DU301 A world of whose making? Politics, economics, technology and culture in international studies DU321 Making the international: viewpoints, concepts and models in international politics and economics
IT Guide Contents PART A
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA
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1 Welcome
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2 The electronic media at a glance
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2.1 Course Website
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2.2 Concept Mapper
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2.3 Interpreting Data CD-ROM
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2.4 eTexts
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2.5 eTMAs
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PART B
INFORMATION RESOURCES ON THE WEB
PART C
GETTING HELP
1 The OU Computing Helpdesk How to contact the OU Computing Helpdesk:
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2 Help from the OU Library
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Appendix 1
Glossary of terms
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Copyright © 2007 The Open University Printed in the United Kingdom
SUP 98064 5 5.1
*SUP980645*
PART A AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA 1
Welcome
Welcome to the IT Guide for courses DU301 and DU321. This booklet aims to introduce you to the various electronic media associated with these courses. We hope you will enjoy using the facilities and will seek help if you find you are ‘lost’ at any time. Detailed guidance on how and when to use the various electronic media as part of your studies can be found in the Study Guides; this booklet contains additional information about these resources, a glossary of terms, and details of where to get help if you have any problems.
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The electronic media at a glance
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Course Website
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Concept Mapper
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Interpreting Data Tutorials
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eTexts
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eTMAs
2.1 Course Website DU301 and DU321 each have their own Course Website. This can be accessed from the OU Student Home page http://www.open.ac.uk/students. You may need to log in with your Open University Computer Username and password. Guidance on using the Course Website can be found in the Computing Guide on the Online Applications CD-ROM (also available on line from the Study Support section of Student Home) and in Study Guide 1, Section 2.2.
Web activities From time to time during your studies you will be referred to the Course Website to carry out a Web-based activity related to the material you are studying. These activities are all linked to the website and are located in the ‘Course resources’ section. Each activity is numbered and has a link to take you directly to it. Full details of the activity and how to carry it out can be found by following the link.
2.2 Concept Mapper The Concept Mapper is a conceptual database containing entries on all of the key concepts in the course as well as entries on a range of theories and models included in the course. If you are studying DU321, the list of concepts in the database is the same as those that appear as marginal definitions in the course text Making the International. If you are studying DU301, the list of concepts in the database is the same as those that appear as marginal definitions in the course texts Making the International and Ordering the International. All the entries in the database – relating to concepts, theories and models – are taken from the course text(s). So, the Concept Mapper is a tool that is designed to enable you to work through some of the material in the course text(s) in your own
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way, making connections between concepts, and between concepts, theories and models, in ways of your own choosing. It is there to help you explore links across the course in other ways than reading the text(s) in sequence. And it provides a handy reference point for key concepts and related theories and models. As the Concept Mapper contains only extracts from the text(s), it is not a substitute for reading and studying the text(s) themselves!
Installation instructions for the Concept Mapper 1
Insert the Concept Mapper CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.
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Locate the file named SETUP.EXE on the CD-ROM and run it by doubleclicking on the associated icon. This will start the installation procedure.
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Follow the instructions of the set-up program to install the Concept Mapper and its associated tutorials on your computer.
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To finish the installation click ‘Finish’.
Once you have installed the Concept Mapper onto your computer, four icons will appear on your desktop. There are three Tutorials, coloured red (Tutorial 1), green (Tutorial 2) and blue (Tutorial 3), and the Concept Mapper icon itself – a globe. To run the Concept Mapper or one of the tutorials, locate the associated icon on your desktop and double-click on it, or use the ‘Start’ menu to run the Concept Mapper. You can now do one of two things:
You can view one of the tutorials.
You can use the Concept Mapper itself.
