"Information literacy" is the ability to recognize when information is needed, and to effectively locate, evaluate, and use that information. Note that the ability to locate information is only one small part of this definition. Information Literacy extends well beyond teaching students how to locate a book in the library. It emphasizes instead a spectrum of skills and abilities that must be developed over time as students engage in the curriculum. The need for information literacy is not particular to any one course or discipline, but rather is an essential part of lifelong learning and informed citizenship. In the 21st Century information literacy is essential for academic, professional, and personal success. For more on defninitions and models of information literacy, try the following links.
- Information Literacy in a Nutshell: for faculty and administrators, from ACRL
- Information Literacy as A Liberal Art: Enlightenment Proposals for a New Curriculum (Shapiro and Hughes)
- Seven Faces of Information Literacy in Higher Education (Christine Bruce, Australia)
- Big Blue (UK, higher ed)
- Big Six (US, K-12 and higher ed)
Below are 22 information literacy outcomes that can be included in any course. You may find that many of these outcomes are already a part of your course, or are implied in some assignments. Carefully choose a few outcomes in order to build the learning activities and assignments that best meet your course goals. Clearly articulate to students how you will measure their achievement in these areas. Combine higher and lower order outcomes as appropriate, taking into consideration the level of the course and where it falls within the general education curriculum or major.
These are the Information Literacy Outcomes for Temple Students, organized in five broad areas of student performance:
| In determining the nature and extent of information needed, the student... | 1. identifies key concepts and terms 2. seeks background information 3. focuses or broadens a topic 4. identifies sources of various types and formats (encyclopedia, book, article, multimedia) 5. differentiates between popular and scholarly sources 6. differentiates between primary and secondary sources |
| To access the information effectively and efficiently the student... | 7. chooses most appropriate method or tool for accessing information 8. identifies keywords, synonyms, and related terms 9. recognizes and employs “subject” vocabulary as well as keywords 10. constructs online searches using commands and operators 11. recognizes and uses common functions in differing search interfaces |
| In order to evaluate information and sources critically the student... | 12. assesses the authority, accuracy, currency, bias, coverage, purpose of information sources 13. recognizes social and cultural context in which information was created 14. incorporates information into knowledge base; synthesizes main ideas to form new concepts and questions 15. consults instructors, experts, and peers to validate their understanding of information |
| The student uses information effectively to accomplish a purpose when he or she... | 16. organizes information in a way appropriate to format of product 17. effectively manages and manipulates digital information 18. revises development process (logs research activities, reflects on what does and doesn't work) 19. communicates product effectively (best medium and format for purpose, range of technology, communicates clearly in appropriate style) |
| The student does all of this with an understanding of the economic, ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding use of information when he or she... | 20. understands difference between free and fee-based sources 21. acknowledges issues surrounding intellectual property, copyright, and fair use and legally obtains, stores and disseminates digital information 22. understands what constitutes plagiarism and acknowledges use of sources through proper citation |
Assignments and Learning Activities: These links will provide overviews of the kinds of assignments that can be used to develop various information literacy competencies and, in some cases, the assignments themselves. Consult with your librarian if you would like support in developing such assignments.
- Grant Funded Project on Integrating Information Literacy into the Liberal Arts Curriculum at the Five Colleges of Ohio
- Assignments Created for Faculty University of Texas at Austin
- Sample Assignments for Library Instruction Gettysburg College
- Commonly Used Types of Information Literacy Assignments SJLibrary.org
- Information Literacy Assignments San Jose State
- Sample Information Literacy Assignments UNC Asheville
- Assignment Suggestions to Develop Competencies University of MD University College
- Ideas for Library/Information Assignments Memorial University Library (Newfoundland)
- Effective Assignments Using Library and Internet Resources UC Berkely Libraries
- Ideas for Library Related Assignments Unviersity of Puget Sound
- Sample Research Assignments SUNY Buffalo
- Sample Library Assignments University of South Carolina
- Library Assignments in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Tutorials: There are countless tutorials that can be used in teaching information literacy competencies. Here are a few we recommend.
General
- TILT: Temple Information Literacy Tutorial Temple undergraduates are required to complete this tutorial in their first year in order to develop a foundation for understanding how to identify, search, and evaluate sources of information.
- Seven Steps to the Research Process Cornell
- How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography Cornell
- How Literature is Structured Cornell
- The Information Cycle Penn State tutorial demonstrating how an event triggers a cycle of information
Plagiarism and Acknowledging Sources
- Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement Dartmouth
- Avoiding Plagiarism Duke University
- Plagiarism Tutorial Indiana State University
- Avoiding Plagiarism Purdue University's Online Writing Lab
- Copyright and Plagiarism Tutorials for students and faculty, Rochester Institute of Technology
Evaluating Information
Searching
- Interactive Boolean Search Tutorial NYU (best in Internet Explorer)
Library Instuction Sessions: Schedule a session with a librarian in order to prepare your class for library research or realize information literacy objectives. The instruction session will be most effective when timed to take place right at the student's point of need. Contact the librarian well in advance of the session, and share your syllabus and assignments with the librarian. The session should be a dialog between the you, the librarian, and the students. The library is equipped with a hands-on computer classroom.
- ITC Literacy Assessment from the ETS
- see a demo of the assessment
Project SAILS The purpose of Kent State's Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) is to develop a valid instrument for assessment of information literacy skills.
- Information literacy skill sets defined in Project SAILS.
- Additional assessment resources from Project SAILS.
- Information Competency Assessment Project Bay Area Community Colleges
- test specifications
- sample scoring rubric
- information competency outcomes mapped to test items for ACRL
- Sample instrument from the California State Polytechnic University Pomona's Information Competence Assessment project
- Glossary of Measurement Techniques from Indian University Bloomington Libraries' Assessment Plan for Information Literacy (1996)
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
- Info Lit and Accreditation Agencies MSCHE standards including information literacy, as described by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
- Developing Research & Communication Skills: Guidelines for Information Literacy in the Curriculum MSCHE publication on integrating information literacy in the curriculum.
- Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. Accrediting Standards 2005-2006. "All graduates...should be able to...conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work"
- American Psychological Association (APA). Board of Educational Affairs. Undergraduate Psychology Major Learning Goals and Outcomes: A Report, 2000 “Students will demonstrate information competence and the ability to use computers and other technology for many purposes”
- American Bar Association. School of Law Accreditation Standards.
"A law school shall require that each student receive substantial instruction in...legal analysis and reasoning, legal research, problem solving..." - American Chemical Society (ACS). Chemical Information Retrieval and Implementation of Library Instruction “ A student who intends to become a practicing chemist, or who will use chemistry in allied fields of science and medicine, should know how to use the chemical literature effectively and efficiently”
- Association of American Medical Colleges. Medical School Objectives Project.
"For its part, the medical school must ensure that before graduation a student will have demonstrated... the ability to retrieve (from electronic databases and other resources), manage, and utilize biomedical information for solving problems and making decisions that are relevant to the care of individuals and populations." Includes extensive description of information literacy objectives for medical colleges. - Association of College and Research Libraries
- Music Library Association Information Literacy Instructional Objectives for Undergraduate Music Students (Music Library Association, 2004)
- National Association for the Education of Young Children. Program Standards
- AACU (Association of American Colleges and Universities) "Essential Learning Outcomes."
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Last update 3/11/08. For further information, please contact Jenifer Lee Baldwin or the subject specialist for your academic department.