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Instructions for Students Beginning RES 500 OL (Research Strategies) Fall, 2011

 1. This online course is located at: http://acts.twu.ca/Library/research500.htm. It is not password protected. You should not submit assignments through MyCourses. The syllabus and all assignments, as well as assignment submission information are available through the above website.

 2. The textbook is Research Strategies: Finding your Way through the Information Fog, 4th ed. (Lincoln, NE: iUniverse.com, 2011). For information on formats (including most e-book formats), see http://acts.twu.ca/Library/textbook.htm. There is a briefer version online, but students taking the course are required to read the more comprehensive paper edition.

 3. To get into RefWorks or our databases for assignment #3 and #4 through our web page
– http://www.twu.ca/library  - you will need the user name and password from your TWU email account (=TWUPass). You must activate your e-mail account for the password to work.  Read the registrar’s information sheet, which you will have received by e-mail. Further information is located at http://www.twu.ca/divisions/technology/students/faq.html#accessemail

 4. When you begin the course, you will need to choose two topics upon which to base your assignments. These can be topics from the list provided on the “assignments” page of the course, topics of personal interest to you or (preferred) topics for which you are writing papers in other courses. All assignments will be based on those two topics.

 5. You should first read the "syllabus" in the course website (URL listed in 1. above), then move on to "assignments." 

6. I have included an assignment template for each assignment. Select the content of the assignment by holding down your left mouse button and dragging over it, then copy it and paste it into your word processor. This will serve as your guide to make sure you complete all parts of each assignment as directed.

 7. As you complete each of the five assignments, you may submit them to me by e-mail or in person. If using e-mail, send them as attachments. Students may paste their assignments directly into the message of their e-mail. You need to turn in each assignment as you complete it. If you leave everything to the end, I cannot re-direct you as I could if you went off track in assignment #2.

 8. Throughout the course, I am just as interested in how you got your results as the results themselves. Thus I constantly ask what sources you used, what terms you searched with, etc. Please take this seriously and provide the requested information. It is important to your grade.

 9. You should contact me by e-mail whenever you are having any problems with the course (badke@twu.ca) My phone # is 604-888-7511, ext. 3906, but you are much more likely to reach me by e-mail.

 10. Don’t delay getting into the course. You’ll likely find it more of a challenge than you thought, though most students actually survive it well.

11. The due dates for assignments. Note that an assignment that is late up to a week will lose a quarter grade (e.g. from B to halfway to B-) while over a week will lose a half grade (B to B-) and succeeding weeks a quarter grade each. Here are the assignment due dates:            

ASSIGNMENTS        RES 500 OL Due Dates                  

Assignment #1          September 22, 2011                        
Assignment #2          October 13, 2011                           
Assignment #3          November 3, 2011                             
Assignment #4          November 24, 2011                        
Assignment #5          December 8, 2011                                   

If all assignments are not completed by the final due date, you will need to download an “incomplete” form from http://www.twu.ca/es  (the "forms" link on the right side). There is a fee, and your grade will be lowered if the incomplete is not due to an illness, injury or family emergency. Note that we have tightened up on incompletes - they are not available for such things as underestimation of amount of work needed in the course, time pressures due to other responsibilities, etc.

 Have fun with the course. Research is exciting. If you don’t think so, it’s only because you haven’t been properly introduced to its joys. I hope I’ll be doing that for you.