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Curriculum Maps

 

 

Program Milestones

 

 

Assessment

 

 

"[The Library]... consistently impresses me with instructional materials that surprise and interest my students. It is always current, relevant, and is often as entertaining as it is instructional"

 

-Cal Maritime Instructor

 

 

 

"I just wanted to let you know that I chatted with the Maritime Security class about your visit with them, and they were highly appreciative -- they really felt it was of great benefit."

 

-Cal Maritime Instructor

 

Program Description

 

Cal Maritime Library's Information Fluency Program combines a curriculum-integrated model, which means that most instruction related to the development of students' skills in information location, access, retrieval, evaluation and management is

integrated through existing coursework, with the use of a full-term course called LIB 100: Information Fluency in the Digital World and one-on-one research consultations.

The bulk of our instruction is provided to students during students' freshmen years, through common General Studies coursework and the LIB 100 course, which is a required course for all students in the Global Studies and Maritime Affairs and Engineering Technology disciplines. It is during this time that all students are introduced to foundational skills:

  • Focusing a research question & organizing the research process

  • Understanding the basics of book catalog and article database searching

  • Evaluating print and online materials

  • Online search mechanics

  • Citing resources in APA, MLA, or alternate formats

  • Understanding basic social and ethical issues related to information access and retrieval (plagiarism, copyright, online publishing etiquette, etc.)

General instruction is then reinforced and expanded upon through discipline-specific courses in students' sophomore, junior, and senior years. For instance, students in the Mechanical Engineering Department are given specific instructional sessions in locating patents and interpreting federal regulations that affect the design process in their junior year.

In order to track how efficiently information fluency instruction in any given discipline addresses the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education set forth by the Association of College and Research Libraries and the American Library Association, the Library uses a method called "curriculum mapping", which has been pioneered by programs at schools like Wartburg College and the U.S. Naval Academy. A sample, abbreviated curriculum map of our current Global Studies and Maritime Affairs instruction is available here.

 

  
     
© 2009 California Maritime Academy