To view one of the tutorials The tutorials have been constructed to show you the different ways in which you can navigate through the Concept Mapper. To view a tutorial simply double-click on the relevant tutorial icon on your desktop. Click ‘Start’ on the window that then opens. All you have to do now is click on the forward arrow which is on the right-hand side of the Toolbar near the top of the window. This will take you through the tutorial. Each of the three tutorials is designed to illustrate the different ways in which you can navigate through the Concept Mapper; the first being with a concept, the second with a theory and the third with a model. The tutorials are just for illustration and only represent a very small section of the material in the Concept Mapper’s database.
To use the Concept Mapper itself To enter the Concept Mapper itself, double-click on the globe icon on your desktop and click on ‘Start’ on the screen that appears. This opens the main window of the Concept Mapper. You need also to open a second window – the menu window. To do this, simply click on the ‘Concepts’ button which is in the toolbar at the top of the main window. This should then look like Figure 1 (overleaf).
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Figure 1 Concept Mapper with the main window and menu window both open (note both are in ‘Concept’ mode in this figure) You can now use the Concept Mapper in one of three main ways:
By exploring links through the course starting with ‘concepts’.
By exploring links through the course starting with ‘theories’.
By exploring links through the course starting with ‘models’.
Concepts
The main window actually opens in ‘Concept’ mode, as does the menu window (you will see that in the menu window, ‘Concepts’ is highlighted). Let’s look at the main window first. To do this, minimize or close the menu window. In the main window a concept will be named in the top left-hand corner, just below the toolbar, for example ‘Anarchy’. Just below this it will state its disciplinary location, for example ‘Political’ (not all concepts are associated with a discipline, so for some this space will be empty). To the right-hand side are two more boxes: one says ‘Definition’ and the other ‘Description’. By clicking on one or the other you can view either a brief definition of the concept or a description of it. These will be shown in the main box in the lower half of the main window. You will also note that there are three drop-down menus in the middle of the main window. These show the ‘Related Concepts’, ‘Related Theories’ and ‘Related Models’ of the concept that is displayed. To explore these elements, click on the down arrow on the right-hand side of the menu and click on whichever of the related concepts, theories or models you wish to read about. You will notice that in the ‘Related Concepts’ box entries are defined as either (contrasted) or (development of). For example, if you look at the concept of ‘anarchy’ you will see that it is contrasted with ‘hierarchy’ and ‘interdependence’ and is a development of ‘sovereignty’. These are good indications of the primary links worth exploring. Note also that if you choose a related theory or model, you will then enter ‘Theory’ mode or ‘Model’ mode. To get back to ‘Concept’ mode, or more generally to get back to where you started
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from, simply click the left-pointing arrow (the back button) in the top right-hand corner of the toolbar at the top of the main menu. To begin with a different concept you need to open the menu window again (this will either be minimized at the bottom left-hand corner of the main window, or you can open it by clicking on the ‘Concepts’ button in the toolbar of the main window). The menu window contains a list of all the concepts in the database. If you scroll down this list and double-click on an entry, this will take you to the relevant entry in the ‘Concept’ mode of the database and you can then begin using the main window as described above to explore the links to that concept. (Note that when you double-click on a concept in the menu window it automatically minimizes the menu window for you so that you can see the main window). Theories
To explore the database by beginning with ‘Theories’ either click on ‘Theories’ on the toolbar in the main window, or if the menu window is already open, click on ‘Theories’ in that window. This time you will see a list of all the theories in the database and these are listed on the right-hand side of the menu window. Again, if you scroll down the list and double-click on an entry it will appear (and the menu window will be minimized at the bottom of the main window.) The main window will now be open in ‘Theory’ mode (see Figure 2). At the top left of the window, just below the toolbar, it will state the name of the theory that you have selected. To the right-hand side of this there will be two boxes: ‘Description’ and ‘Debates’. By clicking on one or the other you can view either a description of the theory or how that theory appears in a particular debate. These will be shown in the main box towards the lower half of the main window. You will note that there is also a drop-down menu towards the middle of the main window entitled ‘Related Concepts’. If you click on the arrow to the right of this menu it will list concepts related to the theory you have chosen. Click on one of these and it will take you to that concept. Note that this switches you back into ‘Concept’ mode. To return to ‘Theory’ mode, either click the back button at the top right-hand corner of the main window, or click on ‘Theories’ in the Toolbar of the main window.
