EVERGREEN VALLEY COLLEGE
San Jose/Evergreen Community College District
Electronic Research and the Internet (LIB 015) Syllabus Spring 2010
Instructor: Shelley Blackman, EVC Librarian
Email: Shelley.Blackman@evc.edu
Voicemail: (408) 274-7900 ext. 6660
Office Hours: Mondays -- by appointment only
Office: LE-323 (Library Building, 3rd floor)
1. Course Description
This is an online course providing students with skills and competencies to use
electronic information sources (the web, online catalogs, and databases) for
course-related or personal research. Students will learn to define an information
search, select the sources appropriate to their needs, use criteria for evaluating
information sources, and document information sources used. Student
participation will be via email, discussions, and online chat.
2. Required Text
Research Strategies: Finding Your Way Through the Information Fog, by William
B. Badke, 3rd edition, 2008.
Availability:
 Purchase through the EVC bookstore – $20.50 (new) or used for $15.40
 Purchase print version online through Amazon.com at a slightly
discounted price
 Also available as an e-book $6.00
See ordering information at
http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU000063582
One copy of this text is also available ON RESERVE (at the EVC Circulation
Desk) in the library. Abridged versions of chapters and updates to this text are
also available online. Links to online chapters are provided for your convenience
only and do not constitute the chapters in their entirety. It is NOT
RECOMMENDED that you rely solely on the online version of the chapters. The
online versions of chapter summaries are being provided to you as a
convenience only.
Please purchase a copy of the required text as close to the beginning of the
semester as possible. Please be diligent in checking the list of readings for each
week!
Supplemental Text: Searching and Researching on the Internet and the World
Wide Web by Karen Hartman and Ernest Ackermann, 4th edition, 2004.
.

Updates for the textbook are available online at
http://webliminal.com/search-web.html. Links to chapter updates will be
provided and listed in the readings for each weekly module.
Multiple copies of the supplemental text can be found on reserve in the EVC
Library. Text can be purchased at EVC bookstore for $32.45 (used) or for
$43.25 (new). Copies are also available online at www.amazon.com if you wish
to compare pricing.
Some of the supplementary reading materials will be made available online
through Blackboard. It is your responsibility to check for the week’s readings in
the weekly modules. There will be two tests which are based entirely on material
from the required and supplemental readings.
3. Prerequisites
Students are expected to have familiarity with basic computing and keyboarding.
Email is required. It is not necessary for students to have a computer at home, but
reliable access to the Internet and email is MANDATORY! Computers are
available for student use in the library computing lab and in the campus open lab
and in various locations throughout campus. Any student who feels that they may
not have reliable access to the Internet on is urged to contact me immediately.
4.
Class Meetings and Structure
Mandatory class orientations will be held on:

Wednesday, Feb. 3

Saturday, Feb. 6
6:30 – 7:30 PM
12 noon – 1:00 PM
The remaining classes are held online via the Blackboard, our course
management system, at http://online.sjeccd.org. Login and password are
required.
Here are the steps for logging in to Blackboard:
1. Go to http://online.sjeccd.org
2. Click on Log in to the Blackboard Learning System
3. Enter your username. Your user name is:
 The first two letters of your first name, the first two letters of your last
name, and the final four numbers of your student ID.
(Example: Shelley Blackman: username shbl1234)
 You must use lower case letters.
4. Enter your password. Your initial password is “student” (without the quotation
marks), but you will need to change your password. Use lower case letters.
5. Note: If you have logged onto Blackboard for another course, your password
should already be changed.
6. If you have trouble, or don’t remember your password, contact Blackboard
Student Support (408-274-7900 X6411) to have your password re-set.
Electronic Research and the Internet – Spring 2010 Syllabus
Page 2 of 8
Optional face-to-face lectures MAY be offered over the course of the semester
on the following topics:
Specialized Databases and Boolean Searching
MLA/APA Citation / Documentation for Print and Electronic Sources
MS PowerPoint Presentations
Lectures will be offered only if there is sufficient demand. Dates will be posted
and announced in Blackboard.
5. Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1.
Use and compare online public access catalogs (OPACs)
2.
Access and utilize indexes and full-text databases
3.
Define an information search and form a reasonable query
4.
Use the Internet and the World Wide Web to perform searches on various
subjects
5.
Have an awareness of the advantages of a multimedia approach to
information
6.
Document sources using MLA and APA other citation formats
7.
Integrate a search using the Internet, books and periodicals
8.
Send email to instructor and class peers and respond to email, threaded
discussions, chat rooms etc.
Critical Thinking:
9.
Evaluate results of simple subject searches and sophisticated keyword
searches
10.
Evaluate sources and information - both electronic and print
11.
Consider and discuss ethical and privacy issues raised by the Internet
12.
Conduct their own research and to succeed as students and gain life-long
learning
6.
Grading:
A total of 500 points are achievable. The total points earned by the student are
divided by 5. The resulting percentage is used to determine the student’s grade.







