Deconstruction of an
Engineering Syllabus for
Information Literacy
Paul Blowers
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Barbara Williams
Science-Engineering Library
Instructional Partnerships
• Created for the purpose of positively
impacting the overall student learning
experience.
These instructional partnerships are
normally created as a by-product of
connection development activities.
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Connection Development (CD)
“One aspect of CD is the cultivation of
teaching partnerships between librarians and
faculty for the purpose of incorporating
information literacy skills into the course
curriculum.”
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Life Long Learning
…a continuous learning process meant to
supplement one’s formal education…
Central to this learning model is the belief that
the responsibility for teaching learners how to
learn across their lifespan is the shared
responsibility of the individual and the subject
specific curriculum.
C
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Information Literacy Skill Sets for Engineers
Access
Communication Skills
Synthesize
U the MofK
Students must be able to maneuver the information
super highway!
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Student Learning Experiences
“the development of a skill set, which
integrates both lifelong learning and
information literacy skills into the
engineering subject curricula as a pedagogical
approach to learning enhances the overall
student learning experience”
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In Search of Teachable Moments
“In corporate America there are
tangible benefits to those who have
mastered the ability to speak precisely
which comes from:
comprehending/understanding
the meanings of many words.”
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Understanding the Syllabus
Responsibility
Teachable moments to reinforce information
literacy skills.
Clarification skills
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Deconstruction of a Syllabi (I): Objectives
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students should:
1. Be able to solve thermodynamic problems using both hand and computer
programming techniques, building on ChEE 202 and ChEE 316.
2. Be able to derive working equations for the solution of practical
problems in thermodynamics starting from basic principles.
3. Be able to compute thermodynamic properties of pure and mixed ideal
and real gases.
4. Be able to construct phase diagrams for ideal and real mixtures of gases,
liquids, and solids.
5. Be able to construct and use a model of phase behavior using limited
experimental data for VLE and LSE.
6. Be able to formulate and solve chemical equilibrium calculations that
may include multiple reactions.
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Deconstruction of a Syllabi (I): Objectives
Other metaconcepts the students should be proficient at:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Be able to comfortably organize and present group or individual
material to the class.
Be able to add equilibrium thermodynamic knowledge to your
existing framework of chemical engineering problem solving
techniques.
Be able to identify personal difficulties during problem solving and to
take corrective action.
Be able to knowledgeably think of everyday examples where
equilibria are important.
Be able to search for and use information from published sources.
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Deconstruction of a Syllabus (II): Information
Literacy Homework
Attempt to find Pxy, Txy, or xy data for the acetonecyclohexane system in a published reference. If you do find
one, compare the published data to your plots by showing
the data on the same graph. Verbally describe how well
your data agrees with the published data.
If you cannot find any data for this system, describe your
search strategy.
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Deconstruction of a Syllabus (II): Objectives
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students should:
1. Be able to comfortably use unit conversions while solving problems.
2. Be able to confidently transfer a verbal problem statement into its
mathematical representation.
3. Be able to write and solve mass balances for a process.
4. Be able to use the appropriate gas law while solving mass and
energy balances.
5. Be able to use phase diagrams to solve mass and energy balances.
6. Be able to apply Raoult's law in mass and energy balances.
7. Be able to estimate computational errors using computer
applications to solve problems.
8. Be able to develop Taylor series approximations for general
functions.
9. Be able to apply linear algebra techniques to solve systems of
equations.
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Deconstruction of a Syllabus (II): Objectives
Other metaconcepts the students should be proficient at:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Be able to comfortably organize and present group material.
Be able to identify and rectify group conflicts.
Be able to identify personal difficulties during problem solving and
to take corrective action.
Be able to knowledgeably think of everyday examples where
material and energy balances are important.
Be able to conceptually link levels of information and ideas in a
problem solving framework.
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Deconstruction of a Syllabus (II): Literacy Homework
There are a lot of resources on campus that will help you during your career
here at the University of Arizona. The purpose of this project is to have
you learn how to use some of the tools that are here or available elsewhere.
Find the following information and describe the tools/paths you used to find
them. Credit will only be given if a clear path for finding the information is
given.
1. What is the call number for the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics in the
U of A library?
2. What is the boiling point of carbon tetrachloride at 1 atm?
3. Describe the research of one professor that interests you within your future
department or another department, and who they are.
4. What is the tensile strength of steel?
5. Approximately how many faculty at the U of A are involved with materials
research?
6. Who wrote The Age of Missing Information?
7. Who has cited a paper Dr. Blowers wrote in the Journal of Catalysis with R.
Masel, L. Ford, and H. L. Nigg other than one of the authors?
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Mixed-Method Evaluation of Student Outcomes
NSF suggests using the following types of evaluation to
measure the success of new educational materials
Use quantitative numerics to measure improvement
Use qualitative open-ended questions to capture aspects
that cannot be measured
Survey instruments, exam scores, and interviews can be used
together to accomplish evaluation goals.
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Mixed Method Evaluation Results: Numerical Self-Rating
Topic
Avg. Pre-score
Avg. Post Score
Ability to read technical
papers
5.33
8.58
Ability to use library
resources to find
information
6.67
8.5
Ability to judge the
accuracy of published
articles
4.41
7.67
Shift in Self-Rating: 1.83 to 3.26 on information literacy
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Conclusions
Information literacy can be included in
engineering courses in “teachable moments”
Collaboration between librarians and engineering
faculty can lead to positive changes in curricula
The syllabus is a prime location for notifying
students of how information literacy will impact
their future and present successes.
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Acknowledgments
Funding was provided in part by the Office
for the Vice-Provost of Research at the
University of Arizona
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