About The Historian's Toolbox: Skills for History Majors
The
California State University Information Competence Initiative
The
Historian's Toolbox: Skills for
History Majors
is a project funded by the the Information
Competence Work Group. California
State University created the Information Competence Work Group in April, 1995
to develop an information competence program for the CSU. The
Historian's Toolbox: Skills
for History Majors
is one of several funded projects that either explored the information competence
skills specific to particular disciplines and/or developed web-based tutorials.
The project was funded in Spring, 1999 and completed in June, 2000.
History-Specific Information Competence Skills
The Information Competence Work Group defined information competence as "the ability to find, evaluate, use, and communicate information in all of its various formats." Furthermore, information competence is more than traditional library literacy and includes "the fusing or the integration of library literacy, computer literacy, media literacy, technological literacy, ethics, critical thinking, and communication skills. " (Susan C. Curzon, Information Competence in the CSU: A Report Submitted to Commission on Learning Resources and Instructional Technology Submitted by Work Group on Information Competence, December 1995 <http://www.calstate.edu/LS/Archive/info_comp_report.shtml>)
One of the main goals of the The Historian's Toolbox: Skills for History Majors project was to evaluate the relevance of the general information competence skills initially defined by the Work Group to history as a discipline and, from there, to identify the set of competencies necessary for successful CSU History Majors. We found that many general information competence skills are transferable across disciplines, but that history may be somewhat unique in the large range of information sources an undergraduate may be called upon to locate and evaluate, and the central role that writing plays in historical reasoning and communication.
Learning
Objectives
Once we had the broad contours of a history-specific information competence
skill set in mind, we began defining specific learning objectives and implementing
web-based tutorials designed to teach them. The end result was The
Historian's Toolbox: Skills
for History Majors,
thirteen web-based tutorials organized into six units which step a student
through the process of researching and writing a student research paper.
Design of the Tutorials
The
Historian's Toolbox: Skills
for History Majors
was developed using Macromedia's Dreamweaver 2.0 and the Attain Objects for
Dreamweaver (now called Coursebuilder). The resulting web site contains a
mixture of HTML and JavaScript requiring a 4.0 or higher Internet Explorer
or Netscape browser, but no plug-ins. In the design of The
Historian's Toolbox: Skills
for History Majors,
we attempted to exploit the interactive capabilities of our authoring software
to the fullest. Almost every page requires that students manipulate the page
for information or practice, either through the use of questions, explorations,
text input boxes, sliders, or drag and drops. Short, timed quizzes are provided
at the end of each tutorial to allow students to test their knowledge of the
material.
Credits
The
Historian's Toolbox: Skills
for History Majors
was the result of a collaborative effort.
Dr. Susan Tschabrun, Project Director, previously CSU San Bernardino,
now CSU Fullerton, content development and implementation in Dreamweaver 2.0
Prof. Joyce Hanson, CSU San Bernardino, content development
Carey Van Loon, CSU San Bernardino, graphic design
Getahun Alemu, Frederic Armand (Unit 2 only) and Ragi Burnhum
(Unit 2 only), CSUSB, implementation in Dreamweaver 2.0
Prof. Cheryl Riggs, CSU San Bernardino, advisory
Michael Casadonte, CSU San Bernardino, advisory
Robert Marshall, CSU Northridge, advisory
Dr. Karen Hunt, CSU Dominguez Hills, advisory
Resources
The
Historian's Toolbox: Skills
for History Majors
has made use of the insights found in the publications, both electronic and
in paper, of numerous historians, librarians, archivists, and writing instructors.
The sources consulted during the creation of this site may be found in the
bibliography.