SYLLABUS

Summer 2003

NOTE: If you are signed up as a student in this course, please go to Blackboard 6 (webh.isis.unc.edu) and enter the site by using your onyen and password. Your first task is to introduce yourself on the "Getting to Know You" discussion forum.

Goals and Objectives of the Course

Goals of the Class: Students will acquire broad knowledge of learning theories and instructional design principles sufficient to enable them to design and evaluate appropriate user education programs in a variety of contexts for a variety of audiences.

Specific Objectives: Students, upon completion of the course, will be able to:

Recognize your natural teaching style and develop a repertoire of teaching styles and coping strategies for different teaching/training situations. Analyze a targeted user population within a specified environment relative to its need for knowledge or skills and to clarify the value set of this population as to what constitutes good teaching. Describe at least two different learning theories and apply to user education situations Design active and independent lesson plans using appropriate instructional modes and materials and suitable evaluation criteria. Create an instructional plan for a given population consistent with a design philosophy.

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Textbook and Other Resources

One textbook is required. It should be available in the Student Stores bookstore. It is:

Grassian, Esther S. and Joan R. Kaplowitz. Information Literacy Instruction: Theory and Practice. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2001. ISBN: 1-55570-406-9 (paper)

Additional print, web, and nonprint resources are provided on the Blackboard course management site.

In addition, please become familiar with a subset of the following journals all of which have articles relating to user education:

College & Research Libraries
Information Outlook (Special Librarians)
Information Technology and Libraries
Journal of Academic Librarianship
Journal of Instructional Psychology
Journal of Library Administration
Portal: Libraries and the Academy (electronic journal)
Public Libraries
Reference and User Services Quarterly
Reference Services Review
Training & Development

More general journals like Change and the Chronical of Higher Education will be valuable as context for academic librarians.

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Assignments and Grading

There are three primary assignments:

• Lesson plan presentation
• Tool for independent learning
• Instructional program plan (or paper as alternative)

Each assignment will count for about a third of the grade. The last assignment may optionally be done as a team of two people. If this assignment is completed as a team, both members of the team will receive the same grade unless there is overwhelming evidence why it should be otherwise. Written work will be made available to all members of the class on a designated web space. Each assignment has a presentation requirement in order to allow the student to gain skill and experience in direct instruction. Students are expected to contribute actively to class discussions.

Please see the Assigment link at the Blackboard 6 site for more detail.

Grading will be based on the following weights:

Assignments Class Participation Lesson Plan Presentation Tool for Independent Learning Instructional Program Plan or Paper

Weight 20% 25% 30% 25%

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Class Policies and the Honor Code

Except for specifically indicated assignments, collaboration with your classmates is highly desireable and encouraged. Sharing your work and giving and receiving assistance from others in the class is valuable. Your learning will best proceed as we share questions, answers, and experiences (constructivist approach).

I will develop an agenda for each day we spend together. Our class days will be a combination of lecture, exercises and discussion. You will want to participate actively in class discussions by asking and responding to questions and by offering your observations and ideas.

Class policies that you should be aware of:

• All assignment due dates are posted. In the event a deadline adjustment is announced during a class session, you are responsible for knowing about it. (It will be helpful to have a class buddy).

• An open atmosphere in which members of the class comment in helpful ways on each other's work is encouraged.

• Attendance at every class session is expected. If you have an unavoidable absence, please let me know ahead of time, if at all possible. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to propose to me how you might make up for the missed experience. We will then negotiate your proposal.

• Reading on the scheduled topic from the text and other sources should take place before coming to class.

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Revised 6/22/2003.