Welcome to the CSI: Critically Studying Information BOOT CAMP series!

Congratulations!!! You’ve been accepted into CSI Boot Camp as a Literacy Forensics Agent trainee.

Our era, dubbed The Information Age, is currently under surveillance.

CSIBOOT CAMP

Getting Started

• Do you believe everything you read?

• Do you know when an author intentionally tries to influence you?

• Do you use search engines/Wikipedia to gain knowledge on a topic?

• Are you required to conduct research for school or work?

CSI Boot Camp Series Overview

Each module in this series presents you with investigative tools to train on your own in the field decoding information. These tools will enable you to critically question and evaluate information and its sources. Having critical investigative literacy skills will enable you to weigh the evidence in information and differentiate between truth and fiction…at work, at school, and in your personal life.

Click the file to access the debriefing papers.

Pause a moment to familiarize yourself with the Navigation Key that will be used throughout the series.

Background

DebriefingClick each folder for a quick debriefing on this CSI Boot Camp series.

ObjectiveAudience Technical

RequirementsClearance

The design and development of several modules in this series is the 2010 Capstone Project submitted by Mary Irwin for credit towards a Master of Arts in Instructional Technology (MAIT) degree at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

Its modular design will accommodate future lessons as the CSI BOOT CAMP series evolves through the collaborative efforts of current and future MAIT graduate students.

Special thanks to Dr. Amy Ackerman for her guidance and support during this project.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Literacy is the ability to use digital technology, communication tools and/or networks to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create, and communicate information ethically and legally in order to function in a knowledge society (Educational Testing Service). The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) identified information literacy competency standards for higher education students in the United States in 2000.

This series focuses on evaluation and critical thinking. Thinking critically involves using criteria and evidence to assess the worth or validity of information and to make reasoned judgments.

Background

Objective

After completing this series, you will be able to:

• apply investigative techniques to critically and competently evaluate information and its sources in digital and non-digital environments

Note: Specific learning objectives are listed on the Home Page of each module.

Audience This self-paced series was designed for:

• Higher education learners who are required to conduct research

OR

• Information-seeking individuals who consult and view information in digital and non-digital environments

Technical Requirements

The following are required to benefit from this series:

Access to a computer with speakers and a reliable Internet connection with at least 128 kbps download speed. Check your speed. If you can launch YouTube videos, you are good to go. One of the following operating systems and web browsers. The ability to open and print .pdf documents. If you cannot open this document,

download Adobe Reader. Java and Flash Player installed on your computer. Check to see if you have the

Flash Player. Check to see if you have Java. If necessary, download Flash and Java. All applications/windows closed on your computer.

One last thing…

The Internet is your laboratory. The modules in this series contain hyperlinks to other web pages that either expand on the concept presented or serve as part of an evaluation activity.

When you click on a link, it will launch your browser and overlay this module. To exit out your browser and resume the module, simply click the x in the right corner of the browser window.

Clearance This series of self-paced modules challenges you to critically evaluate information and its sources using a toolkit of investigative techniques. You have been granted official clearance to access the CSI Boot Camp network to begin training as a Literacy Forensics Agent.

You will begin this series independently by accessing The Informants module on the Course Content HOME PAGE in Blackboard.

This series does NOT describe how to conduct a SEARCH! Consult the RSC Library website… Instructional Services … Online Video Tutorials for guidance on conducting a SEARCH for multiple types of information.

Information Literacy Tutorials This CSI Boot Camp series focuses on critically evaluating information and it’s sources

only.

A 12-part series of video tutorials on how to conduct research, developed by a community college librarian in Tucson, Arizona, is available on YouTube. The titles are listed below. Program notes for all tutorials (.pdf files) are available here. You will need Adobe’s Acrobat or Acrobat Reader (free download) to open them.

1: Series Overview 7: Online Reference Databases

2: Selecting a Topic 8: Online Periodical Databases

3: Types of Info Sources 9: Browsing & Searching the Web

4: Libraries & Library Websites 10: Evaluating Information Sources

5: Using a Library Catalog 11: Plagiarism & Citation Styles

6: Locating Materials in the Library 12: Finding Information about Literature

Resources/Credits <Placeholder>