Distance Learning Mentoring Group
Minutes for February 14, 2008 CTL Workroom, 3:15 P.M.- 5 :00 P.M. AS192
In attendance at the DLMG meeting: Alex Cheroske, Misa Vening, Scott Gustafson, Sharon McLaughlin, Laura Kobar, Shabana Kausar, Marianne Arini, Georgianna Anderson, Marlene Forney and Peggy Johnson. Absent: Biray Alsac and Linda Evans.
Marlene showed a variety of electronic resources available through the MCC library to faculty, staff, and students. She also showed how to create persistent links within a WebCT course or on a course homepage. These links take the reader to the journal article/book chapter/newspaper article or other proprietary library resource without having to re-authenticate numerous times or copy and paste in lengthy URL addresses.
1. To acess the electronic resources, go to the MCC library homepage at http://www.mc.maricopa.edu /library
2. Click on the Electronic Resources link at the top of the screen that appears.
3. On the next screen that appears, select the link to Research at the top of the screen. Use the pull-down menu that appears when you click on the word "Research" to open the 7 Steps (to effective research) document.
4. Use the links on this page to access documents and videos on how to use library resources (e.g. CQ Researcher Screencast ).
The library spends more than $500,000.000 per year on electronic resources, so there is a wealth of material that can enrich your online class. Some faculty choose to teach online courses without using a textbook. Instead they rely on what is available on the internet and/or accessible online through our library. In this way, they are not tied to publishers timelines, which usually include publishing a new,expensive textbook every couple of years. Some faculty judge that the material available on the internet is much more timely than that selected for textbook publication and they like the lower cost to the student.
To create a persistent link for an MCC library electronic resource, the link must begin with the MCC proxy server address ( https://ezp.mc.maricopa.edu /login?url= ) and then the URL to that specific internet address (e.g. within the MCC library database). So a persistent link might look like this: https://ezp.mc.maricopa.edu /login?url=http://search .ebscohost.com/login.aspx ?direct=true&db=aph&AN=23660173 &site=ehost-live
You would provide this link to your students so they do not have to type it in. They merely click on your link to take them right to the resource.
Some resources have the embedded URL listed for you - just right click on your mouse and select "copy link location".
The eBrary resource link allows you to search all books in MCC's collection. Use the Advanced tab to limit your search to more relevant items (e.g. say you are looking for "education" in the title of a book, not just anywhere in the text).
To put a persistent link to eBrary, use this code: use https://ezp.mc.maricopa.edu /login?url=http://site.ebary .com/lib/mesa/Doc?id=10751948
In this case, the eBrary document had an ID number of 10751948. You would substitute the document number for the book you want for the numbers 10751948 in the previous example. The first time you or one of your students accesses eBrary, you will need to download the free eBrary plug in to your computer.
You can access Marlene's Powerpoint slides at http://www.mc.maricopa.edu /library/Reference/PURLsWebCTUG .ppt
Getting the persistent link set up just right can take a bit of time and practice, as the procedure varies a bit with different databases. However, Marlene and the MCC library staff can help you figure out how to make the link for your students. Once it's in your course, it'll be there archived for subsequent semesters. Marlene's email address is marlene.forney@mcmail.maricopa .edu
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Next week we will be learning how to use Respondus to create quiz questions for delivery on the internet in your online course. It would be helpful if you bring a few questions you want to input into Respondus. The could be multiple choice/true-false, essay, etc. Otherwise you can just think up questions on the fly at our meeting.
Note : If you already use Respondus and are familiar with its capabilities, you do not need to attend our DLMG meeting. You can use the time to work on your course.