporary medical issue, like flu or a car crash, I can handle a request for a due date extension. 
  
• If you have ongoing issues, you absolutely need to contact AES. Faculty need the input of AES staff in order to be fair to all students.

Administrative Withdrawal

A basic requirement of this course is that students participate in all class discussions and conscientiously complete all required course activities and/or assignments. If a student is unable to attend, participate in, or complete an assignment on time, it is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor. If a student misses more than half of the required activities within the first 25% of the course without contacting the instructor, the student may be administratively withdrawn from this course. Administrative withdrawal may have academic, financial, and financial aid implications. Administrative withdrawal will take place after the full refund period, and a student who has been administratively withdrawn from a course is ineligible for a tuition refund. Contact the instructor with questions concerning administrative withdrawal.

Course Evaluation Policy

Course evaluations provide vital information for improving the quality of courses and programs. Students are required to complete one course and instructor evaluation for each section in which they are enrolled at the School of Informatics and Computing. This requirement has three exceptions: (a) The student has withdrawn from the course; (b) only one student is enrolled in the section (in which case anonymity is impossible); and (c) the section is a laboratory that must be taken with a course having a different section number. Course evaluations are completed at https://soic.iupui.edu/app/course-eval/. Course evaluations are open from the eleventh week. Course evaluations are anonymous, which means that no one can view the name of the student completing the evaluation. In addition, no one can view the evaluation itself until after the instructor has submitted the final grades for the course. In small sections, demographic information should be left blank, if it could be used to identify the student. A course evaluation must close before the grade for that course can be released. To ensure students have had ample opportunity to complete the evaluation, an uncompleted course evaluation could delay the release of the grade for up to a week.

Course Communication

Indiana University uses your IU email account as an official means of communication, and students should check it daily for pertinent information. Although you may have your IU email forwarded to an outside email account, please email faculty and staff from your IU email account.

Be sure to set your Canvas notification so that you receive Course Announcements through your email account.

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