Information Creation as a Process
Identifying Source Types
Submitted by: Joy Hansen, CCSU
Contact info: jhansen@ccsu.edu
Description: The original activity was presented to a freshman Sociology class and it can be easily adapted to other classes. The professor wanted me to review the definition of peer-reviewed, what constitutes an academic source, and how to evaluate for credibility. Also, she wanted me to visit her classroom and provide an interactive activity but not all students had laptops. My lesson plan shows the learning objectives and what needs to be covered in class (it's a one shot) before the activity. The source handouts will need to be replaced depending on what subject you are teaching...they provide an example only. And the powerpoint that was shown in class along with the demonstration and Q and A can also be adapted (and the slides with the source examples replaced once you decide which ones you are using). How it ran: 1. I did a general library show and tell reviewing what I needed to for the activity. (see lesson plan) 2. I broke the class into groups of 3-4 and each group received a different information source type and answered three questions (see slide in the powerpoint). (7-8 minutes group activity – discussion went fast) 3. Got back together and I projected each source type on the screen (from the ppt) and whatever group reviewed it answered the questions. Lots of wrong answers which meant classmates could help them figure it out AND we cleared up a lot of confusion! It was a lot of fun, it covered the main objectives, and the professor loved it.
Skill Set: Basics
Resource Type: Activities and Lesson Plans
ACRL Frame: Authority Is Constructed and Contextual Information Creation as a Process
Audience: First Year
Length of Lesson: Longer than 60 mins
Materials Used: White board, teaching workstation, ppt, handouts
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion? Yes
- Identifying Source TypesThis handout by Joy Hansen at CCSU is licensed under CC-BY
The Information Timeline
Submitted by: Jillian Maynard, Central CT State University
Contact info: j.maynard@ccsu.edu
Description: A visual timeline that helps students begin to understand the way information is created and how it evolves. Just because a new source of information becomes available does not mean the prior sources stop. For example, when books are published on a topic or event, there may/will still be social media posts, magazine articles, etc. published. Each block of time also explains how that source might be used in a scholarly research paper.
A possible accompanying activity is to have students look at four sources related to an event and decide the type of source and where each source fits on the timeline. There is a lot of nuance with this idea of the timeline and what is presented here is a simplified version for the sake of introduction. The activity opens up some potential for good conversation around the construction of info, what voices are heard, and what voices are left out.
Skill Set: Basics Evaluating
Resource type: Handouts & Instructional Materials
ACRL Frame: Information Creation as a Process Information has Value
Audience: First Year
Length of Lesson: 5-15 minutes
Materials Used: A way to project the image
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion? No
This instructional material by Jillian Maynard at Central CT State University is licensed under CC-BY.
Two Minutes to Learn Scholarly Sources
Submitted by: Wei Cen, Middlesex Community College
Contact info: wcen@mxcc.edu
Description: This video tutorial introduces scholarly sources.
Skill Set: Researching
Resource type: Videos & Tutorials
ACRL Frame: Information Creation as a Process
Audience: Undergraduate, Graduate
Length of Lesson: < 5 minutes
Materials Used: Computer
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion? No
- Two Minutes to Learn Scholarly SourcesThis video by the MxCC Librarians at Middlesex Community College is licensed under CC-BY.