Information literacy is one of the eight program goals for general education.
--Critical Thinking
--Contextualized Learning
--Interdisciplinary Thinking
--Communication Skills
--Scientific & Quantitative Reasoning
--Civic Engagement
--Information Literacy
--Lifelong Learning
Each general education course should have an "information literacy" component with the aim of helping students develop information skills. It's fairly simple: an assignment, exercise, or in-class discussion that addresses a few information literacy outcomes of your choosing. See the outcomes below.
Information Literacy
Identify, access and evaluate sources of information
Within GenEd, information literacy encompasses a broad spectrum of abilities, including the ability to recognize and articulate information needs; to locate, critically evaluate, and organize information for a specific purpose; and to recognize and reflect on the ethical use of information. (http://gened.temple.edu/students/requirements/gened-program-goals/)
What is information literacy? (Gen Ed Course Proposal FAQ)
What is information literacy? (Temple University Libraries)
Integrating information literacy into Temple Courses (Information Literacy at Temple University)
Information Literacy Outcomes
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.
Fred is always willing to help by 1) giving the class a library workshop, in which some of these outcomes are the goals, or 2) by creating an assignment with some of the outcomes. Please feel free to contact Fred to discuss your goals for student assignments and research.
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 |
http://library.temple.edu/services/faculty/infolit/more#link_02
