1. The Research and Information course, as proposed in this document.
2. IDIS designation for the RIT course.
3. An RIT coordinator, a faculty member with a 2-course reduction and summer stipend.
4. An RIT implementation team appointed by the provost to develop and pilot the detailed course materials, starting work summer, 2000 and completing work summer, 2001.

• Definition of a computer from a user’s perspective (based on use)
• Definition of a computer from a specialist’s perspective (based on design)

• Types of networks
• Types of interaction
• The physical infrastructure
• Issues arising because of the "socialization" of computers and users

• Information theory
• Digital libraries
• Databases
• Changing nature of research

• Examples of modeling reality
• Digital representation of reality
• Types of multimedia
• Issues

• Reformed perspective on technology
• Social implications
• Psychological implications

• Limitations and possibilities
• Criteria for evaluating technology

This course will be a required course in the core curriculum. It is intended for first-year students and entering transfer students.

The registrar has been consulted. Plenary sessions must be scheduled with care since only the FAC can handle the large number of students. The head librarian is a member of the ad-hoc committee, and he sees no significant deficiencies in the library holdings for supporting the RIT course.

V. Rationale

Information technology is a central part of modern culture. It pervades almost every part of our society, touching family life, worship, politics, work, scientific research, engineering design, communities, art, music, and journalism, to name just a few. Information technology has changed our language, our means of communication, our social interactions, our corporations, and our governments. Because information technology is such a pervasive cultural influence, every graduate of Calvin College – not just the students in technical disciplines – must be equipped to evaluate this aspect of our world in the light of a Reformed perspective.

Information technology skills are essential for gainful employment. A majority of employers hiring college graduates in today’s world expect some basic skills using a computer. Graduate study often requires knowledgeable use of a computer as a research tool.

Information technology, when properly used, allows students to explore the world, and their own discipline, in ways that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Music students can compose orchestral scores on a computer and hear them played back instantly. Chemistry students can simulate the interaction of molecules and visualize the results in a virtual reality. Engineering students can explore large design spaces and optimize under a variety of constraints. History students can quickly search thousands of documents using a computer database query. Economics students can analyze and test complex models of large economic systems through computer simulations.

Critical evaluation of information technology can be illustrative of a perspective on technology and science as a whole. Information technology continues to influence students in their personal lives. The freshness of this impact can be used as a teachable moment to enable the students to see the broader impact of science and technology on their world. Commonplace technological products such as the automobile or the telephone will become targets of discriminating appraisal only after they are recognized as cultural artifacts produced by some of the same forces that now bring us information technology products.

The proposed course content contains the appropriate topics. The content is a tailored subset of the recommended components for an information technology course from the Committee on Information Technology Literacy (Being Fluent with Information Technology, Committee on Information Technology Literacy, National Academy Press, Washington D.C.: 1999). Because the RIT course is only allowed one semester hour, the ad-hoc RIT committee decided to emphasize sufficient breadth at the expense of depth. Departmental majors must supply in-depth education regarding information technology as it applies to their discipline (building on the foundation provided by the RIT course. The RIT course content integrates faith and learning by providing technical content interwoven with perspectival material. The course also provides an introduction to research skills as well as information technology skills.

The proposed course content is appropriately sized. The ad-hoc RIT committee carefully pared down the desired list of topics to a manageable list for a one semester-hour course. The material is balanced among the various structural parts of the course (plenary, breakout session, web-based textbook, and tutorial) so that students gain sufficient background in each topic, but are not overworked. At the same time, we hope that the course sparks a curiosity in the students that persuades them to explore further how information technology can be used appropriately in their chosen disciplines. An example of one segment in the RIT course is provided in appendix C.

• It "factors" the information technology related concepts and skills that are common across the disciplines into a single, centralized course. This eliminates the redundant curriculum development effort that seems likely if each discipline should implement its own course. It also centralizes the task of curriculum revision that will be an ongoing necessity in this rapidly changing area.
• It ensures that all students receive a common foundation of information technology skills during their first year in college. Subsequent courses within a student’s disciplines can then build on this foundation, and focus on the discipline-specific applications of information technology.
• It ensures that all students graduate with an exposure to information technology concepts and skills. The exposure afforded by this one credit-hour course is admittedly minimal, but we hope that each discipline will add to that exposure in their "spoke" courses.

RIT Coordinator

• Recruit plenary speakers
• Recruit faculty members to teach breakout sessions
• Provide training to RIT instructors
• Serve as liaison between plenary, breakout, and tutorial leaders
• Lead a team of faculty in developing the initial RIT materials
• Coordinate annual development and updating of the RIT materials

To Be Done.

It will

• serve as a first-year introduction to the computer,
• serves as an introduction to college-level research skills,
• make full but discriminating use of current electronic information technology and the resources of the Hekman Library,
• include a discussion of the cultural impact of current technology and ethical responsibilities of users.

Mandated course objectives:

• To introduce students to basic concepts of computer hardware and software
• To familiarize students with the potentials of the computer as a "universal appliance" capable of storing, locating, transferring, manipulating, analyzing, and presenting information
• To acquaint students with the resources of the Hekman Library and various discipline-specific research strategies
• To familiarize students with criteria for the critical evaluation of information sources
• To establish a viewpoint from which students can make ethically responsible judgments regarding the appropriate use of information technology.

