This class takes place completely online via the WSU Online system and runs for the entire semester. There are specific deadlines for coursework listed in this syllabus (i.e., you cannot submit all coursework at the end of semester).

 

Instructor: G. Megan Davis
Office: Stewart Library Room 149
Phone: 801-626-6069 or call the library toll-free at 1-877-306-3140 and ask to be transferred to me.
Email: Via class email in WSU Online or megandavis1@weber.edu. You can also chat with me via the Instructor Information & Chat link on our course homepage. Office Hours: My weekly office hour is 1:00-2:00 pm on Monday. I am also usually available M, W-F from 9-4 or Tuesday from 11-5. Drop by my office or call/email to set up an appointment. If I'm not available, librarians at the Reference Desk can usually help. Stop in the library, call the Reference Desk at 801-626-6415 or toll-free at 1-877-306-3140, or use our WSU Live Chat service (click the Live Assistance link in the top right corner of the library's web page).

Course Goal: Students will gain an understanding of the research process and the utilization of various health-related information resources in order to achieve academic and clinical success and promote lifelong learning skills.

Course Objectives: Students will learn how to identify, find, evaluate, and use print and electronic information resources in a practical and ethical manner. Students will apply these skills in completing the discussion topics, quizzes, and assignments, including a final literature review project.

Required Reading: There are no textbooks to purchase for this course. All assigned reading, quizzes, and assignments will take place online through the units on WSU Online. You may find it useful to purchase a style guide (preferably APA or AMA), but it is not required.

Course Policies:
Communication: My main method of communication with you for this course will be through the class email system on WSU Online. Please be sure to check this email on a regular basis. If WSU Online is down for a significant period of time or if you are not responding to emails sent via the class email system, I will attempt to contact you using your Weber State email address (mail.weber.edu) or another personal email address provided by you.
Students with Disabilities: Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability must contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room 181 of the Student Service Center. SSD can arrange to provide course materials in alternative formats if necessary.
Students' Rights and Responsibilities: Please look at the following web site, which is part of the Student Code that lists students' rights and responsibilities: http://documents.weber.edu/ppm/6-22.htm.
Plagiarism/Cheating: Students are expected to abide by the Student Code (see link above). Proof of any form of academic dishonesty will result in a final grade of E for the course, and a formal report will be made to appropriate University authorities. Please see Unit 1 in our online textbook for more information on plagiarism.

• H1N1 Flu Note: If you are ill with the H1N1 flu virus, I will work with you to make sure that you have time to submit assignments and quizzes.

Schedule

Course Readings: All of the course material is available via our course home page on WSU Online. The readings for each of the 5 units can be accessed from the Textbook, Assignments & Quizzes link on the course home page.

Submitting Quizzes & Assignments: All quizzes and assignments should be submitted through WSU Online. Links to the quizzes and assignments for each of the 5 units can be found on the left-hand side of the unit reading. The quizzes are multiple choice, true/false, and matching, and you will see your grade immediately after submitting the quiz. The instructions/questions for each assignment are in a downloadable document that you should be able to open with any word processing program (Word, WordPerfect, WordPad, etc.). Be sure to save the document to your computer/disk/USB drive. Once you've entered your answers and saved the document again, you will upload it to the Assignment page. For more information on submitting quizzes and assignments, see the Help link on the Start Here page or the How To: Assignment Files link on the course home page. If you know that you will be unable to submit a quiz or assignment on time due to circumstances (travel, work, family, etc.), please let me know ahead of time and I will do my best to accommodate your situation. Quizzes and assignments can be submitted early, but each assignment builds on the one before it and it is possible that you could miss the same question on multiple assignments if you submit several assignments at once. [Note: Do not submit Assignments 2-6 until I have approved your research question on Assignment 1!] I will do my best to have assignments graded and returned to you within a week. If you have not received a grade after a week, please contact me to make sure that I received your assignment.

Quizzes:

• Syllabus Quiz

1. Information Ethics
2. Library Services/Website
3. Types of Medical Literature
4. Basic Biostatistics Terms

Assignments:

1. Choosing a Research Topic/Writing a Research Question
2. Using the Library Catalog
3. Using Library Article Databases
4. Using PubMed
5. Searching the Web
6. Literature Review

There is no final exam for this class. Your final assignment will be to write a two-page literature review of the resources you find for Assignments 3-5. Your literature review will include both summary information about and evaluation of a combination of five journal articles and websites. For more details on this assignment, please see the Literature Review document on our course home page in WSU Online.

Quiz Retakes: The quizzes are graded automatically and you will be able to see your score immediately. You may retake the quiz as many times as you like and I will accept the highest score, as long as you take the quiz at least once by the due date on the syllabus. Quizzes not completed by the due date listed on the syllabus will receive a score of zero (0). Be aware that most quizzes include rotating questions so if you retake a quiz you may not see the same questions you did before!

Late Assignments: Assignments are due by 11:59 PM on the date listed in the syllabus. One (1) point will be taken off for each day the assignment is late. Students who turn in late assignments will not be allowed to revise that assignment for a higher grade. Each student may turn in one assignment late without penalty (a free pass).

Assignment Revisions: You may revise each of the assignments once to receive a better score if you turned the original assignment in on time and if you have made a good faith effort to complete the original assignment in its entirety. Please see the comments I include when I return your original assignment to identify what changes need to be made for the revised assignment. My advice is to make the necessary changes and resubmit the assignment as soon as you get the original assignment back so that you're not trying to redo them all during finals week!

Discussion Topics: There will be 4 discussion topics/questions spread throughout the course (see the due dates above). Each discussion topic will require a brief response from you and your response to another student’s comment. To receive the full 5 points for each discussion topic, you will need to write in complete sentences (paying attention to grammar and spelling), respond to the correct topic, respond to at least one other student’s comment and submit your responses by the due date. Late discussion topic responses receive zero points. "Brief response" means more than a one-sentence answer. This is an opportunity for you to join your classmates and me in a conversation regarding the important topics in this class. Please respond to other students' comments in an appropriate and polite manner. Please respond to other students’ comments by saying more than “I agree with you 100%.” You can access the Discussion Topics by clicking the Discussions link (pushpin icon) on the left side of the screen.

Discussion Topics:

• Student Introduction
• Research Process
• Database Differences
• Evaluation

Grading: The quizzes, assignments, and discussion questions are worth a total of 250 points. Grading is as follows:

Numeric Score	Letter Grade
237-250	A
225-236	A-
212-224	B+
200-211	B
187-199	B-
175-186	C+
162-174	C
150-161	C-
137-149	D+
125-136	D
112-124	D-
111 or below	E

Completion of this course with a C- or higher meets Part D of the WSU Computer and Information Literacy Requirement.