The document outlines the objectives and guidelines for an economic geography course assignment. Students are tasked with researching a company and collecting information on its products, markets, competitors, suppliers, and industry. They will use a variety of library resources like articles, reports, and data sets. The librarian created an online research guide for the assignment that includes the specifications and tools for different information formats. The guide serves as an instructional tool and research aid. While initial library instruction took place in the classroom, future sessions aim to be held in the library for active learning with individual student computers.

1. Information Creation as Format in
GEOG 203 - Economic Geography
GEOG 203 course objectives and assignment guidelines analyzed:
• Use of library resources:
• Scientific articles
• Company profiles
• Annual reports
• Data sets
• Newspaper sources
• Critical evaluation of sources and reports,
• Ethical use of information,
• Synthesis of external data sets / data collected.

2. Students tasked to find company information, including:
• Company product
• Company market information
• competitors
• customers
• Company suppliers
• Industry information
• Local company-specific information
• how many employees?
• revenue situation?
• sunrise/sunset firm?
• product life-cycle location?
• employee skills – generalized or specific?
• agglomeration economy?

3. • Company product
• Company market information
• competitors
• customers
• Company suppliers
• Industry information
• Local company-specific information
• how many employees?
• revenue situation?
• sunrise/sunset firm?
• product life-cycle location?
• employee skills – generalized or
specific?
• agglomeration economy?
Information Creation as
Process
&
Authority is Constructed
and Contextual

4. • Company product
• Company market information
• competitors
• customers
• Company suppliers
• Industry information
• Local company-specific information
• how many employees?
• revenue situation?
• sunrise/sunset firm?
• product life-cycle location?
• employee skills – generalized or
specific?
• agglomeration economy?
Authority is Constructed
and Contextual
&
Information Has Value

5. • Company product
• Company market information
• competitors
• customers
• Company suppliers
• Industry information
• Local company-specific information
• how many employees?
• revenue situation?
• sunrise/sunset firm?
• product life-cycle location?
• employee skills – generalized or
specific?
• agglomeration economy?
Information Creation as
Process
&
Authority is Constructed
and Contextual
Authority is Constructed
and Contextual
&
Information Has Value

6. • Company product
• Company market information
• competitors
• customers
• Company suppliers
• Industry information
• Local company-specific information
• how many employees?
• revenue situation?
• sunrise/sunset firm?
• product life-cycle location?
• employee skills – generalized or
specific?
• agglomeration economy?
Authority is Constructed
and Contextual
Information Creation as
Process
&
&
Information Has Value

7. Teaching Plan / Course Research Guide
Developed a library instruction guide using the LibGuides platform, starting with
the basic template created by James.

8. Teaching Plan / Course Research Guide
Developed a library instruction guide using the LibGuides platform, starting with
the basic template created by James.
The guide serves simultaneously as a teaching tool, a space where they can
reference their assignment specifications, a toolkit, a research touchstone, and a
place where the students can also find assignment-specific help.

9. Teaching Plan / Course Research Guide
Developed a library instruction guide using the LibGuides platform, starting with the
basic template created by James.
The guide serves simultaneously as a teaching tool, a space where they can
reference their assignment specifications, a toolkit, a research touchstone, and a
place where the students can also find assignment-specific help.
Navigation of the guide emphasizes a basic research approach according to
information format types either required or encouraged by the faculty member.
Library instruction – which was held in-class rather than in the library – balances
teaching knowledge / disposition and “rules”.

10. Teaching Plan / Course Research Guide
Developed a library instruction guide using the LibGuides platform, starting with the
basic template created by James.
The guide serves simultaneously as a teaching tool, a space where they can reference
their assignment specifications, a toolkit, a research touchstone, and a place where
the students can also find assignment-specific help.
Navigation of the guide emphasizes a basic research approach according to
information format types either required or encouraged by the faculty member.
Library instruction – which was held in-class rather than in the library – balances
teaching knowledge / disposition and “rules”.
Current version of the session does not allow for active learning, but next academic
year faculty member expressed desire to have library session “in-house” for active
learning opportunities.

11. No formal assessment done this time because
instruction session took place in the academic classroom.
• Informal feedback from faculty member was exceptionally positive .

12. No formal assessment done this time because
instruction session took place in the academic classroom.
• Informal feedback from faculty member was exceptionally positive .
• Next academic year, instructor wishes for instruction session to be taught in the
library classroom, with each student logged into their own computer so that
active learning opportunities can take place.

13. No formal assessment done this time because
instruction session took place in the academic classroom.
• Informal feedback from faculty member was exceptionally positive .
• Next academic year, instructor wishes for instruction session to be taught in the
library classroom, with each student logged into their own computer so that
active learning opportunities can take place.
• Focused on the main Frame that was the most obvious (Information Creation as
Process), but after further analysis realized that there are two other frames
addressed within the assignment (Authority is Constructed and Contextual -&-
Information Has Value)and within the instruction. Future instruction sessions
will be enhanced by additional incorporation of these two other Frames.

14. No formal assessment done this time because
instruction session took place in the academic classroom.
• Informal feedback from faculty member was exceptionally positive .
• Next academic year, instructor wishes for instruction session to be taught in the
library classroom, with each student logged into their own computer so that
active learning opportunities can take place.
• Focused on the main Frame that was the most obvious (Information Creation as
Process), but after further analysis realized that there are two other frames
addressed within the assignment (Authority is Constructed and Contextual -&-
Information Has Value)and within the instruction. Future instruction sessions
will be enhanced by additional incorporation of these two other Frames.
• A need to collaborate more closely with the faculty member to get a better sense
of the “so what?” purpose of the overall paper, to better tie it into the course
objectives. Also a need to assess student learning – both by post-instruction
survey and by portfolio analysis.