Learning activities

This section provides a list of all Pilot activities, exercises, demonstrations and animations included in each module to help you access these resources easily, view text transcripts or alternative versions, and revisit activities for further learning.

• Module 1 - Determine your information needs
• Module 2 - Indentify and obtain information
• Module 3 - Evaluate your information
• Module 4 - Manage your information
• Module 5 - Synthesise and communicate your information
• Module 6 - Use your information appropriately

Module 1

• Define your topic - Animation: Analysing a sample assignment question (1.1)
• Understand your references - Self-test: What type of reference is this?(1.2.1)

• Locate your references (1.2.2)
  • Locate a book - Demonstration: using Quick Search for books, e-books and multimedia materials to search for a book
  • Locate a journal, newspaper or magazine article - Demonstration: searching Journal Finder for a journal, newspaper, or magazine article
  • Locate an electronic journal article - Demonstration: searching Journal Finder for an electronic journal article
  • Self-test: How would you search the catalogue for this reference?

• Map your ideas - Animation: Develop a concept map (1.3)
• Types of sources (1.6)
  • Self-test: Test your knowledge and understanding with our short quiz
  • View an interactive demonstration of primary and secondary sources
  • View a video of JSTOR Primary and Secondary sources
  • View What is a Primary Source - a YouTube video explaining primary sources using an historical event.
  • View Source Wars - Episode III - Primary vs. Secondary Sources - a humorous look at the difference between primary and secondary sources. 
• Types of publications - Animation: From event to publication (1.7)
• Types of publications - Interactive exercise: Test your understanding of types of publications (1.7.8)

Module 2

• Understand your references - Self-test: How many alternative search terms can you identify for 'car'? (2.1)
• Keyword or subject searching? - Demonstration: keyword searching using Quick Search to find journal articles (2.3.1)
• Keyword or subject searching? - Demonstration: subject searching using the Subject Guide Search (2.3.1)
• Boolean operators (2.3.2)
  • Animation: The AND operator (2.3.2.1)
  • Animation: The OR operator (2.3.2.2)
  • Animation: The NOT operator (2.3.2.3)
• Nesting - Activity: Test your understanding of nesting (two examples) (2.3.4)
• Truncation and wildcards (2.3.6)
  • Animation: Truncation
  • Self-test: Where should you place the truncation symbol ... ?
  • Animation: Wildcards
• Prepare a search strategy - Interactive exercise: Build a search strategy game (2.3.7)
• Select an appropriate tool - Databases and Digital Library- Demonstration: a typical database record (2.4.2)
• Choose the right database - Demonstration: choosing a database from the library website Advanced Search option (2.4.2.1)
  

Module 3

• Evaluate your resources (3.3)
  • Validity - Activity: Are these images real or fake? (3.3.2)
  • Accuracy - Self-test: Considering an article in terms of referencing and authority (3.3.3)
  • Point of view - Self-test: What kind of language is used? (3.3.6)
  • Evaluate a Web site - Demonstration: evaluating a Web site (3.3.7)
  • Evaluate a Web site - Activity: evaluating a Web site (3.3.7)

Module 4

• Annotate and note take (4.3)
  • Activity: Suggested format for annotating and note taking
• Citations and references: Styles (4.4.1)
  • Interactive exercise: Book referencing
  • Interactive exercise: Journal referencing
  • Interactive exercise: Website referencing

Module 5

• Develop your information - Self-test: Draw a logical conclusion from a set of statements (5.1.4)

Module 6

• Plagiarism: Your responsibiity (6.4.1)
  • Self-test: What is wrong with this student's method of quoting?
  • Self-test: Which is an acceptable way of paraphrasing?