Fundamentals of Information Literacy and Access to Global Online Research In Agriculture (AGORA) online course is provided by the Partnerships and South-South Cooperation Division (DPS) at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), in collaboration with Research4Life.

The course aims to deliver knowledge about the fundamentals of information literacy competencies and develop necessary skills to access and effectively use AGORA - a collection of up to 10,500 key journals and 26,500 e-books in the fields of food, agriculture, environmental science and related social sciences, - offered to more than 3,400 institutions in more than 115 eligible countries (Group A and Group B).

COURSE DESIGN

The course is provided in English, French and Spanish, and is designed specifically to serve the needs of researchers, academics, research officers, librarians, IT specialists, other practitioners and students.

It consists of two units including five lessons. The course lasts two weeks having an assessment and evaluation at the end. Participants are expected to spend six hour weekly on average to complete readings and engage in programmed activities. 

UNIT 1. Identify, Access and Use Information Resources

• Lesson 1.1. Identifying Information Sources
• Lesson 1.2. Using Information Sources
• Lesson 1.3. Citing and Referencing

UNIT 2.  Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture (AGORA)

• Lesson 2.1. AGORA and Research4Life: Institutional framework
• Lesson 2.2. Searching AGORA effectively

WHO CAN APPLY

Anyone from:

• Research4Life eligible countries (Group A, Group B) and
• Types of eligible institutions:  *national universities, *professional schools, *research institutes, *government offices, *national libraries, *agricultural extension centers and *local non-governmental organizations, -

and whose work or study is related to agricultural & related sectors, can apply to this course.

TAKESAWAY

At the end of the course, the course participants should be able to :

1. Identify and evaluate information sources, develop search strategy, familiarize with search techniques

2. Understand ethical considerations in academia, gain skills in citing and referencing

3. Obtain deep knowledge about institutional framework of AGORA and Research4Life programmes, registration process for AGORA and terms of use

4. Access and search AGORA content effectively including browsing collections, applying advanced search techniques, using discovery service and bibliometric analytical tool

CERTIFICATION

Those who pass the end-of-course exam successfully will be awarded with a Certificate of Achievement.

COURSE EDITIONS

• 2017, 23 October - 5 November
• 2018, 29 January - 9 February
• 2018, 21 May - 3 June
• 2018, 10 - 21 September
• 2019, 4 -15 February (English), 11 - 22 February (French), 18 February - 1 March (Spanish)

Join for free AGORA discussion group on DGroups