Friday, May 17, 2002

An Online Course Teaches Students to Use Libraries and the Internet -- and Avoid Plagiarism By BROCK READ "Most of the time, students plagiarize unintentionally," says Kimberley B. Kelley, associate provost of information and library services at the University of Maryland University College. And most unintentional plagiarism, Library Skills 150 Title: "Information Literacy and Research Methods" Institution: University of Maryland University College Instructor: Kimberley B. Kelley, associate provost of information and library services, oversees the course professors. When offered: The university plans to offer five sessions each year: two in the fall and spring, and one in the summer. Cost: The one-credit course costs $197 to $203 for residents of Maryland, $364 to $379 for those who live outside the state. Enrollment: Each section of the course includes 100 students. according to Ms. Kelley, comes from the Internet -- to which students turn for research without understanding how to cite the material they find. "Everybody's using [the Internet], so let's be realistic about it," she says. Ms. Kelley is attempting to reduce unintentional plagiarism at her college with "Information Literacy and Research Methods," an online course she developed. The course -- introduced at the beginning of this semester -- is now required of all students working toward degrees at the college, which specializes in courses for adults and part-time students. Avoiding plagiarism is one of several topics explored in the one-credit, seven-week course. Students learn strategies for forming and researching theses, using electronic resources like Internet sites and e-books, citing documents, and searching for information at libraries. "Is it a panacea? No way. But I think it helps students to understand plagiarism and research," says Ms. Kelley. "Information Literacy and Research Methods" has a Web site that makes extensive use of animation to explain key concepts. In a discussion of Internet URL's, for example, each section of a URL appears with a description of what it signifies. "Students love the animation," according to Ms. Kelley. "The more eye candy, the better." During the course, students create "research logs" in which they choose a topic, develop a thesis, and properly cite Internet resources and books they would use in a paper. They also complete a final exam and weekly exercises that ask them to use online search engines and library catalogs. On discussion boards, students and faculty members converse about issues facing researchers and librarians. Ms. Kelley says that the boards have spurred considerable debate on what constitutes plagiarism and whether libraries should use Internet filtering software to block objectionable Web sites. More than 1,800 students have already enrolled in the course, which will be taught five times a year in several sections of 100 students. The sections are led by librarian or researcher from a number of different universities; Ms. Kelley oversees all the courses and maintains a Web site offering advice to the faculty on teaching techniques. This month, the Maryland Distance Learning Association named the course the state's best distance-education offering for the past academic year, and Ms. Kelley says she's also received positive comments from many of the students who enroll. "I thought students would be upset at having to take an extra course, but by the end of the course they're usually thanking me," she says. Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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