Surf was developed to help students find, evaluate and use information sources regardless of format. It integrates both research and writing skills into one tutorial. The tutorial team at the CSULB Library examined existing tutorials from other universities and developed a unique tutorial designed to meet the needs of CSULB Students. On the page for librarians and instructors you will find detailed student learning outcomes as well as tips on how to integrate the SURF tutorial into an existing or new course. If you would like more information please dont hesistate to contact us.
Description
Surf is arranged into 4 different modules with a worksheet. Students will create a log-in and password and fill out a registration form. They will then be able to use SURF during multiple sittings and save their answers to the worksheet. Visitors can use the Guest login which will not save worksheet results.
Data Collection and Reports
Data from the pretest, worksheet, multiple choice questions and student evaluation are collected in a database. From admin module data can be exported to excel and analyzed. Variables include, by department, course or instructor, by student standing (first year, sophomore etc) if they are writing a speech or paper, if they have had previous library instruction, if they have completed university 100, any answers given by students. This will allow large scale evaluation of student learning outcomes.
4 Modules
- Organizing & Brainstorming
- Sources & Searching
- Thinking & Evaluating
- Writing & Citing
Accessibility
Printable notes are text-only version of all pages even though current pages are in accordance with the W3C priority one compliance adopted by California State University, Long Beach. There are text equivalents of all interactive flash elements that convey the same information for users.
Comments from student reviewers
“As I browsed deeper into the SURF site. I thought to myself “I wish I had this about 2 years ago!”
“as a proficient writer I don’t feel it is necessary for everyone to use this website but I do know that I used every one of these strategies at some point in my college experience to get where I am today”
“I think the tutorial was pretty well thought out and put together. It was very helpful and I liked it”
“I thought that the format used for the tutorial was well organized, easy to follow, and very attractive. I especially liked the characters “Amber” and “Mizael”. They gave the tutorial a friendly appeal.”
“I like how the site does more than giving straightforward instruction on how to do research, but also offers the rationale behind it”
