USF SLIS: East Coast Connection

I took foundations my first semester at USF with Dr. Scott Simon. There was some interesting, yet challenging reading material. Foundations is a core class that is impossible to avoid. Taking it with Dr. Simon is definitely an acceptable route. There are 4 assignments along with the expectation of weekly readings, and entries into the discussion forum. The readings include Raber's Problem of Information and Batelle's The Search. The assignments include a paper on the history of the library, or a library, an interview with a librarian, a paper on ethics, and a 5-7 page research paper. It is kind of an average class, nothing to get excited about, but manageable, and at times thought provoking. m.

I took Dr. Scott Simon for the 5020 Foundations class my first semester at USf. I thought he chose interesting and challenging reading materials, and I believe the class was set up in a strait forward and logical fashion. The class knew what was expected of us, and it was an environment that was easy to succeed in. There are some things I think he could improve. He was more or less absent on the discussion boards, offering little more than generic compliments every couple of weeks. He assigned us thought provoking reading material, and I would have like to seen him take charge of the discussion boards a bit more, and probe us to really think about the materials. Another problem I had was the complete absence of feedback on the four assignments we had. If I spend two months on a research paper, I would like my professor to say a few things about it. Overall, he is definitely not a reason to avoid taking a class. I am taking another class with him this semester, digital libraries, and I am looking forward to it.