“Exploring” Modules

Gathering & Noting Ideas 

What can this module teach your students? 

This module will equip your students with strategies for gathering and noting ideas when working on assignments. This includes tips on organizing notes to develop the structure and main arguments of an essay and creating graphic representations of ideas. 

Tips on using this module in the context of your course 

This module might be assigned in different contexts, though it is not intended to assist students in taking lecture notes, but more in gathering and noting ideas as they engage in reading books, articles and other textual information sources in preparing assignment work. It is recommended that this module be assigned before students begin to work in-depth with sources found for assignment research. You will probably want to caution your students, that without good notes, writing a research paper well is nearly impossible! Stress that consulting this SPARK module will help them develop the fundamental art of good note-taking including synthesizing, and sourcing ideas in information sources consulted, and drawing important connections among the resources they consider.

Research Strategies 

What can this module teach your students? 

This module will teach your students effective search strategies, including choosing appropriate databases and other search tools, browsing the library shelves and following citation trails. Students will learn how to develop an effective search statement and to evaluate and refine search strategies. They will also learn how to locate resources found in the catalogue or periodical indexes. 

Tips on using this module in the context of your course 

This module is best assigned after the Getting Started set of modules has been completed, that is, after students understand assignment planning, have worked through topic formulation, and are ready to start identifying specific resources such as articles, archival materials, or government publications. Research shows that in the absence of guidance, students will rely on tools, such as Google and Wikipedia, with which they are already familiar and not move beyond these in their research. Ensure they become savvy researchers by assigning this module so students learn where and how to search for relevant resources effectively and how to find copies of those resources online or on the library shelves. You might consider showing the short videos on searching using the catalogue and periodical indexes and having a discussion afterwards noting any relevant disciplinary nuances.

Effective Reading Strategies 

What can this module teach your students? 

This module will help your students develop active reading strategies that can take them beyond superficial acquaintance with material to a deeper understanding of it. The module focuses on learning the SQ4R technique, an effective method for productively engaging with academic material in a goal-oriented fashion. Students will learn the value of making multiple passes through a reading with a different focus and purpose in mind each time.   

Tips on using this module in the context of your course 

This module will help students understand better not only the material they locate for their essays, but any material assigned in your course. Consequently the module can be valuable at any point in a course. Learning the SQ4R technique is greatly facilitated by observing demonstrations of its use. Collaborative completion of the SQ4R resource included in the module can be particularly helpful. For example, an instructor might choose a particular piece of text and use the resource to walk students through the SQ4R process with respect to that text. The worksheet could also be completed collaboratively in small-groups in a tutorial or individually as a homework exercise and the results compared among peers.

Essay Structure 

What can this module teach your students? 

This module describes and illustrates several structural features of a good essay, including thesis statements, topic sentences within paragraphs, and transitions between paragraphs. The module will help students learn to use quotations appropriately and to follow the standard conventions (APA and MLA, for example) for formatting an essay. The module emphasizes that the broad structure of an essay should be guided by the essay’s purpose, and it distinguishes for students such purposes as comparison, analysis, and argument. 

Tips on using this module in the context of your course 

The video in the second section of this module could work very well in the class at which you first introduce your essay assignment. The video presents a student describing the process she followed to generate a well-structured essay. Students often think that they need a clear idea of the eventual structure of the final product before they can begin writing; but the student in this video convincingly illustrates how essay structure emerges in a process of carefully reading an assignment, considering relationships among ideas, drafting, and editing. The physical products of her process are shown in the Sample Outline resource. You could also direct students to this module for a description of the most important features of good sentences and good paragraphs.