Information Literacy is Important, But Can I Get College Credit for It?

Computer Science 100: Introduction to Internet Research

and Resources

October 29, 2001Copyright Pattie Orr and Joan Campbell, 2001. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright

statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Joan CampbellResearch and Instructional

Services Librarianjcampbell@wellesley.edu

Pattie OrrDirector of

User Servicesporr@wellesley.edu

Department of Information ServicesA Merged Library/IT Organization

Who is Wellesley?

Student body: 2300 very bright students 45% ethnically diverse 7% international 4% nontraditional

A four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts women’s college.

The Need for CS100

IS staff’s increased recognition (seconded by WC faculty reports) that students did not have technical or critical skills to cope with information explosion

IS workshops/library one-shot sessions insufficient for depth; poorly attended

Students will commit only if for credit

Purpose of CS100

Address the needs of students whose weak backgrounds in technical and critical skills would hamper their use of the wide range of electronic resources that have increasingly become integral parts of teaching, learning and communicating at Wellesley College.

Target Audience

First year studentsTransfer studentsNon-traditional aged studentsInternational studentsAt risk or under-served studentsFirst generation college students

Doing Our Homework: Collecting the Data

Data from the following surveys:

Annual CIRP Survey for entering students (Fall 1996)

Andrews/Kipperman Student Technology Survey (Fall 1996)

Enrolled Student Survey (1997)

Students Have Varying Degrees of Computer/Information Literacy

Some have used computers and the Internet a great deal in high school; others report little familiarity beyond word processing.

67% of entering students surveyed in Fall 1996 described skills as adequate or better

33% described skills as very limited Librarians’ experience & student self-reports show

students both lack & overrate info lit skills

Computer Ownership Varies by Ethnicity & Financial Aid Status

In 1997, 81% owned a computer, but only 1/2 of black and 2/3 of Latina students who responded owned a computer

91% of students who received no financial aid owned a computer but only 46% of those on full financial aid owned a computer

Student Ownership is Increasing

Fall 1997 81% ownership overall for students Fall 2001 First Year Students: 90% ownership *

70% brought laptops Of the 57 who did not bring a computer, 34 planned

to acquire one in the fall Of the 23 remaining students, only 8 are considered

to have deep financial need and the college is working toward a grant program to address the need

*Data Gathered from 2001 Fall DormNet Survey for First Years

But Computer Ownership Does Not Guarantee Computer or Information Literacy...

“I had a fair amount of computer experience (I bought my first computer seven years ago) but could do very little with it.” ~Spring 2001

“Stop fearing/hating computers.” ~Fall 2001

“I want to learn to do research on the Internet and to find good sources not garbage.” ~Summer 2001

We asked students, what are you hoping to learn by taking CS100?

Creating the Course

Evolved from an existing team-teaching model between Computer Science and Information Services

Needed an intro course that starts really at the beginning, but would not equal a full-credit class

College opened the door for CS100 by approving and welcoming creation of new .5 credit courses (equal to 2 hours of credit at most colleges)

Modeled after CS1 at Stanford University (based on the work of Eric Roberts)

Structure of the Course

One 90-minute evening meeting per week60 student maximumTheater seatingNot hands on Mandatory pass/failWeekly homework assignmentsFinal project is a published Web portfolio

Who Teaches CS100?

1 Coordinating Faculty/IS Instructor

5 Information Services Staff Various Industry Speakers

“Pattie is very excited about what she teaches and her enthusiasm rubs off on other people - she also brought in some really great speakers who spoke on pertinent topics and I learned a lot from them as well.” ~Fall 2000

CS Introductory Curriculum

(Not Required for CS110)

CS100Introduction to Internet Research and Resources

.5 Unit of CreditM andatory Credit/Non (Pass-Fail)

CS110Com puter Science and the Internet

1.0 Credit

Courses for Non M ajors

CS111Com puter Program m ing and Problem Solving

1.0 Credit

Courses for M ajors/M inors

CS100 Course Topics Evolution of Computer Science and the Internet Networked Communication with Computers Effect of the Internet on Society Web Content and Culture and Publishing

Research on the Internet and using Databases,Evaluating Sources and Citation, Ethics and Copyright

