Learning Materials

Learning Materials Library. The library provides a number of resources and services to assist you in all your classes, including the following: Research in electronic articles, eBooks, videos, and more Guides and videos on how to use those resources, and how to research in certain subject areas Reputable Internet sites to use in your research This section will show you how to find and use these library resources. Databases: Where We Hide the Good Stuff The library provides access to over thirty subscription databases that cover a variety of topics. A database is a collection of books, articles, reports, images, video, and other resources gathered together in a single place. The CTU library has approximately 50,000 electronic books and over 400 million articles in its databases, and that number grows every day as new content is added. Everything is full-text and available 24-hours a day! The databases cover a wide range of topics because students need to research for many different subjects. Some of them are general, providing topical information about many subjects, while others provide more depth on specific subjects. Here’s how to get to these fabulous resources: Log into the Virtual Campus. Click on Library. Click on Find articles and eBooks under the e-Resources area.   At the top of the right column is the Cybrary search engine, which will search multiple databases at once. The search engine is a great place to start if you have a basic search topic or if you are looking for keywords on a topic.   Although the Cybrary search engine is useful for a basic search of some of our databases, you may need to research in specific databases for additional information. The following are some databases that are good to try out for general topics: Credo Reference: This database contains good reference books like dictionaries and encyclopedias. This is the place to start for a general topic. Academic Search Premiere: This database contains high-level scholarly articles on any topic. Biography in Context: This database contains biographical information, so it is best for any person or history topic. Books 24x7: This database contains eBooks on technical and business topics and videos on how to use Word and other programs. Newsstand: This database contains newspaper articles. Scroll down on the Find Articles and Books page, and choose a database that sounds like it might be useful for you. Now, let’s try a search! Keywords: How to Search the DatabasesEvery library database has a search box to enter keywords, but the screens all have their own look. Once you find that search box, figuring out what to put in is the hardest part! Determining what keywords to use can be daunting, so here are some tips to get started: Start with what you know. What words do you use when you think about the topic? What does the assignment say? Just start somewhere! Once you have a basic search going, read the screen. Do you like what is coming up? If not, change your keywords. Look for terms in the title and abstract of the resources that come up to see if some other term catches your eye. Watch the subjects. These are terms the database uses to identify that topic, so searching for those words will help you find other articles on that topic. The subjects are easy to spot in the results list (the yellow highlighted portion in the image below is an example from a Cybrary search).   Use the Advanced Search. It is best if you put the keywords in separate boxes if you have multiple search terms and the advanced search gives you that option. In that image, look at the search boxes at the top. Advanced Search is a link just below them. Each database puts it in a different place, but it always exists. Try many search term combinations. Putting search terms in the first box and education in the second box brings up better results than putting both terms in a single box. If that does not bring up anything useful on the first page or so, take out one of the terms and try something else, or you can add a third term. The more you fiddle with terms, the more opportunities, you will have to find new terms, and you never know when the next one will be the best one. Try synonyms, which are different words that mean the same thing. For instance, someone searching for juvenile might also find useful articles that use the word youth, kids, adolescents, teens, or children. If you are struggling to think of good terms, try searching outside of the library for ideas. Although Wikipedia is not a reputable source and never an appropriate resource for a college level assignment, it might be a place to go for ideas on search terms, especially if you are not familiar with the topic. Read up on the subject there, and then try words that stand out for you in the library database to see if that leads you to a new article. Ask for help! Maybe your instructor or classmates can suggest a search term that you have not thought of yet. Librarians can help you brainstorm search terms too, or they may know of a good resource on the topic. Each resource is different, so spend some time playing with one or two that catch your eye. Learning how to use each database is a skill that takes practice and effort, so do not feel bad if it takes a little while to get comfortable. To get started today, give searching a try. You can start by putting in the name of the program you are starting. Try locating an article of interest to you by using different search terms to see what different articles come up. If you run into any trouble or want help doing complex searches, contact a librarian. Getting Help from a LibrarianIn addition to providing lots of resources, the librarians are available to assist you with your assignments. They can help you plan your research, brainstorm search terms, find resources in the library or online, and cite your sources. They can also help if the library resources are not behaving as they should, like asking you for a username or not letting you open the article you found. The librarians are available seven days a week and into the evenings via chat and phone. You can also e-mail them at [email protected] any time, and they will respond within 24 hours. Learning CentersThe CTU Learning Center is available to supplement your learning. The Learning Center has program- and content-specific centers with many resources, including videos, tutorials, Web sites, and workshops that can provide you with additional information to incorporate into your studies. You can also work with the center facilitators who can help you navigate the center and provide additional insights for your program or assignments. You can find the Learning Center on the Virtual Campus. It is accessible via the red navigation bar as shown below. You can locate the Learning Centers and Communities by clicking on the box as shown below.  