Trinity Western University

Undergraduate Course Syllabus

Course Number: UNIV 110 IS

Course Name: Scholarly Inquiry and Research Methods

Semester and Year: Continuing

Instructor:  William Badke

Contact Information:  badke@twu.ca

Office Hours: Contact any time

Co-requisites or Pre-requisites:  None

Semester Hours:  2

Course site: https://libguides.twu.ca/UNIV110IndependentStudy

Course Description:

Introduction to the skills and tools of information research in a high tech environment, beginning with topic analysis and ending with a sound, analytical research report.  Emphasis is placed on development of critical thinking strategies, within the conventions of scholarly inquiry that are transferable to most information tasks.  Skills developed through this course will have marketplace application. 

 

Course Design

The course is essentially online, using the course site above, but there are five hour-long Zoom sessions on the 5 Wednesdays of the course to introduce major concepts and answer questions.
 

Course Learning Outcomes:

The student will: 

1. Gain an understanding of the characteristics of information and its dissemination in the information age. 

2. Develop an appreciation for topic analysis and research focused around a question or hypothesis. 

3. Learn to strategize research procedures using a wide variety of tools and information sources, based on an understanding of information systems and their manner of operation. 

4. Acquire a deeper ability to use critical thinking to interact with diverse concepts, evaluate truth claims, synthesize data and make conclusions. 

5. Show an appreciation for the ethical requirements of research and writing within Christian and marketplace contexts. 

Course Learning Evaluation:

Course requirements consist of five assignments, all of which are posted at  https://libguides.twu.ca/UNIV110IndependentStudy.  All assignments must be completed and receive a pass if you are to pass the course.  Each assignment is worth 20% of the total course grade, and only letter grades are assigned. Assignments are to be sent by e-mail attachment at badke@twu.ca. 

• Assignment One - Questions on “What is Scholarship?” presentation, topic section, working knowledge of topic.
• Assignment Two - Research question development, preliminary outline, response to Textbook Appendix B.
• Assignment Three - Search for relevant books, using keywords and controlled vocabularies.
• Assignment Four - Journal article searches for relevant articles from Library OneSearch, an individual database, and Google Scholar.
• Assignment Five - Due one week after the final class – Final research question, outline, and bibliography.

Required Texts and Materials:

 

Badke, William.  Research Strategies: Finding your Way through the Information Fog, 7^th ed. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.com, 2021. 

 

Course Policies:

Academic Integrity and Avoiding Plagiarism at TWU

One of the core values of Trinity Western University is the integration of academic excellence with high standards of personal, moral, and spiritual integrity. The University considers it a serious offence when an individual attempts to gain unearned academic credit. It is the student’s responsibility to be informed about what constitutes academic misconduct. For details on this, and on identifying and avoiding plagiarism go to the University Homepage > Academics > Academic Calendar (Section: Academic Policies).

https://prezi.com/od62fxnkbmxh/plagiarism-how-to-get-it-out-of-your-life/ (Prezi presentation)

http://bit.ly/1p00KX3  (Google Slide presentation offering more comprehensive information)

Campus Closure and Class Cancellation

In the event of extreme weather conditions or other emergency situations go to the https://www.twu.ca/campus-notification.

Grading and Late Assignments

Because the Adult Degree Completion program is accelerated, prompt submission of assignments as well as grading and instructor feedback is important. However, life happens and sometimes accommodations need to be made. Regarding due dates, the following responsibilities and consequences apply:

1. The instructor will strive to return all on-time assignments (with a grade and comments where appropriate) to students within 1 to 2 weeks after the due date.
2. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor in advance of the due date that an assignment will be late and to negotiate an extension agreement with the instructor (an email request along with the instructor’s confirmation is all that is required).
3. All assignments submitted after the posted due date (without an instructor approved extension) will be deducted 2% for each day late.
4. No assignments (without an instructor approved extension) will be graded if submitted later than seven days from the official course end date.

