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English 111--Introduction to Composition

Library Guide Introduction

What is in this Guide

 

Information Literacy and Revision Practices

For each writing assignment, students will submit at least two drafts using Microsoft Compare and will reflect on the changes they have made during the revision process. Microsoft Compare will reveal precise changes that have been made between drafts. Classroom instructors will strive to offer feedback specifically on information literacy. Students will be encouraged to use these revision reports in advance to write a reflective paragraph explaining to their instructor the reasons for their choices.  Writer reflections about the use of source material will allow us to assess a student’s ability to determine the extent of information needed and the purpose for using it. The reflective step is designed to build rhetorical knowledge and metacognitive awareness in students. 

Project Overview

Moving Beyond the "Research Paper"

Librarian Anna Bjartmarsdottir and Composition Coordinator Jackie Cason have collaborated to provide library exercises and writing assignment support so that students can listen to the ideas of others in all the writing they do. In other words, we have sought to move away from the formal “research paper” in an effort to characterize all writing as a conversation that calls for some level of dialogue with sources.The English 111 Information Literacy Project has been designed to integrate research throughout the semester with increasing levels of student autonomy. In early writing assignments, students work from prescribed source materials, leaving more time to focus on how to use sources. In later writing assignments, students develop search strategies to find their own resources. This approach follows the Research Skills Development Framework from Adelaide University, which moves through a series of stages from prescribed research to student-initiated research.

Joining a Community of Researchers

To help students position themselves as writers in conversation with other writers and readers, we have made available undergraduate research journals and public resources that are more accessible than the writing in professional peer-reviewed journals.The resources in this guide are designed to help students who enroll in English 111 recognize how texts enter into conversation with one another through citation practices.

Reading and Writing: An Interpretive and Productive Range of Assignments

  • Writing Assignments 1 & 3 are interpretive, analytical assignments that hone critical reading and analysis skills.
  • Writing Assignments 2 & 4 are more productive assignments that hone composition and design skills.

Research Skills Development Framework

Research Skill Development (RSD) is about making explicit and coherent in regular university coursework the incremental attainment of research skills in a specific discipline. In the RSD, there are six facets of the research process. These are that students:

  • embark on inquiry and so determine a need for knowledge/understanding.
  • find/generate needed information/data using appropriate methodology.
  • critically evaluate information/data and the process to find/generate this information/data.
  • organise information collected/generated.
  • synthesise and analyse and apply new knowledge.
  • communicate knowledge and the processes used to generate it, with an awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues.

Outcomes and Standards

English 111 was revised in 2013 and now focuses on preparing students to respond to academic and civic writing situations.  Inquiry and information literacy were explicitly included as one of five student learning outcome:

Demonstrate Inquiry and Information Literacy

Recognize when information is needed (to discover and develop ideas and arguments) and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use appropriate and credible information effectively and ethically.


RAILS: Rubric Assessment of Information Literacy

We are using the RAILS Rubric developed at UAA. The RAILS project has been aligned with the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The AAC&U VALUE rubrics are very close to the ACRL Standards, and the ACRL Standards are what Jackie Cason used when preparing the ENGL 111 Course Content Guide. Before grading final papers for each written assignment, we will take time during formal TA meetings to norm the rubric. Classroom instructors will then complete assessment of remaining papers independently and share their results with the research team. 

Subject Guide

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Anna Bjartmarsdottir