Topic2

= Learning Topic 2: Research Skills and Strategies =

Information Literacy is the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze and present information. Additionally, accessing, synthesizing and communicating information are important skills in the research process. As a student in this Master’s program, you will be called upon to find information, examine it, make connections, find relationships and present findings in many forms; most commonly a paper. Since this course is introductory, it is especially important for you to become familiar with the resources available within the Regis online library and how to use these and other Internet sources effectively.
 * = Learning Activities: ||=  ||= 2.1 ||=   ||= 2.2 ||=   ||= 2.3 ||=   ||

From the Master’s program to the K-12 classroom, it is often assumed that by giving a research assignment, students will automatically know what to do. You will need to teach your students to know when they need information, how to locate it efficiently, and how to use the technological tools to access it. In addition, your students need to be taught how to analyze and evaluate the information they find in order to effectively make a decision or present a project.

Research is not just a “school thing” in which a topic is assigned. It should a life-long process of bringing new directions to thoughts and ideas; an exploration into the information frontier.

Learning Outcomes/Objectives
At the end of this Learning Topic, you will be able to:
 * Examine the resources available on the Regis library website (scavenger hunt learning activity)
 * Evaluate your “research style” and develop an effective method reflecting that style for doing research (learning activity, discussion)
 * Investigate different research models (written activity)
 * Develop strategies for research (learning activity)

Readings and Research
[|Researching_with_Internet.pdf]

Regis Library Research Skills Tutorial: Modules 1- 5, []

National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), []

21st Century Skills, view []. and YouTube video []

Tools (optional)
Throughout the course there are many references to course materials in Books24x7. To access those course materials,
 * Books24x7 **
 * 1) Go to the Regis library web page ([|http://www.regis.edu/library.htlm]),
 * 2) Select the A-Z Database List from the Library Quick Links dropdown menu on the left side of the webpage. You may want to bookmark this webpage for easy access to course materials throughout the course. If you cannot find a book or article for this course, please contact your facilitator immediately for an alternate resource.
 * 3) Once on the A-Z Databases webpage, scroll down to Books24x7 and select and login. You will need to use your RegisNet userid and password to login.
 * 4) Now you can search for the course materials by entering words from the book or article’s title or author and select the Go button to the right of the search boxes.
 * 5) Once you find the course material(s) you have searched for, you may choose to organize your materials by selecting the “add to folders” button. You can then create a folder for this course or however you prefer to organize yourself.


 * EBSCOhost **
 * 1) Go to the EBSCOhost website, []
 * 2) Select Academic Search Premier
 * 3) Type or copy and paste the title of the article into the search text box and select the Search button on the right.
 * 4) Once you have found the article you need, you can view html or pdf versions. If you choose, you can save the pdf version to a folder on your computer for easy reference later.

**2.1: Research Styles**
//**Context:** The logic behind this section is to refresh your research skills so that you can be successful throughout the entire program and to have you start to think of how to teach others research skills as required by the NETS and 21st Century Skills. Students of all ages need to know how to find information, analyze the information’s meaning and accuracy, and effectively communicate the results.//

Use the questions listed below to create a description of your personal research style.
 * Task Description:**
 * What do you like about research?
 * How do you start your research?
 * How do you determine what you are going to research?
 * How do you determine what topics or phrases to look under?
 * Where do you find your resources?
 * How do you know what to look for?
 * Where do you go first to find information?
 * Which search engine do you use? Why? Do you go beyond the first 2 screens?
 * How do you keep track of your information?
 * How do you keep track of the citation information for your resources?
 * How do you know if your source is reliable?
 * What do you do to see if your information is accurate?
 * Have you ever changed the course of your research? Why?
 * Have you ever found information that made you re-evaluate your original topic? When and why?

Post your research style in the Discussion Forum for this activity.

//**2.1 Assessment:**//
Points will be awarded for on how you present your "research skills": how much thought did you put into your reflection? (10 points)

**2.2: Discussion - Research Models**
//**Context:** When teaching students how to research appropriately, it is important to have a background knowledge on different methods of tackling the research process. The more knowledgeable you are; the more effective you will be communicating research skills.//


 * Task Description:**
 * Step 1:** Research the library, Internet, articles to investigate different Models of Research to see what is available.
 * Key words to use for research models: Big 6, I-search, Information Search Process, Irving’s Study of Information Skills, REACTS, Flip-It, Finds
 * Key authors to search for: Eisenberg/Berkowitz, Macrorie, Kuhlthau, Irving, and Stripling/Pitts.


 * Step 2:** Select a particular model to research and post your information into the ResearchModelGrid shared on GoogleDocs. Information you need to find is the following:
 * Model name and authors,
 * web information,
 * appropriate grade levels,
 * unique and key qualities,
 * how the model addresses:
 * topic development, finding sources, search strategies, gathering information, synthesizing and evaluating information. presenting information, and citations.

**2.2 Assessment**


//Context: Information Literacy skills are important to know as an Instructional Technologist. The purpose of this activity is to apply your research skills to find information in the Regis databases, practice creating a bibliography in APA format, and develop strategies that you can use with your own students.//
 * 2.3 Strategies for Research with Annotated Bibliography**

Step 1: Participate in the class presentation on Effective Research. or
 * Task Description:**

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Step 3: Develop your own research guidelines for successful implementation that you might use when teaching research skill to your own students. Use the information on research models posted in the facilitator’s chart from the Research Models activity and the data from the journal articles you found in your research.


 * Make sure that your guidelines are detailed enough so that other teachers and students could follow the steps on their own.
 * Provide methods for instruction appropriate for your target audience. In other words, how would you “teach” the research skills to your students?
 * Provide descriptors for student success. What would student success look like for each of the guidelines you present?

Step 4: Post your Research Guidelines to the Discussion Forum for this activity. Here is a sample of what your research guidelines could look like:





Step 5: Email your research guidelines and bibliography to me, using the file naming convention **LastName_ResearchGuidelinesBib**.

**Alternate Assignment if you are not in Class**
Step 1: Read the article

Step 2: Go through the Regis Library Research Skills Tutorial: Modules 1- 5 ([]) to see the research strategies deemed important by the Regis library staff.

Step 3: Find five to eight (5-8) journal articles on “information literacy” or “research skills” using the databases available on the Regis library site. The ERIC databases are a recommended starting point. Compile your research finding in an annotated bibliography using APA style and format.

If you are unfamiliar with the APA format the Regis library site ([]) has guidelines posted. Other helpful sites for you might be Noodletools ([|http://www.noodletools.com] or Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) []. Alternative search words: APA citations, APA style guide, and Online Writing Lab. You may also utilize SMARTHINKING™.

Step 4: Develop your own research guidelines for successful implementation that you might use when teaching research skill to your own students. Use the information on research models posted in the facilitator’s chart from the Research Models activity and the data from the journal articles you found in your research.


 * Make sure that your guidelines are detailed enough so that other teachers and students could follow the steps on their own.
 * Provide methods for instruction appropriate for your target audience. In other words, how would you “teach” the research skills to your students?
 * Provide descriptors for student success. What would student success look like for each of the guidelines you present?

Step 6: Post your Research Guidelines to the Discussion Forum for this activity. Here is a sample of what your research guidelines could look like:



Step 7: Email your research guidelines and bibliography to me, using the file naming convention **LastName_ResearchGuidelinesBib**. Assessment: