News & Blog

Yes, at the beginning of a new semester you will need to create new instances for your classes. If you set up instances outside of Canvas, you will need to download scores from the repository so scores from the current semester will not be co-mingled with scores from the previous semester.

To prepare modules each semester, you may consider using the following steps:

• Download existing module scores (if not using Canvas) that you might need and save on your computer. (If you have not already done so, we suggest downloading scores from your instances and maintaining them with your student records.)
• Make new instances — start on this page to make new instances http://infolit.ucf.edu/faculty/getting-started
• Update any student handouts, emails or other  information that include URLs that link to old instances from previous classes
• Delete old instances — this helps to de-clutter your “My Instances” area in the repository
• Provide the link to log in information when you provide the new instance URLs to students. Detailed information for students about logging in to the modules can be found on this page http://infolit.ucf.edu/students/help
• Provide tech support links to students when you provide new instance URLs. Tech support for students (and faculty) is available through the Ask A Librarian service at http://infolit.ucf.edu/students/help (If you choose to help students yourself, you might also find the faculty FAQs useful in addressing student questions http://infolit.ucf.edu/faculty/faq

Keep in mind that at the end of a semester there are a few “housekeeping” steps to save existing scores and create new instances for upcoming classes.

If you set up instances in the repository, you will need to download scores from the repository.

• Download scores from the current semester to save to your computer. If you have not already done so, we suggest downloading scores from current instances and maintaining them with your students’ records.

To prepare modules each semester, you may consider using the following steps:

• Make new instances in the repository — instructions to create new instances at http://infolit.ucf.edu/faculty/getting-started
• Update any student handouts, emails or other  information that include URLs that link to old instances from previous classes.
• Delete old instances — this helps de-clutter your “My Instances” area in the repository.
• Provide the link to log in information when you provide the new instance URLs to students. Detailed information for students about logging in to the modules can be found on this page http://infolit.ucf.edu/students/help
• Provide tech support links to students when you provide new instance URLs. Tech support for students (and faculty) is available through the Ask A Librarian service at http://infolit.ucf.edu/students/help (If you choose to help students yourself, you might also find the faculty FAQs useful in addressing student questions http://infolit.ucf.edu/faculty/faq

The Information Fluency Conference will be held at UCF on March 14-16, 2012.   This national conference is sponsored by the Office of Information Fluency at UCF.  Anyone affiliated with UCF (faculty, staff, students, and affiliated groups) is welcome to attend at no charge.

Dr. S. Craig Watkins will deliver the keynote address. Dr. Watkins teaches at the University of Texas, Austin, in the departments of Radio-Television Film, Sociology, and the Center for African and African American Studies and is the author of  ” The Young and the Digital: What the Migration to Social Network Sites, Games, and Anytime, Anywhere Media Means for Our Future.”   Program information and registration is available on the conference website   www.ce.ucf.edu/if

To help students gain a better understanding of the online information environment — and develop solid skills to operate in it — the library provides face-to-face instruction sessions and online information literacy modules.

Some instructors and librarians assign modules before a scheduled library session. By blending library instruction and the online modules, librarians can identify areas where students may need additional help and then provide extra focus on those areas during the library session.

A complete list of information literacy modules can be accessed on the Modules page. For more information or questions, please leave a comment or contact us at Infolit@infolit@ucf.edu

Avoiding Plagiarism Using MLA Style (9^th ed.)

20 minutes

Students will be able to identify:

• How UCF defines plagiarism.
• When you need to cite sources.
• The difference between a quote and a paraphrase.
• When to quote and when to paraphrase.
• How to signal to readers that you are incorporating the work of other researchers using MLA style.

We’ve updated some modules recently along with the Obojobo system update, which adds a new look with a great new color scheme and page layout.

Please make new instances of modules ON or AFTER January 3, 2012 for the best results!

We’ve also added a new version of the Avoiding Plagiarism module.
There are now two versions of Avoiding Plagiarism:

• Avoiding Plagiarism Using MLA Style — the original version (with minor updates) that depicts examples using MLA style based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition

• and Avoiding Plagiarism Using APA Style (based on the original module) that depicts examples in APA style based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition.

As always, if you have questions, please email Infolit or contact Elizabeth Killingsworth or 407-823-4250.

