Events This Week
At the Library

• Message from the Head Librarian
• Keep Your Library Card Privileges
• Library Lessons : Library Orientation: Course Overview
  • Lesson 1: Explore the Library
  • Lesson 2: Get to Know Library Patrons
  • Lesson 3: Assess your Current Knowledge
• Circulation Desk
• Next Week at the Library

A Message from
the Head Librarian

Your first few weeks as a Library Patron will be spent attending Library Orientation events located in the Lobby.  As you become familiar with the Library, its purposes and use, you will be able to move to different floors to attend other weekly events/lessons. Each week's 'Events at the Library' will be contained within 3 web pages.  To insure you do not miss anything, be sure to use the links at the bottom of each page to continue on with the Library Orientation Lessons for this week.

This week I would like to give everyone the opportunity to visit the Information Desk and review the Events at the Library for the next 13 weeks.  Another important part of Library Orientation is getting to know the Library Staff and the other new Library Patrons.  If you are new to online learning please be sure to read everything carefully.  If you have never joined a listserv or posted to a threaded discussion there are help sheets available for you to learn to do these things so please pay attention to the links provided.

As we begin this course some of you may have been together in previous online classes and have had the opportunity to get to know one another. However, for some of you this is your first online course! I would like us to take time this week to participate in several activities that will assist me and others to get to know you and will also introduce me to you!

Our Library Staff is small but very efficient and effective and here to provide you with the ultimate library experience.  I, Dr. L. K. Curda, am the Head Librarian. Each Thursday at 5 PM at the Educational Research Library the Head Librarian posts the Events for the Week (what you are reading right now) and provides a complete overview and description of the Library Lessons. Each week's agenda provides for a message from the Head Librarian (your instructor - me).  Following this, all Patrons may continue through the Lobby and other floors as necessary once they have shown their Library Card.  Your Library Card assures each patron that when he/she attends events each week that everything he/she needs will be available. Once your Library Card is "punched", all patrons are directed to the appropriate floor for the presentation of the Library Lessons for the week. A variety of lessons are offered throughout the week so patrons do not get bored looking at the same four walls day after day.  All patrons must stop by the Circulation Desk each week to check on their Library Dues. You may also read a brief description of the library events for the next week. 

Many students generally ask about access to future weeks for this course so you can work ahead if possible.  This option is available to you at the Research Library.  By next week (if not already), most links will be posted for future weekly events and library lessons so you can get your dues in ahead of time if you choose. Please note, however, that the "message from the head librarian" section will remain blank until the current week.  As the head librarian, I like to post my message each new week so I am able to post timely information in regards to library events.  This means that even if you work ahead you will still need to check in at least once a week to the library and make sure you are informed of any changes to the events.  In addition, even if you do work ahead other library patrons may not and one of your responsibilities each week includes reading and replying to library discussions.  This will require you to wait until others have posted to the discussion so that you can reply. There are many ways in which you can work ahead in this course. You may choose to start work early on one of the major assignments, read ahead in the text, etc. You are welcome to work ahead in whatever manner suits you. I have provided this option in other courses I teach online and can tell you that although many applauded the opportunity at the beginning of the semester, few actually ever worked ahead. Just keeping up each week seemed to be enough work for most. However, it did assist those who, on occasion, had to go out of town for work or play and wanted to get ahead for a single week. So, next week, check out the schedule page and you should be able to access all past and future library events and lessons.

Head Librarian's Expectations:

The Circulation Desk will have weekly checklists posted. The purpose of the checklists is to provide you with a current assessment of your status related to weekly assignments, including threaded discussions. Each of you will be listed by the last 4 digits of your UWF ID number. Each Friday the Assistant Librarian will update the checklists for assignments during the previous week to reflect the assignments you have completed. The weekly checklists should be used by you to determine that your participation in weekly assignments is noted but is not evaluative in any way. At this time it is probably wise for me to add a brief note about my expectations related to participation in threaded discussions, etc.

Discussions: To ensure that the quality of your assignments meet my expectations please be sure to revisit threaded discussions from previous weeks to check for any comments or suggestions I may have provided you. I will not respond to every individual every week even though I do read everyone's postings. At times, I will simply add to the comments you have made and give you an atta boy/girl for a good submission. Other times, you may find that I ask you to elaborate or provide more depth to your postings. You may also find that your peers ask you to do the same. If you see these types of replies it should indicate that you have not fully met the requirements or expectations of the assignment. Here, I do expect you to post a reply in response to my questions or your peers' questions. If you do not bother to go back and read and add additional postings when necessary then your participation grade may take a small downward turn throughout the semester. If you happen to check the threads and I did not respond to you then please expect that I was satisfied with your answer and you have complete credit for participation. You should be concerned that your participation grade will suffer if you habitually post your assignments late. Posting late reduces the likelihood that your peers will be able to go back and read your post and provide you with feedback, input, etc. if you do post late it is your responsibility to email me and let me know.

