This information has been provided for librarians, instructors, faculty and other educators interested in learning more about Searchpath. If you have contributions or suggestions about using Searchpath, please email us.

What Is Searchpath?
Searchpath is a new resource for CCU students, a self-instructional tutorial to teach them basic library and research skills. It covers the research process from initial topic selection to citation styles and the issue of plagiarism. There is a link to Searchpath on the Library home page or it can be accessed directly from http://www.coastal.edu/library/searchpath.
Its content is organized into six modules:

Each of the six sections takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, and students can do this on their own time outside of class. Each of the modules is followed by a short quiz.

Who Is It Designed For?
Searchpath is designed for students in distance education courses who do not have physical access to Kimbel Library. Searchpath is also designed for students in classes that are conducting introductory-level research, such as English 101, Biology 111 or the Freshmen Success Seminars. We hope instructors of other classes will find it useful and assign it to their students.

How Can Instructors Effectively Use Searchpath with Their Courses?
Please have students complete Searchpath before they begin their research or attend a library session. Students can complete Searchpath on their own time and submit their quiz results to you.

Instructors also have the option of assigning specific modules for students to complete. Each module is followed by a short quiz and a results page, which provides a summary of questions answered right or wrong and an overall percentage score for that module. The results pages can be printed out with the student’s name at the top and submitted to you as proof of completion. We strongly suggest that students be required to pass the quizzes with a score of at least 85% or better. They may retake a quiz as many times as they want. In addition, some instructors have chosen to give extra credit points to students who complete Searchpath.

Does Searchpath Replace Library Instruction?
No! We continue to offer course-related library instruction and hope that you will incorporate it into your syllabus. Timing is important! Please schedule library instruction with us for a date after your class has received a research assignment, so students learn about searching databases at a time when they need to know this information. Also, we generally do not offer instruction sessions without an accompanying assignment. Research has shown that:

• Students learn best and retain most when they need the information.
• Library instruction is more effective when the course instructor is present.
• Library instruction is more effective when coordinated with a class assignment.

Kimbel Library is wireless and has an electronic classroom which is heavily booked, so please schedule early to reserve the date and time you need--preferably call us at least 2 weeks ahead. Requests will be filled on a first-come basis. To arrange a library instruction session contact:

Margaret Fain, phone: 349-2410, email: margaret@coastal.edu or

Your department's library liaison. A liaison list is at http://www.coastal.edu/library/cmslinks.htm