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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
DCCC 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.dccc.edu/library/DCCCSearchpath.
Its content is organized into six modules:
| 1.Choosing the best tools |
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.Finding books |
provides information on searching the DCCC library 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. |
| 7. Evaluating articles |
includes the topic of evaluating and comparing articles. |
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 of the modules is followed by
a short quiz (see details below).
Who Is It Designed For?
Searchpath is designed for students in classes with a substantial writing component
or introductory-level research. However, we hope instructors of other
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.
Each module is followed by a short quiz and a 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.
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.
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