Assignment # 1 – worth 10 points
Assignments # 2- # 8 worth 30 points each (7)
Assignment # 9
Discussions – 4 discussions at 15 points each
Test #1 – 40 points
Final #2 (Final) – 80 points
Final Presentation
TOTAL
Electronic Research and the Internet – Spring 2010 Syllabus
10 points
210 points
60 points
60 points
40 points
80 points
40 points
500 points
Page 3 of 8
Honors Option: Is available for those students who wish to wish to enroll in the EVC
Honors Program. Please contact the instructor for more information.
Grades will be assigned according to points scales distributed with your course
materials or posted in the weekly modules in Blackboard.
Class Policies Impacting Grades:
a) Lateness
Assignments that are submitted early or on the due date may be revised and
resubmitted for re-grading after they have been graded by the instructor. Assignments
turned in late cannot be resubmitted. Lateness will be penalized: late assignments will
be docked two (2) points per day for each day past the due date assignments are
turned in.
No assignments will be accepted more than seven days past the due date.
Incompletes will only be given for emergencies, after consultation with and agreement
by the instructor. Late entry students are expected to catch up with all previous
assignments and tests. Students with no submissions will be dropped by the “W”
date (Feb. 26).
b) Plagiarism
What constitutes plagiarism? Plagiarism includes:




buying, stealing, or borrowing a paper (including, of course, copying an entire
paper or article from the Web);
hiring someone to write your paper for you;
copying large sections of text from a source without quotation marks or proper
citation;
recycling work that was submitted for another course.
These common forms of cheating will not be tolerated in this class. Talk to me or see
library handouts (in print or online at
http://www.evc.edu/library/survival.htm#HANDOUTS) on how to properly document and
reference the sources you use in your assignments.
Students who are caught plagiarizing on assignments may receive an automatic “F” on
the assignment. Repeat offenders may be subject to stricter disciplinary measures and
may end up failing the course.
Electronic Research and the Internet – Spring 2010 Syllabus
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7.
Grades:
A
B
C
D
F
8.
90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
59% and below
Admissions and Records Dates of Importance:
February 1 (Monday)
February 6 (Saturday)
February 11 (Thursday)
February 15 (Monday)
February 12-15 Holiday
February 16 (Tuesday)
February 26 (Friday)
March 5 (Friday)
March 29- April 1
April 2 (Friday)
April 16 (Friday)
April 23 (Friday)
May 21 (Friday
May 28 (Friday)
June 11, 2010 (Friday)
9.
SPRING SESSION BEGINS
Weekend classes begin
Last day to DROP regular semester classes for a refund
Last day to ADD classes by phone using StaReg
(223-0300)
Presidents Day, campus closed
Census Day
Last day to DROP without a “W” on record
Last day to submit Credit/No Credit option forms
Graduation/Certificate Petitions for Spring 2010 due
All forms due in the Office of Admissions and Records
Spring Break, no classes held
Cesar Chavez Day, no classes held
Professional Development Day, no classes held
Last Day to drop a class and RECEIVE a “W”
English final exams – no regular DAY classes meet.
SPRING SESSION ENDS
Final grades available from StaReg (223-0300) or online at
MyWeb (http://MyWeb.sjeccd.org)
Accommodation
Course accommodation refers to the instructional methods and website design that meets the
requirements for the Americans with Disabilities Act. This course is on a Website designed to
accommodate a script reader for the visually disabled. Students with verified learning disabilities should
contact the Disabled Students Service on campus for accommodation to take the final or for directing the
student to using assistive technologies to enhance learning. A verified learning disability can be anything
from dyslexia to test anxiety. All such information remains confidential between the instructor and the
student. Here is the contact information for DSP services on EVC campus: Room Location -- SC-119;
Phone --(408) 270-6447 Voice or (408) 238-8722 TDD | Web http://www.evc.edu/counseling/dsp/
Changes, additions, or deletions to the course content covered may be made at the discretion of
the instructor.
Electronic Research and the Internet – Spring 2010 Syllabus
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COURSE TIMETABLE
Date / Week /
Lecture Topic
Feb 1
Assigned Readings
Assignments/Discussion

Read pages 3-26 of the Blackboard CE6
Student Tutorial (Handbook)
Review Lecture Notes from Orientation (in
Blackboard)
Read lecture notes: “Keys to Success” (in
Blackboard)
Complete:
 Beginning Survey
 Assignment #1 –
(due February 8)
Your Autobiography
Preface – Research Strategies (Badke)
Abridged version online at
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/preface.htm
Chapter 1, pp. 1-14 in Research Strategies
(Badke);
(No online version of this chapter is available.
If you do not have a copy of the text, this
reading is on reserve at EVC Library.)

