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This information has been provided for instructors,
faculty and other librarians interested in learning more about
SmartStarts.
If you have contributions or suggestions about using SmartStarts,
please e-mail
us.
What
Is SmartStarts?
SmartStarts is a resource for
SPC students, a self-instructional tutorial to teach them basic library and research
skills. It covers the research process from initial topic selection to citation
styles and the issue of plagiarism. Link to SmartStarts on the Libraries'
home page or access
it directly
from
http://www.southplainscollege.edu/library/smartstarts/index.html.
Its content is organized into six modules:
| 1.
Starting smart |
is
an overview that introduces students to various types of sources. |
| 2.
Choosing a topic |
has tips on broadening & narrowing a topic and discusses search
concepts. |
| 3.
Using Voyager |
has live practice searches in our online catalog. |
| 4.
Finding articles |
provides
practice searching in the Academic Search Complete database. |
| 5.
Using the Web |
includes the comparative evaluation of Web sources. |
| 6.
Citing sources |
includes the topics of citing, plagiarism, and copyright. |
Students can
complete the tutorial on their own time outside of class. Each of
its six sections takes about 15 minutes and students can complete
one or more modules at a time. Each of the modules is followed by
a short quiz (see details below).
How
Can I Effectively Use SmartStarts with My Courses?
Please
have students complete SmartStarts before they begin their
research or attend a library session. Students can complete
SmartStarts
on their own time and submit their quiz results to you.
Each module
is followed by a short quiz and a results page, which provides an
overall percentage score for that module, as well as a summary of
questions answered right or wrong. Students can print the
six results pages with their name and submit the printouts to you
as proof of completion.
Many instructors
have chosen to give extra credit points to students who complete
SmartStarts. We strongly suggest that students be required
to pass the quizzes with a score of at least 85% or better.
Students
may retake a quiz as many times as they want to improve their score.
Does
SmartStarts Replace Library Instruction?
No! We continue
to offer course-related library instruction and hope that you will
incorporate a library session into your syllabus. Timing is important!
Have your students complete SmartStarts, then schedule library instruction
with us for a date after they have received an assignment.
Then they will learn about searching databases when they need these
skills to complete their research assignment. Research has shown
that:
- Students
learn best and retain most when they need the information.
- Library instruction
is more effective when the course instructor is present.
- Library instruction
is more effective when coordinated with a class assignment.
SPC Libraries
has a Learning Lab, which librarians use for computer
demonstrations and hands-on training. The room is heavily booked,
so please schedule early to reserve the date and time you need--preferably
call us at least 2 weeks ahead. Requests will be filled on a first-come
basis.
To arrange a
library instruction session contact the SPC
Librarians:
Levelland campus 894-9611 x2330 or
ref@southplainscollege.edu
Reese Center x4682 or
referencelub@southplainscollege.edu
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