This information has been provided for librarians, instructors,
faculty and other educators interested in learning more about BILT.
If you have contributions or suggestions about using BILT,
please email
us.
|
What is BILT? |
What
Is BILT?
BILT
is a new resource for Samford students, a self-paced tutorial
to teach them basic library and research skills. It covers the research
process from initial topic selection to citation styles and the
issue of plagiarism. There is a link to BILT on the Libraries'
home page or it can be
accessed directly from http://library.samford.edu/bilt.
Its content is organized into six modules:
| 1 - Starting smart | an overview that introduces students to various types of sources. |
| 2 - Choosing a topic | which provides tips on broadening and narrowing a topic and discusses search concepts. |
| 3 - Searching for information | which has live practice searches in the catalog, article databases and search engines. |
| 4 - Finding information online and in the library | in which students learn to navigate the library building as well as our online resources. |
| 5 - Evaluating Sources | which includes basic evaluation criteria for research sources. |
| 6 - Citing sources | a module that also includes the topics of plagiarism and copyright. |
Each of the six sections takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, and students can do this on their own time outside of class. Each of the modules is followed by a short quiz.
Who
Is It Designed For?
BILT
is designed for students in classes with a substantial writing component
or introductory-level research. However, we hope instructors of other
classes will find it useful and assign it to their students.
How
Can Instructors Effectively Use BILT with Their Courses?
Please
have students complete BILT before they begin their
research or attend a library session. Students can complete BILT
on their own time and submit their quiz results to you.
Each module is followed by a short quiz and a results page, which provides a summary of questions answered right or wrong and an overall percentage score for that module. The results pages can be printed out with the student’s name at the top and submitted to you as proof of completion. We have not assigned a "passing grade" for these results, but leave that to your discretion, (e.g., whether or not you consider 80%, etc. a passing score). Instructors may also chose to give extra credit points to students who complete BILT.
Does
BILT Replace Library Instruction?
No!
We continue to offer course-related library instruction and hope
that you will incorporate it into your syllabus. Timing is important!
Please schedule library instruction with us for a date after
your class has received a research assignment, so students learn
about searching databases at a time when they need to know this
information. Also, research has shown that:
- Students learn best and retain most when they need the information.
- Library instruction is more effective when the course instructor is present.
- Library instruction is more effective when coordinated with a class assignment.
Click here for more information about setting up a library instruction session for your class. We recommend scheduling your session at least a week in advance as the the instruction schedule fills up quickly. Requests will be filled on a first-come basis.
