Research Guides: Education: EDUC 115

Context Note

Please note that this guide was created in consultation with Professor Stebick for a specific class activity for EDUC 115 where we explore the use of AI tools in conjunction with library resources.

Check with your individual professors before using AI tools for your coursework in different classes.

Finding Case Studies

Use the following tools and the advanced search strategies we discuss in class to find relevant case studies.

Databases:

Education Source This link opens in a new window
Provides citations and abstracts for more than 3,500 journals and contains full-text for more than 1,900 journals and 550 books. Covers all levels of education—from early childhood to higher education—as well as all educational specialties such as multilingual education, health education, and testing. Encompasses an international array of English-language periodicals, monographs, yearbooks and more. Early 20th century to present.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
The Education Resource Information Center (ERIC) provides access to educational literature and resources. This database provides access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index. The database contains abstracts and some full text of journal articles, reports, curricular materials, books, conference papers, etc.on education research and practice. 1966 – present.

AI Tools:

Elicit: The AI Research Assistant
AI tool that "shows relevant papers and summaries of key information about those papers in an easy-to-use table."
Description from Elicit's FAQ.
ChatGPT
AI tool that "interacts in a conversational way" composing responses to questions/prompts.
Artificial Intelligence Research Guide
A research guide created by McGill Library that discusses AI, including a helpful page on ChatGPT.

Evaluating Sources

You should think critically about information sources that you use, particularly if they will be cited in course assignments. Here are a few things to consider when evaluating sources…

How does it support your research question?

What do you know now that you didn’t know before reading it?
What does the source argue or demonstrate that none of your other sources do?
What parts of your research question does it not help answer?

What makes it reliable?

What did you feel when reading it?
Have other people cited or referenced it?
How might someone dismiss it?

Who wrote it and why?

What qualifies the author(s) to write about the topic?
How can you find more information about the author(s)?
Who is the intended audience?

Where was it published?

Who had to approve or review it before it could be published?
Do you normally need a subscription to read it? If so, who is paying that subscription?
Who can’t afford to pay to read it?

Education: EDUC 115

Research & Instruction Librarian

AI Tools Explained

Use AI to Generate Research Questions With Elicit: Find research gaps and generate questions

What is ChatGPT? OpenAI's Chat GPT Explained

Citing Sources

About This Guide