©: Evelyn Daniel
Page revised 6/30/99.

       

COURSE DESCRIPTION
SYLLABUS
SCHEDULE
RESOURCES
INSTRUCTOR

Reading Commentaries Teaching Portfolio Project/Paper

INLS 214: USER EDUCATION

Assignments
Summer 1999

Reading Commentaries

Reading is an important part of the course. Four reading commentaries are to be submitted at intervals during the class. Due dates are listed on the schedule. You should plan to read at least 30-40 hours on the topic of user education during the next 2 1/2 weeks. Reading will comes from the two textbooks, the extensive reading list, and your own discovery reading -- current journals, books, web sites, etc.

A reading commentary may take the form of an annotated critical biography or a short reflective essay (2 pages) weaving your own thoughts with reactions to what you read. Complete citations for the textbooks and items on the reserve list may be omitted but will be necessary for other items. Your reading commentaries should be posted in the student directory for the course. Please look at those submitted by your colleagues from time to time (can even be included as part of your reading if you like).

Each reading commentary can earn up to 10 points for a maximum of 40 points. A good grade will be a 7-8 (See grading section of syllabus for more detail.

Readings will be discussed in class according to the broad topic list provided in the schedule. Please be prepared to contribute to the discussion.

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Teaching Portfolio

The contents of your teaching portfolio are to be negotiated with the instructor by or before the third session of the class (July 19). Some of the possible contents include:
  • one or more lesson plans for group instruction using different presentation modes (i.e., lecture, demonstration, discussion, active learning)

  • one or more designs for independent tutorials or guides (web-based or published in some form)

  • an evaluation of one or more existing lesson plans (available in books and journal articles from reserve list or from web sites, either from the models and tutorials or gateway page section, or from other web sites of your choice

  • a presentation of at least two of your efforts to the class.
Note: These exercises are not intended to be very detailed but to be samples of activities that would be a part of a more extensive user education program. A typical portfolio might include a lesson plan, a guide, a web site evaluation, presentation of the lesson plan and presenttation of the evaluation with each of the five elements counting 10 points for a total of 50 points.

A maximum of 50 points can be earned for your teaching portfolio weighted as you specify.

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Project/Paper

The project or paper may take one of several forms. For example, you might plan an instructional program for a given setting considering the needs of the community, the characteristics of the target audience, the available resources, the mission, goals and objectives (not to mention your own learning philosophy). Or you could develop a syllabus for a distance learning course, or an extended workshop or a series of shorter training sessions. Or you could write an analytical paper examining one of the many issues surrounding the topic of user education, e.g., active learning, use of teachnology, diversity/multicultural/international factors, ethics in teaching, motivation, faculty/librarian collaboration, or other.

Your choice of activity to fulfill the project or paper requirement is subject to negotiation. Please be prepared to proffer a tentative proposal by Monday, July 19. Select a project based on your own interests and aspiration.

We will discuss possibilities during the first two days of the course. Your extensive reading during the first several days as well should help suggest possibilities to you.

A maximum of 60 points can be earned on the paper or project. A grade of 35-40 equates to a letter grade of P and will be considered highly satisfactory.

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Send me email at Evelyn Daniel for further one-on-one discussion about the assignments.
Page rev. 6/30/99.