Currently, the following centers are available to you: Student Success Center Business Center Writing Support Center Healthcare and Nursing Center Math Center Information Technology Center Science Center Security Studies Center Military and Veteran Resource Community Center Psychology Center Within each center, you will find information to support you in your program. The content is broken down into groups. There may be more information in pull-down menus, so be sure to check in other areas. Here are some of the features that you will find: Announcements about the center, upcoming events, new resources, and so forth A calendar of events for the center, which will include a link to the event and recordings that will be posted within 72 hours of the event Graphics and infographics about main topics Discussion forums to ask questions or to communicate with others in the community Polls and surveys Tutoring resources Library resources Downloadable materials Links to external sites Student organizations and communities are located within the individual centers. The organizations are designed to support you outside of the classroom, to provide extra encouragement, and to discuss current topics in the field. The Learning Center is regularly updated to provide new resources and materials. Some of the information is class-specific and other information is designed to provide you with materials in case you want to learn more about topics. If you are looking for something specific, enter it in a comment box or a Discussion Board in the individual center. Smarthinking: Online Tutoring and Paper ReviewSmarthinking is our online tutoring service where you can get help with numerous topics such as writing, math, business, accounting, health care, reading, and Office. Follow the steps outlined below to help you get started: 1. Log into the Virtual Campus. 2. Click on Learning Center in the red toolbar.   3. Click on the gray Smarthinking box. 4. It may do a system check and ask you to turn off your pop-up blocker. Once you do, there is a “Click here to Continue” button at the bottom. 5. Once you are in, you will see the Smarthinking launch screen as shown below. View the video below to watch a demonstration of how to use Smarthinking for all of your tutoring needs.   Smarthinking Drop-In Tutoring Drop-in tutoring will allow you to work one-on-one with a tutor in real-time, communicating using a virtual whiteboard technology. To use drop-in tutoring, do the following: 1. Click the Drop-In Tutoring box. 2. Click on the subject of interest from the list that appears. If a subject is grayed-out, there are no tutors available. You can see the full schedule by downloading the following file:     3. Choosing the subject will open a whiteboard where you will put the details of your question. You can copy in text, type it onto the screen, or even upload an image or document. When you are ready for the tutor to see your question, click on the blue Enter Question button in the top right corner.   By submitting your question, a tutor will be alerted to start your session. A tutor will arrive within four minutes, review your question, and then launch a chat conversation with you on the whiteboard. The Smarthinking tutor will not just give you the answer to your question, but he or she also will help you learn and understand the concepts surrounding your question and show you how to solve the problem. If you prefer, you can also ask the tutor to explain the topic using audio. You will need a microphone and speakers to utilize this option. After you complete your tutoring session, check for a transcript under Personal Archives. Keep in mind that tutors are hired and trained by Smarthinking and have at least a master’s degree in the topic that they tutor. Smarthinking Writing CenterYou will find that throughout your journey, a bulk of your time will be spent completing written assignments. When you have completed a draft of an essay or paper, submitting it to the Smarthinking Writing Center will allow you to have your work reviewed and critiqued. The personalized response that you receive from a Smarthinking e-structor can be used to guide the revisions that you make for your assignment. This service gives a high-level overview of certain aspects of your writing. The tutors do not provide editing or revising services, but they instead give you the guidance to learn how to write well. For instance, if the tutor sees that you need help with commas, he or she will provide the rules for commas and suggest sentences in your paper to consider for comma use. They do not tell you how to change your paper in detail, but they will suggest where you might consider making corrections. Responses are typically provided within 24 hours and will appear in your Personal Archives area. 1. For writing assistance, click on the red Writing Center button on the Smarthinking launch screen. 2. You will be prompted to choose a subject for Writing. You should primarily choose Essay Center for an overall review of your paper. If you want to focus on grammar and citations or if you want more feedback on writing basics, select Grammar and Documentation Review. 3. Next, it provides a detailed form for you to complete. Please note the following: Your assignment description should exactly match the description provided by your instructor so that the tutor will be able to confirm that your work matches the requirements of the assignment. If you are requesting help with referencing or citations for a research paper, please let the tutor know that you are using APA Style. Toward the bottom of the form, you will be asked to select from two assistance areas. You may only choose two areas, but you could submit the same paper multiple times until you cover them all. If you are not sure what type of help to request, the goals of your assignment may provide some guidance. Also, know that the tutors will make sure that your review provides you with the information needed to revise your work and improve the quality of your writing. For most papers at CTU, you should choose, First Available as the type of tutor. 4. The last step in the process is to upload and submit your assignment. You will see a screen confirming your submission. Once you submit your paper, a tutor will critique it and provide feedback. Download the following document to see an example of the feedback you will receive:   . If you are submitting an assignment for a class, be sure to leave time for the tutor to reply (at least a day) and then time for you to incorporate the suggestions. When your feedback is available, it will be in the Personal Archive tab on the Smarthinking launch screen. We suggest that you explore the Writing Center prior to the start of your program so you are aware of how to get the help you may need later. Submit a paper to get some feedback on your writing technique. It does not have to be a current assignment, so find a paper that you have written recently, and give it a try. You can even submit the paper multiple times to get through all of the different subjects. Smarthinking Drop-In Tutoring for WritingSmarthinking also has Drop-In Tutoring feature for writing. If you have a single question or want to get an opinion on a single APA reference, this is the help function to use. From the launch screen, click on Drop-In Tutoring, and then choose Writing (All Subjects) from the list. You can paste your text directly onto the whiteboard, as described above.