San José State University
School of Library and Information Science
LIBR 246: Advanced Information Technology Tools and Applications

Instructors

Robert Bruce and Bridget Kowalczyk

Prerequisites:

LIBR 202 required; LIBR 250 recommended; Prior experience with html recommended.

Course Description

Taking a constructivist approach to creating online tutorials, students customize their instruction level based on experience in instructional design, information literacy, and web development. Instructional Design principles play a key role in this course; prior experience in Instructional Design or completion of Library 250 is recommended. Students use PHP and MySQL to construct interactive online tutorials. Familiarity with html is also recommended.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the course, you should be able to:

  • Conduct an instructional needs assessment and determine the best method for delivery of instruction (tutorial, in-person instruction, combination).
  • Develop tutorial goals and learning objectives.
  • Create an online interactive tutorial with content relevant to a target audience.
  • Construct a tutorial quiz to measure student learning.
  • Assess tutorial usability and revise for maximum effectiveness.
  • Create dynamically generated web page content using PHP and MySQL.
  • Read and write to a MySQL database through PHP.
  • Understand the relationship between PhP and CGI (Common Gateway Interface).
  • Compose, read, and write queries in SQL (Structured Query Language).
  • Understand the basic PhP scripting language syntax.

Required Texts/Readings

Naramore, E., Gerner, J., Scouarnec, Y. L., Stolz, J., & Glass, M. K. (2005). Beginning PHP5, Apache, and MySQL Web Development (Programmer to Programmer). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley.

Other readings

DuBois, P. (2000).MySQL. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders.

Lebow, D. (YEAR). Constructivist values for instructional systems design: Five principles toward a new mindset. Educational Technology Research and Development (ETR&D), 41(3), 4‑16.

Stacey, E. (2005). A constructivist framework for online collaborative learning: Adult learning and collaborative learning theory. In T.S. Roberts (Ed.), Computer‑supported collaborative learning in higher education. (pp. 140‑161). Central Queensland University, Australia: Idea Group Publishing.

Felder, R. M. & Brent, R. (2005). Understanding student differences. Journal of Engineering Education, 94(l), 57‑72. Available at: http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Papers/Understanding_Differences.pdf

Grassian, E. S. & Kaplowitz, J. R. (YEAR). A brief introduction to learning theory. In Information literacy instruction: Theory and practice. (pp. 33‑57). New York: Neal‑Schuman Publishers.

Grassian, E. S. & Kaplowitz, J. R. (YEAR). An overview of learning styles. In Information literacy instruction: Theory and practice. (pp. 59‑87). New York: Neal‑Schuman Publishers.

National Research Council. (2001). Advances in the sciences of thinking and learning. In I. W. Pellegrino, N. Chudowsky & R. Glaser (Eds.), Knowing what students know: The science and design of educational assessment. (pp. 59‑110). Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Concept maps: What the heck is this? (n.d.). Available at: http://www.msu.edu/user/luckie/ctools/

Index of Learning Styles: Online Questionnaire. (n.d.). Available at: http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/ILSpage.html

Kinds of concept maps. (n.d.). Available at: http://classes.aces.uiuc.edu/ACES100/Mind/c-m2.html

Learning domains or Bloom’s taxonomy. (n.d.). Available at: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

Learning framework. (n.d.). Available at: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/learning/environment.html

Learning process. (n.d.). Available at: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/learning/learning.html

Problem based learning. (n.d.). Available at: http://www.cotf.edu/ete/pbl.html

Training and active learning. (n.d.). Available at: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/learning/active.html

Grading

Grading will be based on a total accumulation of 100 possible points, distributed as follows:

Assignment Percentage
Introduction 2%
Personal Goals: Reading and Knowledge Quest Plan 20%
Analysis of Online Tutorials 12%
Collaborative Online Tutorial Development 30%
Technology Proficiency Tasks and Self-Assessment Quiz 20%
Reflection and Critique 6%
Class Participation 10%
TOTAL 100%

Grading Scale:

Percent range Grade
97% to 100% inclusive A
94% to 96% inclusive A-
91% to 93% inclusive B+
88% to 90% inclusive B
85% to 87% inclusive B-
82% to 84% inclusive C+
79% to 81% inclusive C
76% to 78% inclusive C-
73% to 75% inclusive D+
70% to 72% inclusive D
67% to 69% inclusive D-
Below 67% F

Course Schedule

Week Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
1 (Aug. 23) Introduction to Elluminate, Tutorials, & the Learner
2 (Aug. 30) Analysis of Online Tutorials Assignment, Rubrics, Teams, & Programming Prep
3 (Sept. 6) Tutorials: Your Team’s Tutorial, Audience & Stakeholders, PHP5_Chapter 2
4 (Sept. 13) Problem-Based Learning, Creating Learning Objectives (Approaches), Intro to Assessment & PHP: Branching tutorials
5 (Sept. 20) Scope, Timeline, & Budget and PHP assigned readings
6 (Sept. 27) PHP: Elements of an Interactive Quiz
7 (Oct. 4) Information Literacy & PHP readings
8 (Oct. 11) Online Tutorial Assignment Update and PHP Chapter 4 Readings
9 (Oct. 18) There was no lecture on Week 9. Office hours only.
10 (Oct. 25) Programming Exercises: Analysis and Discussion
11 (Nov. 1) Universal Design for Learning, Tests, & Accessibility
12 (Nov. 8)
13 (Nov. 15)
14 (Nov. 22) CAMPUS CLOSED
15 (Nov. 29) The Final Stretch
16 (Dec. 6) Tutorial Development and Beyond: Programming Tips and Open Source Resources