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Figure 2 Concept Mapper with the main window open in ‘Theory’ mode (the menu window is minimized at the bottom) Models
To explore the database by beginning with ‘Models’ either click on ‘Models’ on the toolbar in the main window, or if the menu window is already open, click on ‘Models’ in that window. This time you will see a list of all the models in the database listed on the right-hand side of the menu window. Again, if you scroll down the list and double-click on an entry it will appear (and the menu window will be minimized at the bottom of the main window.) The main window will now be open in ‘Model’ mode (see Figure 3). At the top left of the window it will show the name of the model that you have selected. Note that in ‘Model’ mode you do not have the description/definition/debates option, just one piece of text that will be shown in the main box in the lower half of the main window. You will note that there is also a drop-down menu towards the middle of the main window entitled ‘Related Concepts’. If you click on the arrow to the right of this it will list concepts related to the model you have chosen. Click on one of these and it will take you to that concept. Note that this switches you back into ‘Concept’ mode. To return to ‘Model’ mode, either click the back button at the top right-hand corner of the main window, or click on ‘Models’ in the toolbar of the main window.
Figure 3 Concept Mapper with the main window open in ‘Model’ mode (the menu window is minimized at the bottom) Overall, the key point to remember is that from the toolbar in the main window, or from the menu window you can move to any entry in the database. Concepts have two entries associated with them: Definitions and Descriptions. Theories have two entries associated with them: Description and Debates. Models have one entry.
Additional features In addition to these three ‘modes’, there are three other options on the toolbar of the main window – ‘History’, ‘Search’ and ‘Figures’. If you click on ‘History’
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you will get a list of the windows you have opened, thereby enabling you to record the links that you have explored. Clicking on ‘Search’ enables you to search all the database entries by specifying either a single term or a list of terms if you want to narrow your search (just type each of the terms into the box, with a space between each one). Clicking on ‘Figures’ enables you to call up a window for any of the figures or tables mentioned in the text windows. If you click on ‘File’ at the very top left-hand corner of the main window you can print the text in the main window (‘Print Description’) or a record of your current use of the database (‘Print History’). There is also a Help button on the toolbar in the main window. If you click on this, there is a question mark button and an Acknowledgements button. If you click on the question mark, you enter the ‘Help’ mode, which provides information about the database and how to use it. Clicking on the Acknowledgements button lists all the references cited in the text boxes. To quit the Concept Mapper either choose ‘Exit’ from the File menu at the very top left-hand corner of the main window, or simply click the ‘X’ in the extreme top right-hand corner of the main window.
2.3 Interpreting Data CD-ROM Interpreting Data is an interactive programme which aims to teach some of the elementary tools of data analysis that are necessary for understanding and working with numerical data in the social sciences. It does not assume any prior knowledge of data analysis. Interpreting Data is divided into four tutorials:
Tutorial 1 shows how to describe a set of data by means of averages and the main features and measures of a distribution of data.
Tutorial 2 considers data in time and looks at time plots, trends and growth rates.
Tutorial 3 focuses on inequality and examines the measurement and interpretation of inequality.
Tutorial 4 explores how to relate one set of data to another by means of scatterplots, correlations and summary lines.
These tutorials can be studied all the way through in one go, or in as many stages as you like. They involve a range of activities which take you through the teaching, complete with answers, and steadily build your skills and confidence in data analysis. The aim is that you will be able not only to interpret data and the representation of data that you encounter in your studies but also feel confident in handling, manipulating and presenting data in your own work. Information on how to install and operate the Interpreting Data CD-ROM is contained on its packaging.
