|
This information has been provided for librarians, instructors,
faculty and other educators interested in learning more about Searchpath.
If you have contributions or suggestions about using Searchpath,
please e-mail
us.
What Is Searchpath?
Searchpath is
a resource for Marquette University 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
Libraries' home page
or it can be accessed directly from http://www.marquette.edu/library/searchpath.
Its content is organized into six modules:
| 1.
Starting smart |
is
an overview that introduces students to various types of sources. |
| 2.
Choosing a topic |
provides
tips on broadening and narrowing a topic and discusses search
concepts. |
| 3.
Using MARQCAT |
has live practice searches in our online catalog. |
| 4.
Finding articles |
provides
practice searching in the Periodical Abstracts database. |
| 5.
Using the Web |
includes the comparative evaluation of Web sources. |
| 6.
Citing sources |
includes the topics of citing, plagiarism, and copyright. |
Students can
complete the tutorial on their own time outside of class. Each of
its six sections takes about 15 minutes and students can complete
one or more modules at a time. Each module is followed by a short
quiz and a quiz results page, which provides an overall percentage
score for that module, as well as a summary of questions answered
right or wrong. Students can either print the six results pages
with their name and submit the printouts to you as proof of completion
or they can email their quiz results to you. Please contact us
if you will be assigning Searchpath, so that we can enable the email
function for your class. You will need to provide your email
address to students, especially if you do not use Marquette's email system.
Who
Is It Designed For?
Searchpath
is designed for students in classes with a substantial writing component
or introductory-level research. We hope instructors of such
classes will find it useful and assign it to their students.
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.
Many instructors
have chosen to give extra credit points to students who complete
Searchpath. We strongly suggest that students be required
to pass the quizzes with a score of at least 85% or better.
Students
may retake a quiz as many times as they want to improve their score.
Does
Searchpath Replace Library Instruction?
No! We continue
to offer course-related library instruction and hope that you will
incorporate a library session into your syllabus. Timing is important!
Have your students complete Searchpath, then schedule library instruction
with us for a date after they've received an assignment.
Then they will learn about searching databases when they need these
skills to complete their research 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.
Raynor Library
has two electronic classrooms, which librarians use for computer
demonstrations and hands-on training. These are heavily booked,
so please schedule early to reserve the date and time you need--preferably
call us at least 2 weeks ahead. Requests will be filled on a first-come
basis.
To arrange a
library instruction session contact:
Julie O'Keeffe,
phone: 288-5996,
e-mail: http://www.marquette.edu/library/contact/okeeffe.html.
|