Changes are afoot for the Information Literacy Modules. An upgrade to the Obojobo system on December 20 will result in a new viewer. The look of the Information Literacy Modules will be enhanced with a more beautiful color scheme and page layout.

IMPORTANT: We will make minor edits to some of the modules to make the new viewer compatible with our content. These edited modules will not be available until after Dec 20.

If you have questions, please email Infolit or contact Elizabeth Killingsworth or 407-823-4250.

Happy Holidays!!

In 2009, President Barack Obama designated October as Information Literacy Awareness Month.  The official proclamation notes the challenges of negotiating 21^st Century information overload and the significance of teaching information literacy to help students “be adept in the skills necessary to effectively navigate the Information Age.”

Information literacy integrates several key 21st century skills that provide students with the tools needed to access, evaluate and use information sources effectively and ethically – and to be successful in educational and workplace environments by empowering them as learners and workers to become informed decision makers.

Recent studies such as the ERIAL Project: Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries have highlighted some common roadblocks students experience during resource discovery, such as:

• uncertainty about effective research concepts and strategies,
• reliance on search engine authority,
• inability to effectively evaluate sources, and a
• lack of awareness of how or why to ask for help.

The UCF libraries provide many ways to integrate information literacy concepts and skills into your courses, including:

• Twelve information literacy modules (http://infolit.ucf.edu/faculty)
• Library instruction sessions (http://library.ucf.edu/Reference/Instruction/)
• Embedded librarians in your webcourses (contact Elizabeth Killingsworth)
• Research consultations (http://library.ucf.edu/Reference/ResearchConsultations/Default.asp)

We encourage you during Information Literacy Awareness Month to contact us about ways you can incorporate information literacy concepts and skills into your courses. You can consult the Information Literacy web site at  http://infolit.ucf.edu or contact us at infolit@mail.ucf.edu

One reason you may not be able to access the assessment section of a module is that your computer thinks the module is closed.  It’s possible the date/time on your computer is wrong. Here’s a link to Flash clock online – that you can use http://edmullen.net/flash/clock8.swf  to see if the date is correct.  If the date is incorrect, your computer is associating the incorrect date with the module and it thinks the module is closed.  To fix the date, use the Windows Control Panel option for Date and Time.

Amazingly, a new fall semester is almost here. If you are just discovering the UCF Library Information Literacy Modules, or if you have previously used the modules, here are some reminders and news as you plan for the coming semester.

First, we’d like to thank you for using the modules! It warms a librarian’s heart to see the success of this project! As of June, almost 200 faculty have used the modules in over 170 unique courses, with over 47,000 assessment completions by over 12,000 students. We appreciate your support!

Creating New Instances
We’d like to remind you to create new instances for your courses and delete old instances so that scores from previous semesters do not co-mingle with your student scores for this fall. If you haven’t used the modules recently, you may need a refresher on setting up a module for your course. If so, instructions can be found here   http://infolit.ucf.edu/faculty/getting-started    If you’d prefer, we would be happy to help in person, by email, or by phone.

New Features
We also have a few new features:
• All 12 modules now have a 2nd set of assessment questions to increase the rigor of each module;
• Student scores now sync with WebCourses and are pushed into your grade book;
• Student scores now have a date and time stamp to more accurately reflect when a module was completed;
• Students now receive a confirmation email with their score.

Student Instructions
When assigning modules to your students, it may be helpful to include the following text along with the instance URL to the module:

Below are links to Information Literacy Modules that you will complete. You will login with your NID and your NID password.
If you don’t remember your NID, you can look it up here: https://my.ucf.edu/nid.html
If you’re unsure of your NID password, you can reset the password using this online form: http://mynid.ucf.edu
If you need help or have questions, you can use this FAQ: http://infolit.ucf.edu/students/help/ or contact the Ask a Librarian service: http://library.ucf.edu/Ask

Feedback and Help
All modules have been updated and revised as of May 2011. If you have feedback on any of the module content or on the system, please let us know. Your input continues to improve what we provide.

If you have questions about assigning the modules or about instructions to give your students, please let us know. You can consult the Information Literacy web site at  http://infolit.ucf.edu or contact us at infolit@mail.ucf.edu  We are always happy to help!