2.4 eTexts The following information will help you to get started with the eText files supplied for your course. The eTexts are replicas of the printed material you receive by post. There is no additional information in the files that is not contained in the printed material. They are simply the printed material supplied in another medium. We have provided these electronic versions of printed course materials as at times it may be useful to be able to access the books, Study Guide, Assignment Booklets and so on via the Course Website Course Resources section
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(for example if you are away from home and don’t have the text with you, or you want to search the text electronically).
File format The eText files are supplied as Adobe PDFs. This means that they can be opened by Adobe Reader software, which you can install from the Online Applications CD-ROM. The computing guide on the Online Applications CD-ROM contains more information on eText and accessibility.
Using eTexts files Some of the eText files we have provided have a bookmark feature. This is similar to a table of contents, but it is hyperlinked so you can use it to move straight to the part of the book you want. Remember that you can also enlarge the text by clicking on the magnifying glass icon.
Reading eTexts How you decide to read the eTexts is entirely up to you. Our experience suggests that reading eTexts on screen can be used as an adjunct to reading the printed texts. The eText files are useful for searching and copying and pasting, whereas the printed texts are probably easier for reading substantial amounts of text.
Using other platforms and computers Adobe Reader is also available for Macintosh computers and works in exactly the same way as on the Windows platform. The files are also interchangeable. Adobe Reader is also available for the Palm PDA and for the Pocket PC platform. You can transfer the PDF files to these hand-held computers and read the eText files in that way if you wish. Other versions of the Adobe Reader are available from the Adobe website http://www.adobe.co.uk. Please note, however, that The Open University is not able to offer any support for the use of platforms other than the standard Windows environments.
2.5 eTMAs You can find information about electronic assessment in Using the Electronic TMA System: A Guide to eTMAs for Students. This is a printed booklet for all OU students submitting their TMAs electronically. You can also access information via the OU website online Computing Handbook: www.open.ac.uk/computingguide/information/studentetma.html. You will need to ensure that you work through Using the Electronic TMA System and the guidance notes in the Assignment Booklet early on in the course, and well before starting on your TMAs. Make sure you understand the procedures laid down in these materials and note that you are advised, in the Using the Electronic TMA System booklet, to try a test submission of an eTMA early in the course. As soon as you can, begin using the eTMA system. Read the booklet and submit your test eTMA following the instructions given. That way you will have some idea in advance of what is required for the submission of your eTMAs. Test eTMA facilities are usually available about one week before the course start date.
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PART B INFORMATION RESOURCES ON THE WEB Many different types of online resources are provided for DU301 and DU321 students. Some are websites that are available to anyone, but others are databases for which the OU Library pays a subscription. You will only need to know your Open University Computer Username and password to access the majority of the online library resources. Your Open University Computer Username and password is sent to you with your registration details. If you do not have your OU Computer Username (your initials and some numbers). Contact the Computing Helpdesk on +44(0)1908 653972, or email
[email protected] If you have any problems accessing any online library resource, please contact the Library Helpdesk on +44(0)1908 659001 or email
[email protected].
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PART C GETTING HELP
Don’t worry if there seems to be a lot to learn and think about. Like most things, using IT becomes easier with practice and experience, and the university provides help in a variety of ways. If you are having difficulties with the academic content of the course, talk to your tutor. If you are experiencing difficulties with the technology associated with the course, Section 1 below will help. If it is help with library matters that you need, see Section 2 below.
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The OU Computing Helpdesk
The OU Computing Helpdesk offers support to all students and Associate Lecturers with computing and IT related queries. The Helpdesk can provide help with installation and initial usage of course software, and with problems experienced when using your OU Computer Username and password to gain access to any of the University’s computing services, such as forums and OU web pages. If you have problems with your course software, please contact the Helpdesk before returning any CD-ROMs as faulty. We may be able to offer a solution without you needing to wait for the disks to be exchanged for new ones.
