AH/LIB 140 -- Information Competency for Health Professionals

Title and Dates:

Internet and Information Competency for Health Professionals

April 16 - May 27, 2004
This class is conducted entirely online.
There are no class meetings. There is no textbook

Contact Information:

Attend an orientation at the Gavilan Library (30-50 minute) class to become familiar with the course setup.This is optional, but highly recommended. Go to the Orientation Schedule to see when the orientations are offered. Click here for information on how to logon to the classroom. Or go directly to the classroom (link will be activated before April 16th 8am)

1) Email me at gcurtis@gavilan.edu

2) You can also get help from a reference librarian by calling (408)848-4806 or contact the Distance Education Coordinator at (408)8484885.

3) Come to the Gavilan Library reference desk to ask the reference librarian on duty for help. Library hours are

Mon.-Thurs. 8 am - 6 pm, Fri. 8 am - 2 pm

Date, Time & Place:

This class is completely online. You will never have to come to class. You can be in class at any time of the day or night, from any Internet connection you have available: your own, your friend's, or your local public library. Of course, you can also use one of the many computers in the Gavilan Library or Computer Place.

Description:

Research and evaluation skills for health professionals using the Internet and other electronic resources to locate health and medical information

Objectives:

By the end of the course, students will be able to conduct successful searches for books, journal articles, newspaper articles and Internet articles. They will be able to evaluate the resources they find according to currency, credibility, documentation and accuracy. They will also be aware of print or other materials. They will be able to write citations for the resources they find in the standard APA format.

Bibliography Project

Your bibliography must include references for: 2 books, 2 Internet sites (one found using a subject directory and one found using a search engine) and 2 periodical articles

Bibliography format example

Course Requirements:

Students will satisfactorily complete:

19 brief online assignments on search tools & strategies

(designed to take 25-50 minutes each, so that you can easily complete an assignment during a lunch hour break)

10 postings of your relevant comments to a class discussion board
Final quiz
Bibliography on a health topic that you select

Grades:

Grades will be awarded according to the following ranking: 93-100%=A; 90-92%=A-; 87-89%=B+; 83-86%=B; 80-82%=B-; 77-79%=C+; 70-76%=C; 67-69%=C-; 64-66%=D+; 60-63%=D; 57-59%=D-; <57%=F (Not passing)

Grades will be determined by a point system:

Online Exercises 2-3 points each 55

Discussion Board postings 1 point each 10

Final Quiz 20 points
20

Bibliography Project 15 points 15

Total possible points 100

Details about your online class:

Even though the class does not meet formally, this does not mean that you will be able to move entirely through the class at your own speed. A major part of the class involves class participation, discussing assignments and problems with your classmates. This means that everyone needs to be doing the same assignments during approximately the same week. I will try to have as many assignments available well before their due dates for your completion to accommodate those who want to work only on weekends. Assignments will expire (will become inaccessible for completion) after the due dates. So please complete the assignments before their due dates as they will disappear.

Please note: I will check the discussion board and my email every day, Monday through Friday and as often on the weekends as possible.

How to get to your online class:

You will be able to get to the class web site starting on April 16th. To get to the class web site: click on the link, how to login. (Read the instructions on how to find the class and what to put for your username and password.) If you are attempting this prior to April 16th, don't start any of the assignments until our first day of class.

The Classroom will take you links like this page and a weekly schedule. This is where you'll find general information about the class, such as how grades are determined, the geography of the class, and contact information for your instructor. It will also have a link to the weekly assignments.

The Forums are discussion boards. You will be using the Academic Forum to post your discussion contributions and read what your classmates have to say. For many assignments, you'll be required to post your own thoughts about the topic, plus respond to at least one other student's contributions.

More Details:

Attachments: Your bibliography project will be a word processing document. Save this in RTF format. There should be an option on the save screen of your word processing software. Send this document as an attachment to your email message to me. I'll be able to read it whether it came from a Mac or a PC, written in Claris Works or Microsoft Word, and from most other programs.

Tech Support: If you have technical problems (logging in, sending files, or maneuvering around the web site), please email me at gcurtis@gavilan.edu. You can also call the Gavilan Reference desk Mon-Thurs 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Fri 8:00 am - 2 pm (408)848-4806. Another person to help you is the Distance Ed Coordinator and her email address is jhowell@gavilan.edu (408)848-4885

ADA Accommodation: Students requiring special services or arrangements because of hearing, visual, or other disability should contact me, their counselor, or the Disabled Student Services Office in the south wing of the library, at (408) 848-4865.

Student Honesty Policy: Students are expected to exercise academic honesty and integrity. Violations such as cheating and plagiarism will result in disciplinary action which may include recommendation for dismissal.

Address of this page:
http://hhh.gavilan.edu/gcurtis

Last updated:April 16, 2004