When you participate in a threaded discussion I expect that you will read the posts of your peers and respond to them just as you would if they made a similar statement in class. You may ask for clarification, reaffirm what they say, add on to their example, question the legitimacy of their statements, etc. This creates discussion around the topic which is the goal of the exercise. Replies should not simply consist of "I agree", "Good point", or "Right on." Your replies must be more thoughtful and in depth than that. As many of us (myself included) are procrastinators, most people do not post to the required threads until the day they are due. This creates some difficulty if everyone is also trying to respond to everyone by the same date. Therefore, my general policy is that you post your original response to the thread during the first week it is assigned. The following week you should spend some time reading everyone's posts and responding to your peers. In addition to your post, I require that each student respond to at least 3 of their peers within each thread in which they participate. To clarify... you should respond to 3 others' original posts, as well as reply to those who reply to YOUR original post if anyone queries you. An original post is not the same as a reply to a post or a reply to another reply. When participating in the discussions, make sure that you recognize the difference between an original post, a reply to an original post, and a reply.

If, when you submit your original post, there are others to whom you would like to reply then feel free to post your replies within the same week. However, this extra week given for response to peers allows you some leeway in responding to others. I am going to insert reminders in each thread to make sure this is clear and everyone receives their points for participation so I hope this will help. The idea is that you read how others are thinking about the topic and to clarify, expand, or reaffirm your own understanding. Please let me know if you are still unclear about these requirements and I will try to clarify further. You will notice that your weekly checklists will have separate post and reply columns because I view these as separate assignments within the weeks they are listed. Feel free to post replies early.

Each column in the weekly checklist will be carefully labeled as to what assignment is being marked. If you are unclear what assignment is being marked please feel free to email me. Checklists are updated each Friday. If you have any questions related to an assignment that you have not received credit for please email me. Please allow me at least one week to post an updated checklist for the previous week. Also, don't panic if you aren't marked for something you have done. I make mistakes and am glad to review anything as long as you call it to my attention in a polite manner. 

Chats: Chat times will be made available as necessary to facilitate learning and group discussion of current lessons at the Library.  Chats are not required at any time.  They are made available for library patrons who enjoy this form of communication with the Head Librarian and other patrons.  Each chat time will be posted at the Circulation Desk.  All patrons are welcome to join in.  If you have never used chat then go to the Library Lounge where you will find links to directions and login information.

Late Assignments: My final comment to you in this section this week (normally this section is much shorter) is in relation to turning in assignments late. As I noted above, your participation grade will suffer if you continually post to threads late. However, in relation to other assignments (i.e., papers, article analyses, etc.), my late policy is this. For every day the assignment is late I take off 10% of the total possible points for that assignment. For example, if an assignment is worth 100 points and you turn it in 1 day late, the most points you can receive is 90. If you turn it in 3 days late, the most you can receive is 70. After 10 days, your assignment is worth 0 points so there is no reason for you to turn it in. If you have any questions about this policy please let me know. I am generally a pretty understanding person so it would behoove you to contact me if you know something will be late to receive an approved extension.  If an extension is approved by me then the late charges do not apply. An extension can only be given if I am contacted PRIOR to the due date.  The bottom line here is keep me informed!

I hope the overview of the Library procedures above assists you in quickly becoming a patron that is comfortable in the Research Library. 
 

Don't Forget Your
Library Card!

Task #1:
You need to have version 5.0 (or higher) of Adobe Reader installed on your computer to be able to access some of the files provided in the course.  Many of you may already have this program installed.  Check before you take the time to download and install it.  If you need to download the program, use one of the following two methods.

• Option 1 - Download and install the program from the Adobe website:
  1. Go to the Adobe website: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
  2. Download Adobe Reader.
  3. Follow the instructions on the website for installing the program.

• Option 2 - Download and install the program from SoftServ:
  1. Log-in to Argus: http://argus.uwf.edu
  2. Click the IT Help tab.
  3. Scroll down to the IT Self Service channel.
  4. Click the Free Software Downloads link.
  5. Select and install Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  6. Follow the instructions on the website for installing the program.

Task #2:
I would like for you to email me with the name you preferred to be called and your home and work numbers in case email fails us. It is important that I am always able to get in touch with you when necessary. In most cases I will do this by email using the classlist or the eLearning email system. Therefore, please make sure that he email the university has listed for you is one you check.  If not, you can choose to change the email address or forward your mail to the account you use.  Directions for this can be found on the UWF ITS web site.  

Task #3:
One of the resources that you will use in this course is the UWF library.  Access to some of the library resources requires a nautilus card number or library access number.  If you do not have a UWF nautilus card or library access number, contact the circulation department at the UWF library.  Refer to the library website for more information: http://library.uwf.edu/Services/AccessDistance/DistanceLearners.htm#ACCESSNUMBER.

Contact the
Library Staff

Need Help?

Have a question but can't find the answer? Here are some options:

• Check the Course FAQ page to see if your question has already been answered.
• Check the Proposal FAQ page to see if your question has already been answered.
• Email the Head Librarian (Dr. Curda)*.
• Email the Assistant Librarian (Melissa)*.
• Check with the other library patrons.

*Remember to include your name and the course name (Educational Research) or number (EDF 6481) in your message.

Go to the Library Lessons for the Week
(Page 2)