An eight-week online course on library research and information literacy started on March 24.
LIBR 318, taught by Librarian Dr. Rochelle Perez, is a one-credit course offered every semester teaching students how to understand the information they consume so they can apply it to their personal life or their academic work.
“Part of the class content is to understand the issues surrounding information,” Perez said. “So you have the economic, legal, social and ethical issues surrounding information.”
Information literacy allows students to locate, evaluate and effectively apply relevant content to their topic, according to the Association of College and Research Libraries.
The class has many activities, such as a quiz to introduce the theoretical aspect of information literacy, Perez said.
One activity is for students to cite a personal experience where the students had applied the skills they learned in class to their own life, Perez said.
“It’s a 250 word essay that can be on any topic,” Perez said.
The essay will have students describe the situation then evaluate how they were able to locate and effectively use the information, Perez said.
The last module in this course teaches students how to use artificial intelligence, effectively explaining what AI is and what ChatGPT is, Perez said.
This class has tutorials on how to use AI and also how to write effective prompts, Perez said.
“The hands-on part is I ask students to set up a ChatGPT account to get an experience,” Perez said.
The students will receive an assignment and will have to reflect on using AI, Perez said.
A common challenge students face is finding credible research for papers and evaluating if it is a credible source, said Librarian April Austin.
Other than this class students can go to workshops and make 40 minute research appointments with the librarians, Austin said.
The library also has a 24 hour chat for students and they also offer research guides, handouts and other information, said Librarian Emily Bond.
“If you take this class, definitely you will be able to apply it in those classes whenever there’s a research paper,” Perez said.