https://libguides.twu.ca/RES502

Associated Canadian Theological Schools

of Trinity Western University

 

RES 502 OL: Research Strategies

 

William Badke, ACTS Librarian

Summer - 2018

2 credit hours

Course website:

http://williambadke.com/research502.htm

badke@twu.ca
604-888-7511, ext. 3906
Course Dates: May 1 - August 14, 2018
Online

Course Description

This course provides an opportunity for students to develop graduate level information research skills through study of, and practice with, research design, acquisition of resources within a technological environment, resource evaluation, and preparation of resources for the writing of research projects.

Objectives

By the end of this course, each student should:

A. explain the complexities of the current world of information resources;
B. be able to formulate a strategy for research;
C. show skill in identifying a research problem, acquiring a variety of informational resources to address that problem, evaluating those resources, and putting them to effective use;
D. demonstrate planned research from topic to completed project.

  Course Textbooks

Badke, William B. Research Strategies: Finding Your Way through the Information Fog, 6th ed. Bloomington IN: iUniverse.com, 2017.

Note: Due to rapid changes in the information/research world, only this edition of the textbook may be used.  Earlier editions are out of date.

Course Assignments

All assignments are all available online at the course website - http://williambadke.com/research502.htm - rather than in the MyCourses/Moodle site.  

Due dates are found in the instructions section on the course home page:  http://williambadke.com/InstructionsRES502.htm.  

 

Grading Scale

 

Letter Grade

Percentage

Grade Point

A+

Superior

4.30

A

Excellent

4.00

A-

Very Good

3.70

B+

Proficient

3.30

B

Good

3.00

B-

Average

2.70

C+

Adequate

2.30

C

Acceptable

2.00

C-

Needs Work

1.70

F

Below Standard

0.00

 

Due Dates

Posted in the Instructions and Due Dates link on the course website (see above).  Due dates will be posted by the end of August.

 

Supplement: Important Academic Notes from ACTS

Web Support – Student Portal https://www1.twu.ca/services

All students at TWU have a TWUPass username and password. This is determined at the time of an online application or can be managed through the computing services help desk or the link on the student portal. Your student email account is also available through this student portal and is vital for communication about grades, account statements, lost passwords, sign-up instructions, etc. If you do not know your account or password, there is a link at the login area called “I forgot my password.”  When you click on that link, you will be walked through the process of retrieving your account information.

Campus Closure

In the event of deteriorating weather conditions or other emergency situations, every effort will be made to communicate information regarding the cancellation of classes to the following radio stations: CKNW (980 AM), CKWX (1130 AM), STAR FM (107.1 FM), PRAISE (106.5 FM) and KARI (550 AM). As well, an announcement will be placed on the University’s campus closure notification message box (604.513.2147) and on the front page of the University’s website (http://www.twu.ca – also see http://www.twu.ca/campus/campus-notification.html for more details).

An initial announcement regarding the status of the campus and cancellation of classes will be made at 6:00 a.m. and will cover all classes that begin before 1:00 p.m. A second announcement pertaining to classes that begin between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. will be made at 11:00 a.m. A third announcement pertaining to classes that begin after 5:00 p.m. will be made at 3:00 p.m.

Paper Formatting

Students need to adhere to Turabian Notes (Bibliography) format except in counselling courses, for which APA format is used, and in CanIL courses.

Students are strongly encouraged to use EndNote Basic/Web (to create an account or log in, go to: http://libguides.twu.ca/EndNote/) as their bibliographical manager and as a tool for formatting bibliographies. It is free. The link to EndNote from the library home page provides detailed instructions. Students will need to be aware that it is necessary to “clean up” most bibliographies generated by this program. Students are encouraged to view the documents on the following websites for format samples: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html. In EndNote Basic/Web the available formatting styles are those of Turabian 8th Footnote, and APA 6th edition. For Turabian, there are two formats – Footnote and Author-Date (a short format citation style). ACTS uses the Footnote format, not Author-Date.

Counselling students are expected to purchase the APA Publications Manual. More information may be found at the following website: http://www.apastyle.org/learn/index.aspx.

For free online programs that will enable students to create properly formatted bibliography citations, go to http://www.eturabian.com/turabian/index.html or http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/ (“Chicago” stands for “Turabian”).

CANIL students should consult with their own faculty on specific requirements.

Please check with your professor to find out which style he/she recommends you use!!

Course Evaluations

Course evaluations are important for improving teaching outcomes, faculty professional development, and the student learning context. Completion of course evaluations is, therefore, considered to be a course expectation. Professors will schedule time for students to fill out online course evaluations (20-30 minutes) on their personal laptops or a collegium computer during the last scheduled class of the semester. Students who are absent that day or who are otherwise unable to complete the online course evaluation during the last class will be expected to make every effort to do so by the last day of exams. Information about how to access online evaluation forms will be provided to the faculty and students prior to the last week of classes by the ACTS Administration.

Research Ethics

Please note that all research projects involving human participants undertaken by members of the TWU university community (including projects done by ACTS students to satisfy course or degree requirements) MUST be approved by the Trinity Western University Research Ethics Board. Information and forms may be found at http://www.twu.ca/research/research-services/research-ethics. Those needing additional clarification may contact the ACTS Academic Dean’s office. Please allow at least three (3) weeks from the date of submission for a review of the application.

Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism at ACTS

As Christian scholars pursuing higher education, academic integrity is a core value of the entire TWU community. Students are invited into this scholarly culture and required to abide by the principles of sound academic scholarship at TWU. This includes, but is not limited to, avoiding all forms of plagiarism and cheating in scholarly work. TWU has a strict policy on plagiarism (See TWU Student Handbook on the TWU site).

Learning what constitutes plagiarism and avoiding it is the student's responsibility. Two resources describing plagiarism and how to avoid it have been prepared by ACTS Librarian William Badke and are freely available for viewing at the URLs below:

https://prezi.com/od62fxnkbmxh/plagiarism-how-to-get-it-out-of-your-life/ (Prezi presentation)
http://bit.ly/1p00KX3   (Google Slide presentation offering more comprehensive information)

Equity of Access

Students with disabilities who need assistance are encouraged to contact the Equity of Access Office upon admission to TWU to discuss their specific needs. All disabilities must be recently documented by an appropriately certified professional and such documentation should include a statement regarding the educational impact of the disability along with recommended accommodations. Within the first two weeks of the semester, students must meet with their professors to agree on accommodations appropriate to each class. Students should follow the steps detailed by the Equity of Access Office outlined on the TWU website at http://www.twu.ca/student-life/student-success/disabilities-and-equity-access (left column).

Policy Information and Student Concerns

Information on academic and community life policies and procedures that affect students can be found in the ACTS Academic Catalogue, which is available on the ACTS website (www.actsseminaries.com) under the Academics tab. Students who wish to communicate concerns or to lodge academic appeals are welcome to contact the appropriate faculty or staff member directly, or to fill out and submit the relevant Concerns & Grievances or Appeals form found on the Files & Forms page of the Current Students section of the ACTS Website.