Before I even begin to go down the syllabus and course objectives I must say that flat out I am clearly a lot more information literate then I was when I first started the course. Now, unlike before I will have the confidence when I go to research something, and even if I do get stuck I now know what to do. For 'recognize and articulate an information need' I can see a large improvement. To be honest when I first started I probably would not have even had a clear grasp on what this objective even meant. However, that is no longer the case. I now realize the importance of being able to 'recognize' and 'articulate' when it comes to this. I also know that is very important and necessary when it comes to research. I think one of the key things that is important with this point is the ability to articulate, something that is obvious yet many do not understand how to do it properly. Next, 'formulate a research question' is something that I also drastically improved on. When I first started the class I was dumbfounded when it came to coming up with a question. I had a few ideas but none really seemed to be worthy of actually researching. However now with work and thought I can see that I have improved drastically in this field. Being able to see and follow your results is amazing. Next, 'develop and apply appropriate search strategies' is something that I have also made a lot of progress on. I now have a complete grasp of how to conduct a adequate and proper search, where before I was limited to google along with being very vague with my searches. I think that this is one of the most important skills that I developed in the class. Next, 'evaluate strategies and results and revise them as needed.' Not to sound repetitive, but the fact of the matter is that this is something that also needed a lot of improvement at first, however now after much effort I can clearly see results. At first, there would be a lot of confusion and misunderstanding with the different strategies, however no longer as I can filter through the information much better. Another thing that I was completely out of the know before this class was 'how to make effective use of traditional and new library resources and tools.' At first I only knew the basic concepts of the library and would fall back on getting assistance always. However know because of this class I can be a lot more independent in the library with my time and research. Next, 'describe research processes and communicate results.' Because of the lessons and discussions we had in class I am fully able to complete this objective. This actually was never really hard for me but I improved as I went along which of course is a good thing. Lastly, 'understand and apply principles of information ethics.' At first I did not really even know what this meant. However know I have a good understanding of what it refers to (plagiarism etc). This is probably one of the most important things that we learned on many levels, both for our own protection and that of others.
I firmly believe that when I look at my portfolio I can see my progress just by the information within it. If you read through it as it progresses you can see how the person writing it is becoming more aware and smarter on the subject as they progress. When I look back at what I knew when I first entered and compare it to know I almost laugh because I see an entirely differently informed person. I have had (at least I believe) many successes and few failures (if any). To be honest I do not look at anything as a failure, rather a learning experience. I worked on solving them by doing research and asking questions. Then I would take in the information and figure it out. When you realize things on your own you get an even better grasp on the issue. This class helped on many levels, not just issues with the library but issues with the academics of the entire umbrella of college in general. I can safely say that because of this class that I am now prepared to use the library and research on all levels!
-Dan O'Brien liby1210
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I'm glad you were able to learn some useful concepts in class. You can certainly continue to "ask for assistance," though!
You don't really say what you're going to do to continue your learning curve. I hope you will keep practicing and not let this path get rusty. It's similar to other learning objectives in that it requires continued attention.
Post a Comment