English for Academic Purposes Faculty Resource Guide

Students in this course will start incorporating more research into their assignments. If you want your students to become acquainted with the library, you can direct them to the resources below. There are also accompanying Library Learning Outcomes that you can include in your teaching outcomes for the course; however, it is recommended that students begin to more thoroughly explore resources available via the library, such as GVRL and CQ Researcher.  

Library Learning Outcomes for EAP 1500

Students will be able to:

• Recognize resources the library offers in order to meet their current and ongoing information needs. 
• Identify the EAP Librarian in order to know where to go for help should they need research assistance. 

 Sample Activities + Assessments

1. Ask students to reflect on the way they accomplished research in a library in their home country. Give them examples of how the library works in the United States and at SLU. Invite and encourage the students to contact the EAP librarian in order to get help with their research.  
2. Ask students to watch the video about finding books in Pius Library. Have them go to the library and find a book on their topic. 
3. Ask students to watch the GVRL  and/or CQ Researcher training videos explaining how to search the database. Have them find resources about their chosen topic for their assignments. 
4. Ask students to watch the Library's video about searching SLUth, and have them use SLUth to find resources for their topic.

Resources

If you would like to incorporate critical thinking about information into your course goals, objectives, or outcomes, here is a list of recommended goals based on the course syllabus. As always, you can contact the EAP librarian to tailor information literacy outcomes to your course, request assignment specific assistance, and request instruction sessions. 

Recommended Information Literacy Goals for EAP 1500*

• Students will be able to compare and contrast research vs searching and understand the research process.
• Students will be able to recognize that information may be used differently based on the format in which it is packaged. 
• Students will be able to understand that intellectual property is a legal and social construct that varies by culture.
• Students will be able to seek guidance from experts such as librarians, experts, and instructors. 

*These goals are aligned with the Association of College and Research Library's Framework for Information Literacy.

Sample Activities + Assessments

1. Defining Features Matrix
   • Create a worksheet that lists the defining features of the research process and search processes. Have the students fill in the worksheet matching the features to the appropriate process. Discuss their answers. 
2. Discussing using information in a Paper
   • Students need to understand that different resources can be used in different ways within an essay or research paper.  When we talk about the different ways information is utilized, students may get a clearer picture about why some resources are more appropriate than others. Divide the students into groups and assign them each a resource. Have them evaluate the resource (this may require a bit of reading and consulting with classmates). Students must then decide how they might use the resource in an assignment, i.e.: as a primary source document, to back up a claim they are making, to analyze an argument. Discuss the student's opinions and engage students about the ways scholars use information to inform, persuade, and provide evidence in a paper. 
3. Using information ethically
   • Give the students a brief 3-5 sentence paragraph about an everyday ethical dilemma: cheating, plagiarism, ethical use of information sources, etc. Write two-three questions that require the student to take a position on the dilemma and to explain or justify that position. Ask the students to be honest, as these are anonymous.