How to contact the OU Computing Helpdesk In the first instance we suggest that you visit the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ site http://www.open.ac.uk/computing-helpdesk as this site contains IT support information, and details of known problems and solutions for some course software packages, our contact details and our opening hours.
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Help from the OU Library
The OU Library website provides links to the full range of resources that OU students are entitled to use. You can find them by going to the OU Library’s home page at: http://library.open.ac.uk Many electronic resources have their own Help screens, which you can click on while you are searching the various databases. You may, however, want to get an idea of the best way to search a particular source before you start. The OU Library has prepared a number of guides and ‘Quick hints’ for using specific databases, including OCLC for WorldCat, and EBSCO for Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier and EconLit, and LexisNexis Executive for the full text of newspapers. There will be a link to the help sheet from the database, if available.
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The URL for these guides is: http://library.open.ac.uk/help/helpsheets/helpsheets.html If you need help of a more general nature, try the OU Library’s ‘Information skills tips’ page at: http://library.open.ac.uk/help/helpsheets/infskills.html Here you will find links to a number of sources that focus on the development of information-literacy skills: how to plan and carry out searches, how to organize and evaluate the information that you retrieve, and how to cite references for both electronic and printed sources. If you need further advice on information sources you can also contact the Education and Social Sciences library team at: The Open University, The Library, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA. Phone: +44(0)1908 659001. The OU Library Helpdesk can be contacted by: email on
[email protected] or phone: +44 (0)1908 659 001 If your query is received within office hours, you should have a response within 24 hours. A reply will take a little longer if you email outside office hours. If you need instant help or advice within office hours, try out the ‘Librarians On Call’ service to ‘talk’ online to a librarian in the OU Library Helpdesk team. Click the ‘Librarians On Call’ icon which can be found at the top of every page of Open Library.
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Appendix 1 Glossary of terms (Note: You may want to add some terms of your own as your studies progress.) Abstract A short summary of an article, report, dissertation or book. AdobeReader Free software that enables you to view PDF files. You can see the text as it appears in its printed format. Bibliographic details Information used to identify and acknowledge books, articles, reports, conference papers, theses, sound recordings, videos, Web pages and so on. Bibliography A list of published sources on a particular subject or discipline. Also a list of sources used to research a topic. A bibliography should detail all research sources, not only those referred to in a text. See Citing. Bookmark A means of saving an internet or World Wide Web address onto a computer disk using the Netscape software. See also Favorite. Boolean logic The use of the words ‘and’, ‘or’ and ‘not’ as ‘logical operators’ to combine keywords, and thereby expand or limit an online database search. Browser A computer program used to access internet and www pages, such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer. Case sensitive Some online databases will accept only words typed in a particular way – all upper- or lower-case letters or a mixture of both. Citation index An index of the references listed in an academic journal. Citing Referencing and acknowledging material produced by other authors. See Reference. Classification A sequence of numbers and letters used in a library to categorize books and group them with other texts on the same subject. The Dewey decimal system, for example, is one method of classifying books. Cookie A file put on your computer by a Web server. This enables the server to send the information only once and not every time it is required. A cookie can also be used to store information about you or your internet habits required by a particular website.
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Copyright restrictions Legislation protecting printed and electronic material against unauthorized reproduction. Copyright law is governed in the UK by the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA). Details of these regulations are displayed beside every photocopier in a library. Current awareness A method of keeping up to date with new developments in your subject area, by scanning journals for book reviews, new publications and research findings. Document Supply Centre A section of the British Library responsible for inter-lending, that is, supplying books and other materials to the inter-library loan system. Domain The part of the URL that indicates the provenance of a website; for example: ‘ac’ means ‘academic’, ‘co’ means ‘commercial company’. Download To transfer information from another computer or server to your own. eText An electronic (replica) version of a printed course text. Electronic database A wider description than ‘online’, used for any electronic resource used to store and retrieve information. A CD-ROM, for example, may be used to hold an electronic database. Electronic discussion list Anyone with an email address may add their name to a particular topic list, to receive information and exchange messages with other people sharing the same interest. Electronic journal A regular journal available exclusively online, or an electronic version of a print title. FAQ Used for ‘frequently asked question’. FAQs are often to be found as part of the introductions to databases or services, and bring together common queries and their answers. Favorite The Internet Explorer equivalent of the Netscape bookmark. Form Bibliographic databases and printed bibliographies generally cover material according to its form: books, theses, reports, journal articles, conference papers, video recordings and so on. Format Indicates the way(s) in which a title is published: print on paper, video, sound recording, CD-ROM, online and so on.
