WRIT 3300 - Solving Information Problems

Formed decades ago from a small pool of data sources, the Internet has grown into a seemingly endless ocean of information-in which today's young researcher can easily get lost. This video introduces strategic, study-related online search methods that teenage or college-level viewers may not be familiar with, especially if they're accustomed to the more recreational side of the Internet. Outlining ways to formulate initial questions about a topic, the program offers examples of frequently used search engines (from Google to specialized databases) and how to take advantage of them using keywords, quotation marks, Boolean operators, nesting, wildcard and truncation symbols, and other typed-in directives. Result-oriented topics are also featured, including: the differences between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources; the best criteria for confirming the legitimacy of a particular Web site; and helpful techniques for searching within a site.

Educators, researchers, and noted authors offer innovative ways to bring the voice of the professional writer into the classroom. Teachers show how professional works by favorite writers can be the seeds for engaging classroom activities, while authors talk about their own writing processes and writing heroes. Includes interviews with Maxine Hong Kingston, Patrick Jennings, Margo Jefferson, Christopher Meyers, Amy Tan, Ruthanne Lum McCunn, and Tracy Mack. Judith Ortiz Cofer guides the teachers through an exercise triggered by a line from one of her favorite poets, Richard Hugo.

Moving from foundations to specific methods, this program examines the complex background work that must take place before a product or service can be positioned in the market. Surveys and analysis performed for the computer game company Electronic Arts provide an illuminating case study in field, quantitative, and qualitative research and how these overlap with explanatory, descriptive, and predictive research. Students learn about interview formats, questionnaires, sampling techniques, focus groups, and other ways to obtain customer feedback. Demographic, geographic, and psychographic approaches to market segmentation are illustrated with clear examples of their real-world applications.

For a generation raised on the ideology of "open source" and the ability to quickly cut and paste, the concept of plagiarism may seem foreign or passé. And that, of course, can lead to trouble. This video examines the behaviors that constitute plagiarism, their consequences, and the best ways to avoid them. Showing how accidental copying as well as willful plagiarism can occur, the program lays out the dangers of cheating, then illustrates the pitfalls of non-attribution and patch writing while showing how to properly attribute and paraphrase a lengthy quotation. Copyright, trademark, and intellectual property concepts are clearly discussed, in addition to potential sources of non-copyrighted material. Common citation formats (APA, MLA, Bluebook, etc.) are listed along with the suggestion that the student confer with his or her instructor about them.

While their motives aren't always evil, people who bend the truth don't usually do so for the greater good, either. The online world is no exception-in fact, it's a paradise for purveyors of hype, pseudo-journalism, and intellectual snake oil. This video explores ways to identify bias and propaganda on the Internet and sift through the various influences, such as political or corporate interests, that may be behind some Web content. Spotlighting key aspects of propaganda and bias-driven writing, such as the use of glittering generalities, name-calling, or card-stacking, the program also presents important tips for differentiating between advertising and genuinely useful, scholarly material-a task made increasingly difficult by cleverly disguised sponsorship. Web savvy is further developed through discussions of URL suffixes (.com,.org, etc.) and what they indicate.