TWU GLOBAL Standard Grading System

Letter Grade	% Range	Grade Point	Grade Description
A+	98-100	4.3	Unusually outstanding work; completely error-free work at the highest level attainable
A	94-97	4.0	Outstanding, excellent work
A-	90-93	3.7	Outstanding, excellent work with very minor flaw/s
B+	87-89	3.3	Very good work with few flaws
B	83-86	3.0	Good, competent work
B-	80-82	2.7	Good, competent work with noticeable flaws in one or more areas of content, syntax, formatting, and/or APA usage
C+	75-79	2.3	Adequate, reasonably satisfactory work with significant flaws in one or more areas
C	70-74	2.0	Adequate, reasonably satisfactory work with significant flaws in two or more areas
C-	65-69	1.7	Adequate, reasonably satisfactory work with significant flaws in three or more areas
D+	60-64	1.3	Minimally acceptable work
D	55-59	1.0	Minimally acceptable work
D-	50-54	.7	Minimally acceptable work
F	Below 50	0	Inadequate Work

 

 

Course Statements:

Academic Freedom

With our charter, mission, and identity as a Christian university, Trinity Western University is committed to academic freedom, affirming and supporting it as defined and described in the statements of Universities Canada and the Tri-Council Research Granting Agencies provided in full at the following link: https://www.twu.ca/academic-freedom-trinity-western-university.

Students should familiarize themselves with both the academic freedom statement and policy found at the Academic Freedom website. In this course, the academic freedom of both the course instructor and students is to be respected. Trinity Western University welcomes a diversity of academic perspectives, both in class discussion and submitted course work, provided they are thoughtfully and respectfully presented. Hate speech will not be tolerated.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence now allows us to have the machine do a lot of our writing for us. That may well be useful in some settings, but when you are a student, a large part of your research and writing experience requires you to develop skills. Those skills grow when you wrestle through your own research design, do your own searches, develop your own outlines and wrestle through your own writing. The more you turn any of these skills over to AI, the less likely it is that you will develop them for yourself. That is why we encourage minimal use of AI when you are in a learning task such as research or writing.

In any assignment you submit, you must report any use of an AI tool, explaining what you used and how you used it. Think of such AI as a co-author that must be reported. But keep AI use to a minimum while you are in the learning experience of research and writing.

You may use AI to translate assignments from your home language into English, but you must indicate on assignments that you did this.

The university has a policy and a set of guidelines on the use of AI at TWU. Both are PDF downloads. Start there.

Accessibility Statement

Students with a disability who need assistance are encouraged to contact the Centre for Accessible Learning upon admission to TWU to discuss their specific needs. All disabilities must be recently documented by an appropriately certified professional and include the educational impact of the disability along with recommended accommodations. Once documented with the Centre for Accessible Learning, a letter will be sent to the student’s professor recommending appropriate accommodations. Within the first two weeks of the semester, students must meet with their professors to agree on accommodations appropriate to each class. Students should follow the steps detailed by the Centre for Accessible Learning outlined on the website at https://www.twu.ca/academics/learning-commons/centre-accessible-learning.

Hospitality in the Classroom

TWU is committed to an ethic of inclusion centred on the principles of Christian hospitality, reciprocity and reconciliation. We seek to cultivate generous learning spaces that are based on respect for differences and are open to diverse views, opinions, and identities that are thoughtfully expressed in a collegial manner. We welcome and value all voices, including those from under-represented groups or those who have been marginalized.

Class Attendance

Class attendance, whether face-to-face or virtual, is very important to student success at TWU. Students must attend class at least 75% of the time. If students fail to meet this standard, the instructor may fail the student from the course.

TWU Writing Centre (Undergraduate)

The Writing Centre is available to assist all students with their academic writing assignments in any subject at any stage of the writing process from brainstorming to editing. Live, online writing appointments are available throughout the week by appointment and take place within the Learning Commons appointment booking system. To make an appointment, visit www1.twu.ca/writingcentre. For undergraduates, online writing feedback is offered through WriteAway. Students can submit up to three drafts of a paper, and the online tutors will provide feedback and resources to help improve the writing. Find out more at https://writeaway.ca. For more information, visit https://www.twu.ca/writing-centre or contact writingcentre@twu.ca.