In conjunction with Research Week, Library Instruction Services has established the Signature Course Information Literacy Award to celebrate excellence in library research and the practical application of the Information Literacy Competencies for First-year Students, which have been approved for all Signature Courses by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
The award, a $500 prize, will be given to a faculty-nominated project submitted in a Signature Course (UGS 302, UGS 303, or TC 302) judged as the best by a panel consisting of librarians, faculty, and members of the Undergraduate Studies staff. It will be presented during Research Week in April 2014.
Deadline
The deadline for nominations is February 3, 2014. Nominations will be accepted throughout the year and may be submitted at any time before the deadline for Signature Courses taught in Spring, Summer, or Fall 2013.
Application Procedure
Applications initiated by faculty members or students will require the following sets of materials:
| Faculty-nominated |
Student-nominated |
- Faculty nomination form completed by the supervising faculty member. The nomination form will ask the faculty member to write a brief justification for the nomination and provide a copy of the course syllabus and assignment. Faculty may submit nominations for multiple students from their Signature Course.
- Students nominated by faculty will be contacted by Library Instruction Services and asked to complete an online application form and to submit their work. The student's completed application will consist of:
- A completed online student application form.
- A final version of the project:
- Written projects should be double-spaced; there is no minimum or maximum length.
- Digital projects: If the project still lives online and is widely accessible, please provide a link to the online content. If it not available online, please provide a DVD or CD copy of web- based projects.
- The project should represent the work submitted for evaluation by the faculty member in the Signature Course.
- A bibliography or other appropriate listing of sources consulted.
- A 400-600 word essay describing research strategies and application of library tools and resources in completion of the project.
- Group work may be nominated. If a project completed by a group is judged the winner, the prize will be split amongst the group members. Projects completed by a group should be accompanied by one research strategies essay as described above.
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- Student nomination form completed by the student.
- Students self-nominating their work are required to have the faculty member who taught the Signature Course submit an email of sponsorship to Meghan Sitar at msitar@austin.utexas.edu, which should include a statement from the faculty member supporting the nomination.
- Students self-nominating their work should also submit the following to via the form:
- A final version of the project:
- Written projects should be double-spaced; there is no minimum or maximum length.
- Digital projects: If the project still lives online and is widely accessible, please provide a link to the online content. If it not available online, please provide a DVD or CD copy of web- based projects.
- The project should represent the work submitted for evaluation by the faculty member in the Signature Course.
- A bibliography or other appropriate listing of sources consulted.
- A 400-600 word essay describing research strategies and application of library tools and resources in completion of the project.
- Group work may be nominated. If a project completed by a group is judged the winner, the prize will be split amongst the group members. Projects completed by a group should be accompanied by one research strategies essay as described above.
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Eligibility
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Individuals must be current University of Texas undergraduate students.
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Eligible projects will have been submitted by an individual in a Signature Course (UGS 302, UGS 303, or TC 302) in the prior calendar year. (For the 2014 award, this means work submitted in the Spring, Summer, or Fall of 2013).
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Projects must be nominated by the faculty member responsible for the course.
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Individuals must agree to contribute their papers to the University of Texas at Austin Digital Repository. Individuals will maintain copyright and the work will be made available online.
Evaluation Criteria
Successful projects will:
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Make use of library resources and collections in any format.
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Demonstrate effective application of information literacy and fluency principles:
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determining information needs
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evaluating and analyzing information
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managing, organizing, and synthesizing information
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applying information in the context of the project
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Provide appropriate and accurate citations and credits.
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Demonstrate originality of thought, mastery of content appropriate to class level, clear writing, and overall quality of presentation.
More Information
Contact Meghan Sitar, msitar@austin.utexas.edu, 495-4449.