1. WEEK 1:
Course
Orientation and
Introduction to
the Online
Environment

Feb 8


2. WEEK 2
The Information
Fog

Feb 15

3. WEEK 3:
Internet Basics
/ An abbreviated
history of the
Internet

Feb 22

4. WEEK 4:
Library
Catalogs in the
Research
Process
Lecture –
Taking Charge /
Searching the
Library Catalog


Surf the Web: How the Web Works:
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/13w
works.htm
Also view the short two-minute video entitled
World Wide Web in Plain English (located
at the bottom of the page)
Surf the Web: Web Browsers
http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/12br
owser.htm
Chapter 2, pp. 15-27 in Research
Strategies (Badke);
Abridged version online at
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/chapter1.htm
Chapter 3 – pp. 32-36 in Research
Strategies (Read up to 3.2.2 – Boolean
Searching) (Badke)
Abridged version online at
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/chapter2.htm
Chapter 8, pp. 213-216 – Searching and
Researching (Hartman & Ackermann)
Discussion 1 –
Icebreaker
Assignment #2 –
(due February 20)
Internet Basics

Answers based on the
LearntheNet tutorial:
The Web at-a-Glance

Assignment #3 –
(due February 27)
Using the Library
Catalog

Assignment #4 –
(due March 6)
Searching Library
Periodical and
Research Databases
March 1
5. WEEK 5:
Library
Research and
Periodical
Databases
Lecture Specialized
Databases ;
Boolean

Chapter 3, pp. 36-40 in Research
Strategies (Badke) – (Read 3.2.2+ on
Boolean Searching)
Abridged version online at
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/chapter2.htm

Chapter 5, pp. 76-90 in Research
Strategies (Badke) *Start at
5.2 – Journal Databases
Electronic Research and the Internet – Spring 2010 Syllabus
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Searching
March 8
Abridged version online at
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/chapter4.htm

6. WEEK 6:
Search Engines
and Directories
Lecture –
Subject
Directories and
Search Engines
Supplementary
Lecture: Power
Searching

Chapter 6 in Research Strategies (Badke)
Abridged version online at
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/chapter5.htm
Assignment #5 –
(due March 13)
Search Engines and
Subject Directories
7. WEEK 7: March 15-21 TEST #1
Covers material from Weeks 1-6
March 22
 Article: Seven Things You Should Know
8. WEEK 8: Web
about Wikipedia available by clicking this
2.0 – 2nd
link.
Generation
Technologies
What is Web
2.0?
April 5
 Handouts: Evaluating Sources
9. WEEK 9:
 Scholarly vs. Popular
Evaluating Web
and Internet
 Chapter 11, Searching and Researching
Information
(Hartman & Ackermann)* Skip pp. 287-288
Lecture - Critical
Thinking
April 12
 Plagiarism and Citation Styles [video]
10. WEEK 10:
available on YouTube. Click here for link.
Citation Styles
 Chapter 12, Searching and Researching
(Hartman & Ackermann)
April 19
Putting it All
Together
(Information
Competency)
May 3
13. WEEK 13:
Multimedia

Assignment #6 (due March 27)
Web 2.0
Discussion 2:
Wikipedia in Academe

Assignment #7(due April 10)
Evaluating Websites

Assignment #8 –
(due April 17)
APA/MLA
Documentation

Benedict O’Mahoney. The Copyright
Website. (2008) 2 November 2008.
http://www.benedict.com/Default.aspx

Discussion 3 –
Plagiarism

Chapter 8 in Research Strategies (Badke)
Abridged version online at
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/chapter8.htm
Handouts – Biography Sources (see
Student Resources in Blackboard)

Assignment #9 (due May 1)
Biography of a
Famous Person
(Lecture based on

FINAL
PRESENTATION DUE
11. WEEK 11:
Ethical Uses of
Information
(Copyright and
Fair Use)
April 26
12. WEEK 12:



http://www.internettutorials.net/multimedia.asp
See additional readings for Week 13 in
Electronic Research and the Internet – Spring 2010 Syllabus
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Approach to
Blackboard)
Information /
Lecture – Final
Presentations
 WEEK 14: (May 10-15) FINAL TEST
(Cumulative – Weeks 1-13)
Date / Week /
Assigned Readings
Lecture Topic
May 17
(See readings for Week 15 in Blackboard)
14. WEEK 15:
Intellectual
Freedom and
Privacy
Concerns
May 24
No readings assigned for final week.
16. WEEK 16:
Review / Wrapup and Ending
Survey
Lecture - End
Survey
(due May 8)
Assignments/Discussion

Discussion 4 –
Privacy and
Intellectual Freedom

End Survey
(not graded)
This course timetable, including all assignment due dates and readings, is subject to change at
the discretion of the instructor. Please be sure to check the online course calendar in
Blackboard and the announcements page for timetable updates and/or changes.
Electronic Research and the Internet – Spring 2010 Syllabus
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