Project Advisory Service for Students (PASS)

The Project Advisory Service for Students, or PASS, provides help to groups of students on the best way to approach specific assignments or projects.

Specialised guidance is provided by the librarians to the student groups on the following topics:

• keywords, Booleans and other research strategies
• relevant database selection
• evaluating the information found
• citing the references according to either the American Psychological Association APA) or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) citation styles

This service is available via appointment by the students themselves, or through their lecturers. For more information or to make an appointment:

- online form

- AskLib@tp.edu.sg

- phone 6780 5773

Research Skills Workshops

We develop and conduct basic and customised research skills (or information literacy) workshops for both students and staff. These may include one or a combination of online tutorials, practical workshop sessions, and classroom teaching.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the workshop or tutorial, the students will be able to...

• identify "a variety of types and formats of potential sources for information.”
• select "the most appropriate investigative methods or information retrieval systems for accessing the needed information.”
• construct and implement "effectively-designed search strategies.”
• retrieve "information online or in person using a variety of methods.”
• extract, record, and manage "the information and its sources.”
• articulate and apply "initial criteria for evaluating both the information and its sources.”
• follow "laws, regulations, institutional policies, and etiquette related to the access and use of information resources.”
• acknowledge "the use of information sources in communicating the product or performance.”

As quoted from the ALA Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education found on their  website: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm

To help students relate such skills to their academic discipline, we customise the case studies and teach the resources and search tools relevant to their particular discipline. Problem-based learning and active learning techniques are utilised.

Online assessments are also included to test the application of learning from the tutorial. One-to two hour hands-on workshops are sometimes included to facilitate the application of search skills learnt, and to reinforce students’ understanding of search techniques and tools available.

Workshops focusing on specific online databases (e.g. GMID, Lexis Nexis) or targeted to meet the needs of a group of staff (e.g. Administration staff) can also be arranged on request. If you would like to arrange with or participate in the Library to run such research skills workshops for your students or for staff, just email your request to Lib Information Services and a Reference Librarian will get in touch with you.