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Gateways These classify, categorize and include links to evaluated www resources, but are not subject specific. Hard copy Material produced as print on paper; documents or data reproduced on a computer printer. Hard disk The main storage disk of a computer, usually called the ‘C’ drive. Home page The opening page of a www site, with hypertext links to other pages. HTML Stands for HyperText Mark-up Language, a computer programming language used to construct www documents. Hypertext A means of directly linking one www document to another. Index A list of the material held in an electronic or printed database. Also a list arranged in alphabetical order of the topics, names, titles and so on that feature in a text, indicating the page they appear on. An index helps a reader to locate information more easily. Inter-library loan A means of obtaining material not held in your own library. Interface An interface provides a link between two objects, allowing them to work together. In computing, a user interface, for example, is a screen display designed to simplify the way a program operates. It allows a user to make choices and issue commands by clicking on icons, symbols or words on a menu. Internet A vast network of networks connecting computers around the world. IP (Internet Protocol) address A unique numeric-based name for a computer on a network. ISP (Internet Service Provider) The company that supplies you with internet access and ancillary services. Keyword Word that searchers believe describes the information they want, or authors have used to explain their topic. Metasearch engines Search engines that are able to search and combine the results of several search engines.
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Microfilm/Microfiche Photographic reproductions of printed material recorded on a flat sheet or roll of film. This film must be viewed using special equipment known as a ‘microfilm’ or ‘microfiche reader’. Multimedia A term used to describe the use of video images, graphics, sound and other media in computer applications. Offline A term used to describe work carried out on a computer when it is not attached to a computer network. Online A network connection between two or more computers. Online catalogue An electronic record of the material held in a library. OPAC An acronym used in a library to refer to its electronic catalogue, or Online Public Access Catalogue. Parliamentary Papers Copies of government legislation, reports, debates and so on placed on sale to the public by The Stationery Office. PDF (portable document format) A type of computer file that displays images of the printed page. Peer review An academic journal article may be reviewed before publication by other researchers and authors working in the same discipline, to assess its importance and accuracy. Phrase searching A way of searching an electronic database without using logical operators; for example, instead of using ‘and’ to combine the keywords ‘information’ and ‘society’, the phrase ‘information society’ may be used to retrieve more relevant material. Reference Bibliographic information (sometimes called ‘hits’) retrieved from a printed or electronic database. Alternatively, the books, journal articles, reports, Web pages and so on cited in a text. A list of references or ‘notes’ appears at the end of an academic work. See Citing. Review periodical A journal devoted to publishing critical articles about books, ideas and research. Search engines A program that searches the web in response to queries from users: for example, Infoseek, Lycos and Alta Vista.
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Service provider A commercial organization maintaining, and providing access to, a number of different electronic databases; for example, OCLC FirstSearch. Student Personal Identifier A unique eight-character number that identifies you as an OU student. This will remain your identifier throughout your studies with the OU. Upload To transfer information from a computer (hard or soft) disk to a remote site. URL Uniform Resource Locator: a sequence of numbers, letters and symbols used as an address for a particular www site. Web pages Individual sites and documents placed on the World Wide Web, each with its own Web address. World Wide Web (WWW) The network of linked files that can contain text, graphics, sound and video and can be accessed through the internet. The Web contains many forms of information, and may be searched using Search engines.
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