Other criteria:

• Exemption via test
• No transfer credit

B. RIT Components

• networks, information systems, databases
• definition of computer, algorithmic thinking
• moral implications of technology use and information availability
• research methodology
• critical evaluation of technology
• psychological implications of technology use
• modeling reality with computers – multimedia literacy

Skills introduced in CIT tutorials
(limited substitution of discipline-specific skills may be allowed)

• Using email, including participating in listservs (subscribing, posting, and netiquette)
• Web navigation (search engines, Boolean queries, directories, URLs, and downloading)
• Basic OS use (file handling, directory operations, GUI operations, and startup/shutdown)
• Basic spreadsheet skills (formulas, data entry, formatting, and charting)
• Basic word processing skills (formatting, cut & paste, file formats, and importing)
• Multimedia presentation (web publishing or presentation software)
• Digital media (e.g., scanning, graphics, sound, or video)

• Hekman digital library (structure, content, comparison to traditional library)
• Research Databases (structure, database availability, search strategies)
• Web Searching (open vs. restricted, web libraries)

The following list suggests some possible approaches to a discipline-specific RIT course. Other approaches may also be appropriate.

• Separate department-based RIT course covering the material detailed above
• RIT components integrated into department’s first-year course sequence
• Combination of IDIS and department-specific components, such as:
• IDIS plenary sessions
• Department-based breakout sessions
• Department or IDIS skills tutorials
• Department or IDIS web text
• Department-specific or IDIS library research tutorials

Appendix A: Comparison to Other Institutions

Virtually every state university requires an "information technology" course for graduation. Table 3 lists some non-state institutions with RIT requirements.

Some Colleges/Universities That "Integrate Computer/Information Literacy Throughout the Curriculum":

Examined Colleges/Universities Not Fitting The Above Categories:

The ad-hoc RIT committee discussed a number of possible formats for staffing the RIT course. The decision process consisted of three steps. First, the desired characteristics of any solution were identified. Second, potential staffing solutions were enumerated. Third, a matrix was used to score each solution based on how well it met each desired characteristic and the highest score was selected.

The committee decided on six desirable characteristics for the RIT course. These are listed in Table 5 along with the committee’s average weight (10=most important, 1=least important).

Six different solutions were considered for staffing the RIT course, as listed in Table 6. The table uses 500 students each semester, but realistically, more students will likely take the course in the fall.

A matrix was completed that scored each alternative solution based on how well it met each desired characteristic. For example, the committee gave a high score to "Totally Web" on the "Low Cost" characteristic, but a low score for "Effective Teaching." Because the latter was weighted more heavily than the former, the "Totally Web" option did not score well overall. The committee selected the solution with the highest weighted score: the plenary option. The scores for each option (relative to the lowest score) are shown in Table 7.

The Passport and Interim options are not listed because they were considered unworkable from a facilities point of view. The RIT course requires around 30 hours of computer time per student. In order to serve around 1000 students in an intensive Passport course, the Passport session would become untenably long. Similarly, if RIT were held during the interim, every single computer available on campus for student access would be necessary in order to serve 1000 students, to the exclusion of all other interim course needs. Thus, the committee did not give these options further consideration.

As shown in the table, the Plenary format was selected. The rationale for this decision comes directly from the criteria used in the decision matrix. The committee felt that the standard staffing model would not work for a one-hour section because instructors could not be credited sufficiently for the work involved for each section. By providing some of the classes in the form of a plenary, the instructors would be primarily responsible for only the breakout sessions and such an arrangement would facilitate recruitment of instructors. Because Calvin highly values personal interaction between faculty and students, the committee felt that the "web lecture/live breakout" and "totally web" models were both undesirable and perhaps even inappropriate at Calvin. At the other extreme, the "small groups" model was attractive because of its close interaction between students and faculty. However, this option is financially and logistically impractical due to the large number of sections required. Finally, the "Tech/Disc Teams" and "Modules" options were problematic in terms of continuity and administration.

The example provided in this appendix is for illustrative purposes only. Students spend one hour in class each week (either plenary or breakout) and are expected to do two hours of additional work (either web text or tutorial).

Odd weeks:

Plenary lecture, 1 hour

Web text, 1-2 hours

Breakout session, 1 hour

Tutorial, 1-2 hours

Unit: Networks

Plenary (50 min):

• Definition of a network
• History/structure of the Internet
• Examples of information systems
• Suggest implications

Web text – reinforces and expands plenary material, sets up breakout session (1-2 hours)

• Definition of network (illustrations, diagrams, optional links to more information)
• Review of Internet history/structure (optional links to more information)
• Examples of information systems, linked to feedback systems (e.g., use of cookies)
• Bibliography for optional further reading
• Suggested questions for discussion
  

Breakout (50 min)

• Introduction to databases (example of information system)
• Example of use, e.g. debit card – exercises involving entering information into a database
• Discuss implications: access, privacy issues, use of information

Tutorial – Basic Internet Use (1 –2 hours)

• Open web browser and go to class page by typing URL in address window
• Click on "Tutorial 1." Follow direction on that page to do the following:
• Unsubscribe from class listserv group
• Subscribe again to class listserv group
• Send a message to the class
• Follow links on class web page to find answers to an assigned question
• Send answer to instructor via email