Basics of Web and Hypertext markup Language Computers as Tools

Art and Graphics, Word Processing, Simple Database, E-mail,Electronic Conferencing, and Chats

It Takes a Village... Partnerships:

CS Faculty Class Deans IS Advisory Committee Information Services Staff (6) Student Tutors

10 hrs a week per 20 students

Support: Tutors/Online Help

“The tutors were indispensable. They were by far the most valuable asset to this course.” ~Fall 1998 “The fact that everything was online or virtual for this class helped a lot because it forced students to use the

Internet. The instructions were clear and concise and there was plenty of virtual and physical help if they were the least bit confusing.” ~Spring 2001

Support: Tutors/Online Help 10 hours of tutoring per week for each 20 students enrolled Drop-in tutoring Virtual Tutoring Computing First Aid One-on-one in dorms/labs Review Sessions/Study Breaks “Ask Me” online help from lecturers

Funding Funded for fall 98 as a for-credit (.5), experimental

course by Wellesley ER&D Information Services provided budget for Spring 99 Dean of the College funded the following semesters Teaching staff do not receive stipends; it is part of

their assigned duties. Comp time or flex time provided for hours worked outside of normal work day

CS100 Class Web Site

FirstClass Conferences

FirstClass Threaded Discussion

Online Software Training

Curriculum/Portfolio

“I really enjoyed this course because I learned how to search, access, and critically evaluate information available on the Internet. I also really liked the topics on copyright, privacy, and security issues of electronic communications. The best part of the class was learning about basic computer science and creating a Web- published portfolio.” ~Fall 2000

CS100 Portfolio

If You Build It… WILL They Come?

Pilot Taken as a 5th course until fall 2001/Add-Drop Marketing Mailings to all first years in the summer Academic Fair / Deans Advise Flyer in DormNet Folder Posters

Enrollment (Cumulative)

CS100 by Class Year

50.00%

9.38%6.64%

15.63%

14.84% 3.52% FirstYear

Soph

Jr

Sr

Davis

Other

Who Took CS100?

First Year Students 2300 potential

students over 4 years 128 First Years took

CS100 (5.6%) 24 Soph (1%) 17 Jr (< 1%) 40 Sr (1.7%)

Davis Scholars 120 potential new students over 4

years 38 Davis Scholars took CS100

(33%)

OtherExch, PB, Foreign, Tranfer

240 potential new students over 4 years

9 took CS100 (3.8%)

Who Liked CS100?Student Evaluation Questionnaires

(3 year averages)

87% of students either Strongly Recommended or Recommended CS100

Strongly Recommend 44% Recommend 43% Neither Recommend or Discourage 9% Not Recommend 3% No Answer 1%

Measuring Success…What did the students say?

“ This course was, without a doubt, the most practical course I've taken here. I actually use what I learned almost every day…It is the one class that I have taken where the information that I learned will carry over to any/all of my classes.” ~Spring 2001

“I loved this course so much. I learned how to use my computer!! I learned how to research on the Web. I learned how to use many of the once unknown programs such as Claris and Fireworks... I also gained a curiosity for the Internet and other aspects of the computer.”

~Fall 1998

Measuring Success…What did the CS Visiting Committee Say?

“The new course CS100 is quite unusual and intriguing, providing a good introduction to computing technology while helping students to improve their research, writing, and presentation skills.” ~Spring 99

Lessons Learned…By Us!

Be realistic about the amount of information which can be covered in a 1/2 unit course

Need for the course has remained constant Virtual Tutoring/Support Works! CS100 has been a stepping stone for

students to other Computer Science Courses, jobs in Information Services, and even a few have chosen CS Majors or Minors

Future Directions

Teach only fall and summer Summer Enrichment Program component

may be added Institutional research to make sure we are

reaching our targeted students Gain permanent funding

Credits

Quotes taken from Wellesley College Student Evaluation Questionnaires for CS100 Fall 1998 - Spring 2001

Our thanks to Eric Roberts, Stanford University, for his pioneering work in the area of introductory computer science education

For More Information Contact

Pattie Orrporr@wellesley.edu

Joan Campbelljcampbell@wellesley.edu