Incorporating Information Literary into Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology: A Core Course in the Geology Major

Faculty: Dr. Bart S. Martin, Department of Geology and Geography, bsmartin@cc.owu.edu
Librarian: Deborah Carter Peoples, M.L.S., dapeople@cc.owu.edu

Abstract
This proposal requests funds to assist Dr. Bart S. Martin (Dept. of Geology and Geography, Ohio Wesleyan University), working in conjunction with Deborah Carter Peoples (Stewart Hall Science Library, Ohio Wesleyan University), in enhancing the information literacy component of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology (Geology 310). This is an existing course that is one of the core courses in the Geology major. Martin and Carter Peoples will work to revise the course material in Petrology in order to reflect the information literacy competency standards published by the Association of College and Research Libraries. These skills are integral to the success of Petrology and will serve as the foundation for life-long learning by the graduates of our program.

The Nature of the Project.
Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology is one of the two earth materials courses that all majors in Geology and Earth Science are required to take at Ohio Wesleyan. This lecture and laboratory based course focuses on the origin of rocks produced at temperatures greater than those seen on the surface of the Earth. In many colleges and universities, Geology majors take Petrology during their second year in the major. However, the course is offered on an alternate year basis at Ohio Wesleyan; consequently, the course enrolls students at all levels of the Geology major. There are several components to Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology where the integration of information literacy into the course is appropriate: all students in the course must write a term paper on some topic related to igneous or metamorphic petrology; all students must present the findings from their term papers to the class; all students must select two journal articles from that geological literature that they must read, write an abstract of, and then present to the class; and finally, I have the students work on a semester long project in which they are required to analyze a suite of rocks using macroscopic, microscopic, and geochemical techniques and then interpret the findings based upon their review of the published literature.

The following goals of information literacy are achievable in the context of Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology:

1. During the topical research for their term papers and the semester project, students in Petrology will need to determine the nature and extent of the information needed to complete the papers and projects. Once they have selected their topics, the students will need to conduct a thorough search of the geological literature in order to find material for their topics. This will require them to access the on-line resources of GeoRef, the geoscience database developed by the American Geological Institute, notable for its deep coverage and controlled vocabulary of the discipline and wide use by both geoscience scholars and professionals. Students will be taught to access and search the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center. Depending on their choice of topics, the use of JStor may also be covered.
2. Increasingly, material on topics in Petrology is available on the WWW. Research for their papers and projects using the WWW will require the students to be able to access the needed information. The students will learn about the use of multiple search engines in order to locate information on the World Wide Web (WWW) as well as the "invisible web".
3. The students will have to critically evaluate the material that they have located and then incorporate the appropriate material into their work. For instance, once they have compiled a list of potential sources using GeoRef, they will have to further refine their information skills in order to evaluate the appropriateness of information from primary sources (e.g., peer-reviewed journals, government documents. and scholarly books). Critical evaluation skills will be particularly important in evaluating material from the WWW that may not have undergone the rigorous peer review process of articles in the scholarly journals and geological survey publications. Students will learn how to critically evaluate information sources.
4. The students will learn how to effectively communicate their findings in both written and oral presentation. They will be expected to be able to do this in a wide variety of formats, including written papers and abstracts as well as formal, oral presentations to the class. The students will receive formal instruction in the techniques of scholarly communication, including how to develop visual aids to compliment their oral and written presentations, how to prepare "handouts", and how to use presentation software. Effective communication is a skill that will serve the students well throughout their lives. Over the years, we have heard from numerous graduates in the geosciences that the ability to effectively communicate was key to success in their jobs.
5. Finally, the students will learn about the proper techniques for citing the sources of their information both within the body and in the bibliographies of their written papers. They will also learn about the importance of using one's own words in order to express their ideas and hopefully develop an appreciation of what is plagiarism and how to avoid plagiarizing information.

In order to achieve these goals, close collaboration between the course instructor (Martin) and the librarian (Carter Peoples) will be necessary. The collaboration between the participants in this project will emphasize to the students the importance of academic libraries to education, that academic libraries are institutions of both teaching and learning, and that the librarians are available to help them with their information needs.

Project Timeline
Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology will be taught during the Spring Semester of the 2001-02 academic year. Martin and Carter Peoples will meet periodically during the Fall Semester of 2001 to discuss the necessary revisions to the lecture and lab schedules for Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology to accommodate the enhancement of information literacy education into the class. In addition, they will continue to meet as needed during the Spring Semester to review progress and make any necessary adjustments in the course.

Faculty Time to Complete the Project
Martin estimates that he will spend 2 to 3 hours per week working on course adjustments in Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology as well as developing additional material for the course that will serve as the basis for the enhancement of information literacy. In addition, he anticipates spending between 50 and 75 hours over the summer of 2001 constructing the semester long project for Petrology that will require the students to use their information literacy skills. This will include the acquisition of an appropriate suite of rock samples and the background geological material that will form the foundation of the project.

Other Sources of Financial Support
Though not directly related to the Information Literacy component, the Department of Geology and Geography may fund the acquisition of a suite of rock samples if Martin is unable to acquire them during his summer 2001 field work.

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