LS 101: Learning Strategies (Newsom & Solheim) [2nd 7 weeks] 

You are writing a paper on academic support services.  You need to locate information to support what you think you already know and to supplement what you learned in your Pathways Center interview.  You will cite the 2 sources you find in an annotated bibliography at the end of the paper. 

You will also have a consultation with a librarian and conduct an interview at that time.  This can be added to your paper as well.

Look up your topic in print or online overview (comprehensive and encyclopedic) sources:

STUDY SKILLS

Credo Reference: 400+ reference books from reputable publishers are available in this online and award-winning product which integrates print into the digital environment.

• Pick one relevant article.
• Print it.
  
• Read it.
• Circle words or concepts that sound interesting to look for further information.
• Think about how this article ties back into what kinds of support services that you think Wartburg provides.
  

Transfer these ideas and concepts into a mind map.  Think about everything you read or already know about study skills in college and put it into visual form.

Use bubble.us for online brainstorming.

• Create colorful mind maps online
• Share and work with friends
• Embed your mind map in your blog or website
• Email and print your mind map
• Save your mind map as an image
• It's a FREE web application.
  

There are many types of questions to consider when you are searching for information.

1. Encyclopediac: broad, comprehensive, and sweeping. What are the differences between a liberal arts college and a state university?
2. Meaning-oriented: put a concept in significant context. If everyone gets an A for basic work, do grades have any meaning as a measure of academic excellence?
3. Relational: how is x related to y? How does using the Pathways Center make me a better student?
4. Value-oriented: considers ideologies, people. If all information is digitized, why should we continue to fund libraries?
5. Solution-oriented: look for an answer. What can we do to teach students how not to plagiarize in college papers?

After you explore your original topic in print and/or online reference sources, you will want to formulate a question that you would like to pursue.

• What are you wondering about?
• Get beyond a paper that simply reports on a topic.
• Use what you have already learned about the topic to narrow or broaden your search.

It is extremely important to brainstorm search terms that you will use as you look for evidence to address your question. See the next box for suggestions.

These are simply suggestions  All of them are from subject lists in EBSCOhost databases.  Feel free to use ideas from your mind map or your own interests to search:

Begin with one of the keywords that relate to the main topic of study skills:

• Study skills                                           
  
• Learning
• Homework
• Note-taking
• Test-taking
• Test Anxiety
  
• Study environment
• Time management
  
• Academic Achievement
• Testing services
• Academic advising
• Counseling services
• Supplemental instruction
• Libraries
• Library instruction
  
• Tutors & tutoring
• Supervised study
• Etc.
  

You will probably want to combine the first keyword with a second one to zero in on college students:

• College students
• College freshmen
• Education, higher (or higher education)
• undergraduate students (or undergraduates)
  
• first-generation college students
• male college students
• minority college students
• underprepared college students
• women college students
• Etc.
  

This is where you decide what kind of resources you need (magazines? scholarly journals? websites? newspaper articles? books?) and then use library and web tools to find them.

For LS101, you need 1 article from a database and 1 web resource.

Suggested databases for finding articles to explore improving study skills for college students:

Academic Search Complete is a general academic database will yield credible information. 

ERIC is "the" teacher education, test, measurement, and evaluation clearinghouse of information.  It contains a huge number of both educational journal articles (EJ) and full-text documents (ED).

Professional Development Collection contains articles from education journals that are often more scholarly and research-based.

Vocational and Career Collection has full-text articles from trade, vocational, community college, and general public resources.

You are on your own for the web information.  It must

• pass the PATS test AND
  
• be useful information for college-age students.
  

See the tabs in this guide for how to do both of those things. 

If you have questions, I am always happy to help.  If I am not around (my office is by the stairs to the 3rd floor and my phone is #8460 or you can email), ask at the Service Desk and another librarian can assist you.