Probably, at some point in your educational career, you’ve thought about what you’re working towards. A career? Fame and fortune? Stability? Goals are good. They help us accomplish what we want and need to accomplish. The Library is committed to the goals IU East has established through the campus Learning Objectives.
It makes sense – a library is place where you can into practice what you learn. Researching. Experimenting. Many of our resources are geared around these specific principles of what it is that makes an educated person. Reading. Critical examination. Understanding diverse opinions. These are all core functions of research.
Some of our databases, like Opposing Viewpoints in Context, do this rather dramatically. Others are more subtle. But these library resources are built on a foundation of rigorous scholarship, which we pass on to you…because being educated is more than knowing how to type something in Google™ and clicking on the first result. It’s evaluating ideas in a deeper, more thorough way. You’re not alone – the library staff is here to help, in person or at iueref@iue.edu. Also, we offer our LibGuides to help you sort through the information clutter and focus on the best quality resources. Let us help you reach your goals!
The IU East Learning Objectives can be found at http://www.iue.edu/catalog/policies/learning_objectives.php
1. Educated persons should be exposed to a broad variety of academic fields traditionally known as the liberal arts (humanities, fine arts, social sciences, natural sciences) in order to develop a critical appreciation of diversity of ideas and creative expression.
Try the Daily Life Through History database
2. Educated persons should have achieved depth in some field of knowledge. A sequential accumulation of knowledge and skills in an academic discipline is essential for focused personal and professional development.
Try the CQ Researcher database
3. Educated persons should be able to express themselves clearly, completely and accurately. Effective communication entails sharing ideas through a variety of techniques, including reading, writing, speaking and technology.
Try the Communication and Mass Media Complete database
4. Educated persons should be able to relate computational skills to all fields so that they are able to think with numbers. At a minimum, students should be able to carry out basic arithmetical and algebraic functions; they should have a working concept of simple statistics; and they should be able to interpret and use data in various forms.
Try the MathSciNet database
5. Educated persons should have the ability to develop informed opinions; to comprehend, formulate, and critically evaluate ideas; and to identify problems and find solutions to those problems. Effective problem solving involves a variety of skills including research, analysis, interpretation and creativity.
Try the Beginning Research Libguide
6. Educated persons should develop the skills to understand, accept, and relate to people of different backgrounds and beliefs. In a pluralistic world one should not be provincial or ignorant of other cultures; one’s life is experienced within the context of other races, religions, languages, nationalities and value systems.
Try Isms and Diversity Libguide
7. Educated persons should be expected to have some understanding of and experience in thinking about moral and ethical problems. A significant quality in educated persons is the ability to question and clarify personal and cultural values, and thus be able to make discriminating moral and ethical choices.
Try the Opposing Viewpoints in Context database