Study Programmes 2015-2016
DOCU0449-3  
Scientific literature and information literacy
Duration :
4h Th, 6h Pr, 14h AUTR
Number of credits :
Master in agriculture and bio-industries (120 ECTS)2
Master in agriculture and bio-industries (120 ECTS)2
Master in agriculture and bio-industries (120 ECTS)2
Master in agriculture and bio-industries (120 ECTS)2
Specialised master in tropical and subtropical culture protection2
Lecturer :
Bernard Pochet
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
The scientific literature and his process (which are the central point of the course) are poorly understood by students (international surveys et survey in the French Community of Belgium). These surveys reveal a strong ignorance of the scientific communication and his tools in science, poor search strategies (keyword), ethical issues (plagiarism, copyright) and a lack of critical attitude. Students (and researchers) need these skills to achieve their individual or group work, complete a course ... learn to learn.

The theoretical basis of the course are: the scientific literature itself, as a whole, the concept of information literacy, a methodological approach and a specific disciplinary field (information-documentation).
Learning outcomes of the course :
Five main objectives are selected for this teaching:
  • make the student able to find its place as a reader and as an author in the network of scientific communication;
  • make the student able to understand the scholarly publication's process, understanding which is mandatory in his documentary practice;
  • make the student able to access information independently (choice of topic and terminology, tool selection, use of tools, obtaining primary documents);
  • make the student able to adopt the necessary critical and ethic attitude with the multitude of informations sources;
  • make the student able to synthesize and organize the information obtained and able to integrate basic rules of writing a bibliography and a scientific paper.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
A good control in the use of a PC and the Internet tools.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
The course is built with 12 (distance learning) modules (reading and self-assessment formative exercises), a homework and three lab sessions.
The course is introduced by a general presentation (classroom).
The three lab sessions allow many adjustments and exchanges about the personnal work (online and home work).
A questions and answers session is scheduled at the end of the semester.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
The course is subject to a blended learning. Outside the five face-to-face sessions, the student can freely program their learning.
However, the online modules that precede lab session must have been performed before this lab: modules 1-4 before lab1, modules 5-8 before lab2 and modules 9-12 before lab3 (a timetable, by student's series, is available online). Courses and practical sessions have a duration of 2 hours.
Recommended or required readings :
Several sources, partially redundant, are offered to students:
the book: Pochet B., 2015. Comprendre et maîtriser la littérature scientifique. Gembloux : Presses agronomiques de Gembloux, http://infolit.be/CoMLiS ;
the website Supports (see below) with all course's handhouts;
the Library and all of its resources. 







 
Assessment methods and criteria :
The course is assessed by the homework (50%) and an oral examination (50 %). During the second session, evaluation is made by an oral examination.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
The course is scheduled in the first quadmester.
Contacts :
Bernard Pochet(bernard.pochet@ulg.ac.be)
Bibliothèque des Sciences agronomiques
ULg - Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech
081/62 21 03
Items online :
Course's handhout
Andhout (manual, readings, usefull links...) are on the infolit.be site.