Discovery Research Log
Research to Learn
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One of our course learning outcomes (#4) focuses on the kinds of research you will do most often in most academic courses. We say that students' portfolios will:
"Demonstrate their ability to locate, read, evaluate, select, and use (integrate) effectively information from appropriate sources with their own ideas."
However, a larger (and perhaps more important) goal of this course and of a college education, is to change (or expand) the ways you think of "research." Instead of your being a better "researcher," we want you to be more "information literate." We want you to begin to recognize that "research" is a way to learn, to become well-informed --about a topic, an issue, a concern, a problem that may be of interest to you, relevant for you (or not!).
You already know from other experiences in your life that being well informed helps you make better choices, helps you make important decisions. You may also have experiences in which knowing more, being well informed or better informed, has made you a better employee, employer, friend, spouse, family member, organization member, and / or citizen.
As information (and knowledge) expands exponentially and is available in unprecedented quantities and various kinds of quality, being able to "learn" more (and trust what you are learning) about anything continues to be more challenging.
Individuals who are more "information literate" and who know how to continue to develop their information literacy will have more opportunities (and chances) to be successful in life, to be valued and valuable members of the numerous communities in which they participate and to which the contribute--as citizens, family members, organization members, neighbors, professionals, etc.
This "Research to Learn" sequence in ENGL 1302 is meant to help you achieve not only the course outcome but also to support this larger (often unspoken) goal of helping you become more "information literate," changing how you think about, do, and use "research." Part of this sequence is included in your Reading Responses, particularly to reading the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy. The other part of this sequence is in your Discovery Log/Research Journal outlined below.
When you have chosen your "Focus(es) for Learning," you will begin research. Ideally, you will set aside time to engage in this at least weekly, or several times a week. In other words, this will be an ongoing activity, throughout the course. Each Discovery Log should follow the provided format and should be saved in your “Discovery Log” folder within your Shared Folder.
Click here to download a template for Discovery Log responses.
Each response should include:
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What is your research question(s)?
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Date and time spent for each of your research sessions
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Keywords you use for each search; how you determined them.
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Tools: databases, search engines, reference from other source, etc.
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List author, title, and the link to the source for each result you consulted / read / or determined as useful
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Notes for each source, recording what you thought was useful / interesting; including quotes, paraphrases, data, etc. that contributes to your learning.
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For each research session, a reflective summary of what you did, how it contributed to your learning about your issue, and what you plan to do in your next research session. (Include information about how / why you added research questions or changed them; about what new search terms you will try or did try, and why; about how you might use the information you have found or how it adds to your knowledge about your issue (Anything new? How does it relate to what else you are learning? etc.) In addition / finally, for each of these reflective summaries, explain / explore how the work you did relates to / connects with / illustrates one or more of the 6 Information Literacy concepts (At least the ones we have read so far).
Ongoing: Mapping connections
As you research, read, and learn about your focus, you will begin to identify its complexity, its parts, and the connections among the parts. In addition, as you identify and read more sources, you'll begin to recognize how they relate to one another, as if they were in conversation--agreeing, expanding, disagreeing, offering different perspectives, etc.
Regularly, as you engage in more research, you will be looking at this bigger picture and writing about these connections or developing a mind map or visual concept map. In other words, you will be developing a fuller understanding of your focus, identifying its scope, its parts, and their connections.
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As you are making and mapping connections, you will use PhraseBank to practice thinking about and integrating information. The PhraseBank sentence starters offer you ways to consider how information is related to other information.
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Due Dates/Details
Discovery Log 1
Write an informal letter to classmates and myself detailing what you have decided to research to learn more about this semester.
What one (or two) question(s), issue(s), concern(s), problem(s), topic(s), etc. do you want to learn more about this semester?
What do you want to research more so you become better informed?
Ideally this will be some fairly general or big topic, but nothing is restricted deeming it is appropriate for class.
(Note: Future Discovery Logs will follow the template linked to above, but this first one should follow this description)
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Discovery Log 2 - due 9/9 @ midnight
Follow the template provided above
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Discovery Log 3 - due 9/16 @ midnight
Follow the template provided above
Keep in mind that at this point in your discovering (research), you are focused on learning as much as you can about your topic or issue. You want to find out what other people think about this topic or issue - what are people saying about it? What are people who are experts in that topic or issue saying about it? At this point you should not be trying to support a particular argument or position - only trying to get as much information as you can about all sides of the topic/issue.
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Discovery Log 4 - due 9/23 @midnight
See instructions above. Make sure you are including the information asked for in the Assignment Description. You should be compiling information. At this point, you should not be presenting an argument, rather you should be trying to find out what as many people as possible are saying about whatever topic or issue you are exploring.
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Discover Log #7:
Thinking about our Intersections: Situations and Genres project - for this entry, focus on researching audiences and the types of genres they are exposed to.
Try to focus on 2 types of audiences. Do not be general and say "Americans." Pinpoint specific groups that are interested in your topic or need to know something about your topic that you want to target.
Why do you want to target them?
What types of writing are they exposed to?
Make sure you save all of the information required in the template for each source you use this log. You should have multiple sources.
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Discovery Log #8:
Thinking of our discussion on FYS and its connection to the Intersections project, use DL #8 as a way of researching a connection between your issue you've been researching and the historical timeframe Dr. Wooster focuses on.
-As part of the couple of sources you will find for this entry, one of the sources should be a scholarly source. This can be either a physical book from the library or an article or ebook from the library databases.
Make sure you save all of the information required in the template for each source you use this log. You should have multiple sources.
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