ISI 5101 - description, goals, outcomes

Course Description

This course covers quantitative and qualitative research and relevant descriptive and inferential statistics for the investigation of both practical and theoretical problems in the information professions, critically assessing published research, including its data gathering and data analysis procedures.

This course outline has been adapted with permission from a similar course offered by Dr. Lisa Given, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta.

Course Goal

Upon completion of this course, students will have a thorough grounding in the principles, problems, methods and techniques of research methods in the social sciences with particular emphasis on problems and situations relevant to the library and information studies. Students will be capable of initiating their own research projects.

ALA Competencies

1. The fundamentals of quantitative and qualitative research methods
2. The central research findings and research literature of the field
3. The principles and methods used to assess the actual and potential value of new research.

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

· Describe the purposes, concepts and principles of research in library and information studies;
· Develop research questions about the theory and practice of library and information studies;
· Compare and select methods for answering research questions;
· Demonstrate an understanding of the research process;
· Evaluate research literature in library and information studies.

privacy statement

This blog is intended for the exclusive use of current students enrolled in my courses at ESI-SIS, uOttawa. The only personal information that could be available here might be first names or identities of students in posting comments. At the end of the semester, the blog will be cleared of specific information - comments, notes, etc. - relevant to these individual courses and new passwords will be set.

If you have any privacy concerns about any information which is posted here, please contact me directly.

on teaching and learning ... to be free

In an older article by Carl Rogers (yes that Carl Rogers, psychologist), he characterizes his "hope for education" which consists of "learning to be free." Here is an excerpt from the concluding paragraph and it expresses in a few lines how I plan to approach my own teaching and learning at ESI-SIS. In spite of the therapeutic overtones, I hope you can appreciate the core message:

Nevertheless, it is my personal conviction [and mine also] that individual rigidity and constricted learning are the surest roads to world catastrophe. It seems clear that if we prefer to develop flexible, adaptive, creative individuals, we have a beginning knowledge as to how this may be done. We know how to establish, in an educational situation, the conditions and the psychological climate which initiate a process of learning to be free.

Reference: Rogers, Carl (1963). Learning to be free. Pastoral Psychology, 14:1, February, 7-12. Available through uOttawa Library - E-journals

ISI 5160 - description, goals, outcomes

Course Description

This course introduces students to the variety of ethical issues they will need to address as information professionals. It is a required course for all students in the Information Policy specialization. Addresses major ethical concerns currently confronting our information society and the application of moral and ethical values involved in information and technology-related incidents faced by today’s information professionals and agencies.

After a brief overview of ethical theories and their application to moral issues and ethical codes of conduct for the information professions, the class will focus on particular issues that are most salient to information professionals, such as intellectual property and ownership of data/information, privacy and security of data/information and individual rights, access to information/censorship, access to information technology, effects of computerization on the work environment, and effects of computerization on democracy and government.

Course Goal

To develop students’ theoretical and applied knowledge of moral reasoning and decision-making through consideration of major ethical issues in contemporary government, library and other social /informational settings.

ALA Competencies

1. The ethics, values, and foundational principles of the library and information profession.
2. The role of library and information professionals in the promotion of democratic principles and intellectual freedom (including freedom of expression, thought, and conscience).
3. The legal framework within which libraries and information agencies operate. That framework includes laws relating to copyright, privacy, freedom of expression, equal rights and intellectual property.

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

· Make informed ethical decisions in information environments;
· Articulate and analytically apply core concepts underlying moral reasoning in professional settings;
· Articulate the historical and contemporary foundations of the core values of the information professional; and
· Know and be capable of addressing a wide range of issues and debates surrounding information access and information technologies from individual, organizational and other policy perspectives.

Course Textbooks

Rachels, J. (2007). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. 5th or 6th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, available from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com. A copy is also on reserve at Morisset.
Gorman, M. (2000). Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century. Chicago: American Library Association. On reserve at Morisset.

Additional readings will be available as noted in the class schedule. These readings will be selected by the instructor and class participants

textbooks and readings

ISI 5160 - Required Texts

Rachels, J. (2007). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. 5th or 6th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, available from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com. A copy is also on reserve at Morisset.

Gorman, M. (2000). Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21st Century. Chicago: American Library Association. On reserve at Morisset.

Additional readings will be available as noted in the class schedule. These readings will be selected by the instructor and class participants.

ISI 5101 - Required Text

Leedy, P. & Ormrod, J. (2009). Practical Research: Planning & Design (9th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. Available from Amazon.ca OR

The other option is to buy directly from Pearson. For that specific book, the link is here. Students can click on the link 'Buy from MyPearsonStore.' If they register, they can benefit from a discount and have no shipping fee.

Additional readings will be available as noted in the class schedule. These readings will be selected by the instructor and class participants.

how to reach me

classroom: 200 Lees avenue, room 163
mcavanag[at]uottawa[dot]ca

tel: (613) 562-5800 x 7376
my office: 200 Lees avenue, room 157-C

office hours: Tuesdays & Wednesdays
13:00 – 14:00 or by appointment

academic integrity and interaction

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies’ regulations on Examinations and Grading and on Academic Fraud can be found here.

You are responsible for understanding and adhering to these policies under all circumstances.