Instructor Contact

Andrea Niosi

• Email: Please contact me using the Canvas Inbox during our course. Before and after the course session, you can email me at aniosi@ccsf.edu .
• Pronto App in Canvas. Instant Message me using the Pronto App in the gray Canvas global menu at left. (It is visible from all course pages except the Syllabus, for some reason.)
• Student Hours/Office Hours: 2:00-3:00 Tuesdays during our course
• My CCSF instructional website outside of Canvas

Communication Plan

• I will respond to your messages within 24 hours during the work week (Monday-Friday, excluding holidays) unless I notify you otherwise.
• Your work will be reviewed and I will comment on it within one week of the due date unless I announce otherwise. I will provide private comments on your assignments. 
• I will participate in the weekly discussions, but may not respond to each individual student. 

Instructor Announcements

I will post announcements weekly in Canvas throughout the summer session. The default setting in Canvas is set to notify you as soon as I create an Announcement. This will help you keep up with the classwork.

Information competency skills help students be more effective consumers and creators of information. This course helps students develop awareness and resilience for life, work, & study in a society overloaded with information. Disinformation, algorithmic bias, Web search strategies, fact-checking, privacy, plagiarism, & information ethics are covered. Techniques include using online library databases, identifying information types, and citing & selecting credible and relevant scholarly sources. See the Official Course Outline of Record.

Prerequisites/corequisites/advisories

Recommended Preparation, ESL 186 or placement in ESL 188. TRANSFERRABLE TO UC/CSU.

This class has a short semester of 7 weeks. 

Student Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Distinguish between information sources and their value in different contexts.
2. Formulate viable research questions.
3. Employ effective search strategies across a variety of search tools.
4. Apply evaluation criteria to information sources.
5. Practice ethical and legal use of information.

Class Meetings

LI S 10-Sec 932 will be taught online with no required meeting times. There is an optional online orientation on Tuesday, April 4th, at 2 pm. Click CityZoom in our course to join. It will be recorded.

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system for assignment instructions, participating in discussions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, and viewing grades.  I also encourage students to use Canvas Inbox to communicate with me.

For 24/7 help with Canvas call: 1-844-592-2198. This service is only available to students until June 30, 2022.

Textbooks

There is no textbook required for this class. The course readings are embedded in each week's module content.

Canvas

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades.  I can help with the course material and with some Canvas issues. But, if you need help uploading an assignment or with the mechanics of Canvas, Canvas help is the number to call.

For 24/7 help with Canvas call: 1-844-592-2198. This service is only available to students until June 30, 2022.

Zoom Video Conferencing

I am happy to arrange a time to meet with you outside of my student hours. Contact me using Canvas Inbox to arrange a time.

Required Software

For the best experience and functionality, I recommend doing classwork using a desktop or laptop computer and using Canvas in a web browser. Students can borrow laptops and wifi hotspots from the CCSF Library.

• most current version of a recommended web browser for Canvas 
• (Optional) the Canvas App for your mobile device can help you keep up with class when you're away from a computer, but it has limited functionality compared to the browser version.
• Zoom
• Microsoft Word (free for CCSF Students), Open Office, or Google Docs.  The Google Docs app is included free in your mail.ccsf.edu account.

Important Dates

• Day Class Begins: Saturday, April 1
• Last Day to Drop with refund: Thursday April 6  
• Last Day to Add without instructor's approval: Tuesday April 11th
• Last Day to Drop without a 'W' on transcript: Tuesday April 11th
• Last Day to Drop with a W on your transcript: Thursday May 11th
• Last Day to choose Pass/No Pass grading: Thursday May 11th
• Day Class Ends: Wednesday May 24th

These dates are also shown  on our Course Calendar. See the Calendar in the gray Canvas menu at left and be sure the box for our class is checked.

Dropping the Class

I want everyone to succeed in this class. I hope you'll reach out to me if you are struggling with the class or if you are thinking of dropping to see if we can work together to find a way for you to succeed. If you decide to discontinue this course, use the drop procedure.

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP instead of taking it for a letter grade. Page 16 of the MyRAM Student Guide shows how to use the Student Portal in MyCCSF.  For help, contact Admissions and Records either in person or using their virtual counter. With a grade of C or better, you will pass the class.

Once you decide to choose P/NP grading, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP but check with a counselor to be sure.

Attendance

Students who fail to log-in to class in the first week and participate in a learning activity may be dropped from the class. If you are having issues that are affecting your ability to complete the course assignments, please contact me to avoid being dropped from the class. 

Late Policy

All assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. PST on the due date. If you are having difficulty meeting our course deadlines, contact me so we can discuss options.

Methods of Evaluation

Each week you will complete graded assignments. There is usually a Discussion, an Assignment, and a Quiz each week.  All of these assignments can be completed after reading the text pages in the modules. 

Quizzes

There are six online quizzes throughout the course. The material comes from the course modules.

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I post grades and provide private comments on your assignments in the online Canvas gradebook.

  How do I view my grades, teacher comments, and an assignment rubric as a student?

Grades will be assigned as follows: 

If taking Pass/No Pass you need at least 70% of the total class points to pass the class. According to the CCSF catalog, "Students planning to transfer should inquire of the transfer institution its policy on pass/no-pass course work. Some institutions may require a letter grade in course work used to satisfy specific requirements for admission and/or major preparation." Also, be aware of SAP standards when choosing this option.

An “F” grade indicates that a student attended, participated and completed the course but failed to master the course curriculum.

An “FW” grade indicates the student stopped attending a course after the “last day to withdraw” deadline and subsequently did not submit any work or participate in any exams. Please check with your counselor and financial aid advisor for possible implications of the FW grade on residency and financial aid status.

If you need classroom or testing accommodations because of a disability, or have emergency medical information to share with me, please contact me as soon as possible. 

Students seeking disability related accommodations are encouraged to also register with Disabled Students Programs and Services. Please see the DSPS website for more information.

Students who register in CCSF classes are required to abide by the CCSF Student Code of Conduct. Violation of the code is basis for referral to the Student Conduct Coordinator or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Office of Student Affairs .

Part of this class is to learn about the ethics of information use and how to avoid plagiarism. But please be aware that copying quizzes or assignments or discussion posts is considered an act of academic dishonesty and may result in a grade of 0 for that quiz, discussion, or assignment. Learn more about Academic Integrity and Citing Sources to avoid plagiarism:

Encourage Academic Integrity and Prevent Plagiarism

Citing Information Sources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Student Expectations 

You will succeed in this course if you meet the following expectations:

• Complete the assigned activities. Please let me know as soon as possible about difficulties that you may have in getting assignments, discussions, or quizzes in on time. 
• Complete the discussion posts and replies within the given window of time. Our discussions are much more vibrant when we all participate.
• Complete the weekly quizzes, the discussion posts and replies, and do the assignments on time.
• Think critically about the weekly topics. Is something surprising? Is it new to you? How does it contrast with what you know about XYZ or how does it compare to ABC? 
• Do your own and your best work. 

Instructor Expectations 

Here is what you can expect of me:

• I will respond to your email or message within 24 hours Mon-Fri, unless I inform you otherwise or it's a school holiday.
• I will treat you and your ideas with respect.
• I will grade your Discussion posts and replies most often within 48 hours. (If you have posted late work, it may take longer.) 
• You will see your grades in the Canvas Gradebook.
• I will work hard to make this a great class.