ENGL 1113

Introduction to Research

3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:
This course introduces students to the process of research, specifically oriented to the workplace.  Topics include both primary and secondary sources, such as interviews, library and internet searches.  This course will also emphasize source evaluation and legal/ethical concerns.

Course Objectives:
After completing the course, students will be able to:
  • Formulate research questions and research strategies.
  • Demonstrate the use of a variety of research tools, such as library databases, WWW search engines, and other specialized tools. 
  • Write an abstract.
  • Write an annotated bibliography.
  • Participate in on-line discussions 
  • Write a paper that demonstrates an understanding of copyright laws as they apply to the Internet. 
  • Conduct an interview.
  • Apply research skills to provide information in case studies.
 
Prerequisites and Corequisites:
DSPW 0700 and 0800. Students need to have a good understanding of basic grammatical techniques and be able to write well developed essays.
 
Course Topics:
The course is divided into five units: Unit 1 - Introduction to Research; Unit 2 - Library Research; Unit 3 - Internet Research; Unit 4 - Other Types of Research; and Unit 5 - Case Studies and the Final Research Project.
Specific Course Requirements:
No specific software is necessary for successful completion of the course.
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbooks:
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course.  It is located at http://rodp.bkstr.com. 
Supplementary Materials:
No supplementary materials are required.
Hardware Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.
Software Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.
Instructor Information
Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.
Assessment and Grading
Testing Procedures:
You will take several on-line quizzes during the semester. Each quiz will be taken on-line during the week in which it is scheduled. See the Calendar for quiz dates.  The quizzes will cover the assigned readings in your textbook and Web sites and activities that are completed on the Web. The purposes of the quizzes are to see if you have read the assigned materials and completed the activities. To take a quiz, click on "Assignments/Quizzes" on the left navigation bar on the course homepage and then click on the scheduled quiz.  Read the directions before you begin. Grades will be recorded in the grades feature of the course. Quizzes must be taken in the week in which they are scheduled. Quizzes taken after the scheduled time will not receive a grade.
 
Grading Procedure:
Exercises
Assignments
Discussions 
 Quizzes
Paper
Case Study 
Final Research Project 		5%
30%
10%
10%
10%
15%
20%
 
Grading Scale:


 90-100

 A


80-89

 B

 
70-79

 C


60-69

 D

 Below 60

 F
 
Assignments and Participation
Assignments and Projects:

Assignments

The course is divided into five units with three or four weeks of assignments to complete during each of the first four units. Assignments are to be completed and turned in through "Assignments/Quizzes." "Assignment/Quizzes" is located on the left navigation bar on the course homepage. All assignments for each of the five course units are due on the dates specified on the course calendar. Late assignments will be penalized 5 points if they are 1-3 days late and 10 points if they are 4-7 days late. After 1 week no assignments will be accepted, and you will receive an F for those late assignments. Grades will be recorded in the grades feature of the course. If you complete a part of the course before the due date, please feel free to turn it in early.

Exercises

Units 2, 3, and 4 each have an exercise checklist to be submitted at the end of the unit. Exercises are short assignments that you complete on your own and log into the Unit Exercise Checklist. The checklists will need to be downloaded and filled in as you complete the exercises. When you have completed all the exercises for the unit, you will email the checklist as an attachment through the course email to the instructor. Check the calendar for specific due dates of each checklist. No late exercises will be accepted.

Discussions

You will post a discussion response on the Discussion Board for most weeks during the semester. For a discussion response you may be asked to answer a  question which is based on one of the readings for the week, record search results, or write a summary. You must turn in your response by noon on Friday of each week. You may also respond or comment on other students' responses. Both count toward your discussion grade. Grades are based on the quality of your response. Grades for discussion questions will be recorded in the Grades feature of the course.  Failure to respond to discussion questions for 2 weeks will result in a grade of F for the course. Late discussion responses will not receive credit.

Paper

You will write one paper during the semester.  The topic for this paper is Copyright and the World Wide Web. The minimum length requirement for the  paper is two typed, double-spaced pages. Detailed instructions on writing the paper are included in Lesson 6.  Use email (a Word or Rich Text Format attachment) or fax to turn in the paper. Grades will be recorded in the grade feature of the course. Late papers are subject to the same penalties as late assignments.

Case Study

Case Studies are real life situations where you, the researcher, will help find needed information. You will have six case studies from which to choose one.  You will write a annotated bibliography of your sources, a memo, and a summary of your results. Late case studies are subject to the same penalties as late assignments. The results will be submitted through  "Assignments/Quizzes" on the navigation bar.

Final Research Project

For your final research project," Would You like to be a Rich Researcher?", you will use all the research skills that you have learned in the course to answer fifteen multiple choice questions to earn points for your final research project grade.  For those of you who enjoy "Do You Want to be a Millionaire?", I think that you will find this final research project challenging and fun.
 
Class Participation:
Class participation is based on your participation in discussions. A discussion question is posted on the Bulletin Board for almost every week except finals week. The question is based on one of the readings for the week. You have until noon on Friday of each week to respond to the week's question.
Punctuality:
Assignments are due on the dates listed on the course calendar.  Late assignments will be penalized 5 points if they are 1-3 days late and 10 points if they are 4-7 days late. After 1 week no assignments will be accepted, and you will receive an F for those late assignments. Discussions, exercise checklists, and quizzes will not be accepted if late. Grades will be  recorded on the grade feature of the course. If you complete a part of the course before the due date, please feel free to turn it in early.
Course Ground Rules
 Participation is required; Learn how to navigate in WebCT; Keep abreast of course announcements; Use the e-mail provided within the course as opposed to a personal e-mail address; Address technical problems immediately; Observe course netiquette at all times. 
Guidelines for Communications
Email:

Mail is an internal email program to communicate only with the instructor and students in the class. When students are added to the class roll, an email account is automatically set up. To send a email, click Communications, then click the Mail icon. To send a message, click Compose Mail Message. In the Send to box, key an e-mail address or click Browse to get a list of students and the instructor in the class. You may send messages to several students by using Shift + click or Control + click on the names. Shift allows you to select consecutive names from the list; control allows you to select random names. Key the subject and the body of the message, and click Send. You can also attach files.

Here are a few tips to help you successfully use email:

  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails.  
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members.
Discussion Groups:

Discussions is an area where the instructor or student can post messages to be read by others. It is referred to as a threaded discussion because once a message has been posted, class members can respond to the message. To use Discussions, click the Discussions in the left navigation bar. To read a message, click the name of the person sending the message to display the message. Once the message is displayed, respond to it by choosing Reply from the menu at the top of the message.

Here are a few tips to help you successfully use discussions:

  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other's ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other class members thoroughly before entering your remarks.  
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
Chat:

N/A
Web Resources:

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the left to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:
If you are having problems logging into your course,
timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the Eduprise Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to their website at:

http://help.rodp.org