| Tim Kahl (916) 714-5401 (Please no calls after 9:30 PM) | Monday, Wednesday 5:30 PM-9:50 PM |
| e-mail: tnklbnny@mongryl.com | Room: TBA |
Prerequisites: English 100; English 101
Course Books: Bookmarks: A Guide to Research and Writing. John Ruskiewicz, Janice R. Walker, and Michael A Pemberton, Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 2003 ISBN o-321-10598-2. Comapnion website for book: http://wps.ablongman.com/long_ruszkiewic_bookmarks_2
Course Description: ILR 260 is a cross-disciplinary course that teaches effective report and research paper writing through the use of key computer technologies. The course includes Internet research, MLA and APA style formats, computer technologies, spreadsheets, and the application of multimedia software and graphics for report presentation. ILR 260 offers refinement in the use of the microcomputer for effective report writing and presentation.
Course Goals: Students will develop information literacy skills through refining knowledge of various databases and scholarly resources in electronic media, including ProQuest, InfoTrac, FIS, EBSCO, PsychInfo, SoftLine, NewsBank, US-DOC, GALE, Project MUSE, Wilson Biographies, and Grove. Also, an introduction to NetLibrary will be provided.
Students will examine, evaluate, and apply technological modes of information research reporting across disciplines, such as business, humanities, and the sciences.
Students will use microcomputer technologies for multiple applications, including evaluation and analysis, report writing, as well as the presentation of research findings by using publishing software and graphics including Microsoft Office Word, Outlook, Excel, and Power Point. Students will use emerging technologies for the support and documentation of subject matter competencies and the comprehension and utilization of diverse perspectives.
Students will demonstrate awareness of ethical and social issues relating to technology, such as access, privacy, and protection of intellectual property.
Attendance Policy: There are 10 days we are scheduled to meet. Please be present for all of them. Any absence will greatly affect your ability to meet the requirements of the course. Absences and/or early departures in excess of 3 class periods will result in my dropping you from the course. Attendance will be noted and taken into consideration concerning borderline grades when the final grade is given. Remember: You're paying for the time whether you come or not.
Electronic Submissions: You may choose to submit any and or all of your work via electronic submissions. You may submit:
Revision Policy: The assignments may be turned in for revision. This assignment must be below a 90 % to be eligible for revision.
Due Dates: All assignments are due on the dates given (unless otherwise notified).
Late assignments: Late assignments will be assessed a 10% penalty per late class session.
{Electronic submissions will be considered late if they are received after the end of the class period. Some leeway may be given for first-time offenders and for technical problems, but the discretion will be mine. [Note: most students choose to e-mail assignments the night before they are due.]}
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is pretending that someone else's ideas or writing is your own. Intentional failure to cite source material will be dealt with quickly and severely. Usually this means failure on a paper if considerable amounts of the paper have been copied verbatim without an attempt to cite them.
Grading Scale:
| 87%89% B+ | 77%79% C+ | 67%69% D+ | Below 60% F | |
| 92%100% A | 83%86% B | 74%76% C | 63%66% D | |
| 90%91% A- | 80%83% B- | 70%73% C- | 60%62% D- |
Criterion For Grades On Written Assignments:
| A work requires a compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Content is clear and balanced. There are no tangled sentences. A varied length of sentences is present and correct sentence structure is used. The pattern of development is clear and apparent and demonstrates forethought regarding the desired effect upon the reader. The styleand tone are appropriate to the topic and audience. There may be an occasional mistake in mechanics. The topic of the paper should aim to be fresh and original and should attempt to stretch the academic horizons of the writer. |
| B work requires a compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Content is generally clear and balanced, but there may be some instances in which there are some confusing or awkward sentences, though these do not detract from the overall effect of the paper. A somewhat limited variety of sentences may exist, but the sentence structure is generally correct. The pattern of development is apparent, but may deviate at times. The style and tone of the paper are generally appropriate to the topic and audience. There are relatively few mistakes in mechanics. The topic may not demonstrate any original thinking or particularly or novel approach to the assignment. |
| C work requires a fair amount of compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment, but may miss the stated objectives to some degree. Content is generally clear and balanced, but there may be several points where the sentence structure becomes jumbled and confused and this interferes with the flow of the paper. A limited variety of sentences is readily apparent. The pattern of development may be vague and unclear, but there is more than a semblance of formal constraint apparent. The style and tone may be somewhat varied and inappropriate for both the topic (misnomers) and the perceived audience. The topic does not demonstrate any novel approach to the given assignment. There are a distracting number of mistakes in mechanics. |
| D work demonstrates a minimal amount of compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Content is unclear and unbalanced and there may be a significant amount of jumbled and confused sentences. The pattern of development is unapparent and it demonstrates a lack of forethought on the part of the writer. The style and tone of the paper are wildly varied and inappropriate for both the topic and the perceived audience. The topic does not demonstrate any novel approach to the given assignment. There are an overwhelming number of mistakes in mechanics. In general, the paper demonstrates a hurried and haphazard approach devoid of any forethought (i.e. the paper that is written the night before). |
| F work demonstrates a minimal amount of compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Any work deemed to be completely unsatisfactory with regard to content, pattern of development, style, tone, topic, or mechanics. A paper in this category demonstrates an absolute minimum of effort. |
Scoring
| 50 | |
| Problematization #2 | 50 |
| Writing Center Assignment | 10 |
| Rough Draft of Final Research Project | 30 |
| Research Project |
200 |
| Final | 100 |
| Contingencies | +/- |
| Total | 440 |
Monday/Wednesday 5:30 PM- 9:50 PM
Note: This schedule reflects work that will be discussed in class on the date given. Students should be prepared to discuss the items listed for that day.
Week 1
| July 7 |
Class overview and Diagnostic test |
| July 10 [Saturday 8:00-12:30] |
Finding A Topic, Focusing Your Project, Summarizing and Paraphrasing Sources |
Week 2
| July 12 |
Finding Information, Conducting Electronic Searches Introduction to Internet searching, electronic databases (Sample searches, Demonstrating Boolean operators) |
| July 14 |
QuotingSources, Refining Your Claim Introduction to electronic databases continued |
Week 3
| July 19 |
Evaluating Sources Fundamentals of Microsoft Power Point • Problematization #1 (social sciences) due |
| July 21 |
MLA documentation, APA documentation |
| July 24 (Saturday) [8-12:30] |
Basic web page construction and design using a simple HTML editor • Problematization #2 (physical sciences) due |
Week 4
| July 26 | Rough Draft of Final
Research Project due (with MLA documentation)
Practice Final {Easter Egg Hunt} |
| July 28 |
|
| July 31[8:00-12:30] | Final Research Project due |