The lessons on this page are the minimum research skills that all FYS students should learn. Please have your class complete all tutorials and videos associated with each module or otherwise address these lessons with your class. At least one follow-up activity should be assigned per module (suggestions provided). Although these lessons are numbered for easy reference, they need not necessarily be completed in the order listed.
Your FYS liaison librarian can help you incorporate these lessons into your FYS. See Working with your FYS Liaison Librarian (login required) on the FYS Teaching Guide for a list of librarians assigned to each FYS.
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Description
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Connection to Syllabus Templates |
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Lesson 1 REQUIRED Timing: Within the first 2 class meetings. |
Introduction to the Library Students should watch our 3-minute overview of library resources and services. Watch individually or as a group. Required Video: Waidner-Spahr Library Overview Activity Suggestions:
Optional: Feel free to schedule a 10-minute librarian "drop-in" during one of your class meetings so you can introduce them to your students. The librarian can also briefly explain what librarians do, and show your students how to get help from a librarian. |
Link to Syllabus Templates Writing Analytically (8th ed) Week 1 Writing Spaces Week 1 A Writer's Reference (8th ed) Week 1
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Lesson 2 REQUIRED Timing: within the first 2 to 4 class meetings. |
How to Locate and Access a Journal Article Rather than providing students with copies of articles that the library owns, teach them to retrieve articles themselves. Having students access their own material familiarizes them with the library’s resources, helps them understand that not all research material is free and accessible through Google, and provides the library with statistics needed for making purchasing decisions. Required Tutorial: Finding a Journal Article from a Citation Activity: Provide students with the citation to an article that the library owns and that is required reading for your course. Ask them to obtain the article and read it critically for classroom discussion or a writing exercise. Remind them that this item is not available for free on Google or elsewhere. |
Link to Syllabus Templates Writing Analytically (8th ed) Weeks 2 and 3 Writing Spaces Weeks 2 or 3. Additional reading: "Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources" (Rosenberg). A Writer's Reference (8th ed) Weeks 2 or 3. |
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Lesson 3 REQUIRED Timing: Within first 2 to 4 class meetings. |
How to Locate and Access Books Rather than providing students with scans of book chapters that the library owns (which can potentially result in copyright violations), teach them to retrieve books and book chapters themselves. Having students access a book themselves familiarizes them with the library catalog and/or call numbers, helps them understand that not all research material is free and accessible through Google, and provides the library with statistics needed for making purchasing decisions. Required Tutorials: Activity Suggestions:
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Link to Syllabus Templates Writing Analytically (8th ed) Weeks 2 or 3 Writing Spaces Weeks 2 or 3, Additional reading: "Reading Games: Strategies for Reading Scholarly Sources" (Rosenberg). A Writer's Reference (8th ed) Weeks 2 or 3. |
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Lesson 4 REQUIRED Timing: After the Academic Integrity Tutorial Deadline, usually the first Monday in September. Students access the Academic Integrity Tutorial in Moodle. |
Academic Integrity The college's required Academic Integrity Tutorial should be further addressed in class. Students access the tutorial through Moodle. Faculty can see a non-interactive preview of the tutorial here: https://www.dickinson.edu/download/downloads/id/14719/academic_integrity_tutorial_2023.pdf. Please do not share the non-interactive version with students. They must complete the interactive version in Moodle for credit. For a variety of discussion and activity suggestions, download our AI Follow-Up document. |
Link to Syllabus Templates Writing Analytically (8th ed.) Weeks 4 or 5. Additional reading: "What Does Plagiarism Do to the Conversation?" and "Frequently Asked Questions about Plagiarism," 235-7. Writing Spaces Weeks 4 or 5. Additional reading: "Creating, Using, and Sharing Information in Research Communities" (Hemstrom and Anders). A Writer's Reference (8th ed) Weeks 4 or 5. Additional reading as applicable: "Understand What Plagiarism Is" (MLA), 400-409 OR "Understand What Plagiarism Is" (APA), 479-488 OR "Citing Sources; Avoiding Plagiarism" (CMS), 539-547. |
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Lesson 5 REQUIRED Timing: Around Week 4, or when students are at an exploratory stage, e.g. when given a topic to discuss in class, or in the early stages of a research project. |
Preliminary Research Students should learn how to begin acquiring background knowledge about an unfamiliar topic and learn where they can get ideas for a research question. Activity Suggestions:
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Link to Syllabus Templates Writing Analytically (8th ed) Weeks 5 or 6. Additional reading: "Wikipedia, Google, and Blogs" and "Asking the Right Questions," 248-250. Writing Spaces Weeks 5 or 6. Additional reading: "Googlepedia: Turning Information Behaviors into Research Skills" (McClure). A Writer's Reference (8th ed) Weeks 5 or 6. Additional reading: "Thinking Like a Researcher," 357-361 |
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Lesson 6 REQUIRED Timing: Around Weeks 4 or 5, after students have been asked to retrieve and read several different source types. |
Distinguishing Among Source Types Students often have a difficult time discerning what type of source they are using, particularly in an online environment, and may therefore use sources that are inappropriate to their needs (e.g. using a book review instead of a book, or a magazine instead of a scholarly journal). These activities will help them recognize different source types and learn when to use them. Required Tutorial: Distinguishing Among Source Types Activity Suggestions:
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Link to Syllabus Templates Writing Analytically (8th ed) Weeks 6 or 7. Review: “Reading Analytically,” 38-68. Writing Spaces Weeks 6 or 7. A Writer's Reference (8th ed) Weeks 6 or 7. Additional reading: "Writing in the Disciplines," 119-126. |
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Lesson 7 REQUIRED Assign when students are expected to pick a topic for class discussion or a midterm or final research project. They should be asked to do some exploratory research following this tutorial.
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JumpStart vs Discipline-Specific Databases Students need to learn how to select the best tools for their research needs. Although JumpStart is a great introductory tools for first year students, it is not always the best or only resource they should use. These activities will help them decide which resources are most appropriate for a given need. Required Tutorials: Activity Suggestions:
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Link to Syllabus Templates Writing Analytically (8th ed) Week 7. Additional reading: "Finding, Evaluating, and Citing Sources," 242-246. Writing Spaces Week 7. Additional reading: Assessing Source Credibility for Crafting A Well-Informed Argument (Warrington, Kovalyova, King). A Writer's Reference (8th ed) Week 7. Additional reading, "Search Efficiently," 363-367 |
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Lesson 8 REQUIRED Should be assigned immediately prior to a librarian's visit to your class. To continue teaching information literacy skills in your FYS without a librarian, proceed with the next tab above, FYS Scaffold Supplement. |
Efficiently Searching Databases In addition to selecting the best tools for their research needs, students must learn how to search as efficiently as possible. The activities help them learn to choose effective keywords as well as how to use truncation symbols, operators, and other strategies to improve a search. Required Tutorial: Choosing the Best Terms for Your Search Required Reading: Truncation Symbols and Boolean Operators Activity Suggestions:
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Link to Syllabus Templates Writing Analytically Week 8. Writing Spaces Week 8. Additional reading: "Walk, Talk, Cook, Eat: A Guide to Using Sources" (Haller). A Writer's Reference (8th ed) Week 8. |
See the FYS Scaffold Supplement for additional optional lesson to incorporate into your FYS.