Information literacy Across the curriculum…and in your classroom

1. Information literacy Across the curriculum…and in your classroom Faculty Development Day – January 2012

2. What is information literacy? “Information literacy is the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand.” (National Forum on Information Literacy, n.d.)

3. Information Literacy Skills “An information literate individual is able to: • Determine the extent of information needed • Access the needed information effectively and efficiently • Evaluate information and its sources critically (Association of College & Research Libraries, 2000)

4. Information Literacy Skills (con’d) • Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base • Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose • Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally” (Association of College & Research Libraries, 2000)

5. Beyond Definitions & Standards “Information literacy is not a static or limited idea, but a dynamic concept that continues to grow to incorporate a larger set of skills essential for a life of meaning in an information era.” (Ward, 2006)

6. Beyond Definitions & Standards (con’d) “Our early (and limited) conception of information literacy as a set of skills or abilities is evolving into a deepened re-conception of information literacy as a way of thinking, a dispositional habit, and a cultural practice.” (Gibson, 2006)

7. Why Information Literacy? • Critical thinking • Consumption culture in an information age • Informed and participatory citizenry • Professional skills • IL in the digital age

8. Why Information Literacy (con’d): Misperceptions about Millennials • Student over-confidence in research and IL skills • Difficulties with basic research (e.g., selecting keywords, using databases) • Difficulties evaluating information (e.g., relevance, reliability, context) • Facility with technologies • “Making the grade” vs. being information literate No positive correlation between IL and: • GPA • SAT scores • H.S. rank (according to the KC information literacy assessment)

9. Towards CRITICAL Information Literacy • Critical evaluation of information • Evaluation of rhetorical contexts in which information is produced and communicated • Knowledge as constructed, rather than pre-existing • Reflection on information’s relevance to oneself and to various communities • Understanding of practices surrounding knowledge production in various communities (e.g., scholarly peer review, Internet etiquette)

10. CRITICALIL and Active Learning […] this critical stance [of critical literacy] elevates the status of the reader from a passive recipient of the views and ideas of an author to a critical thinker who questions the author and the text, examines information or ideas based on what is included and what is left out, and reflects upon the change that transpires within himself or herself as a result of this process.” (McLeod & Vasinda, 2008, p. 261)

11. Active Learning and the Knowledge Creation • Shifts from “instructor-centered” to “student-centered” learning • Meaningful learning • Project-based assignments • Collaborative work • Reflective learning

12. Assignment Ideas • Compare a scholarly and a popular information source. Evaluate them in terms of authorship, audience, purpose, etc. • Compare different kinds of scholarly sources (e.g., print vs. online journals, journals with varying models for peer review). • Explore online communities and discussion forums related to a specific issue or discipline. • Explore Wikipedia. Debate pros and cons of “crowdsourcing” and collective editing. • Have students create a class wiki on a given research topic.

13. So What Does This Mean in Your Classroom? Activity: Scan the list of skills provided on the worksheet “Identifying Students’ Information Skills.” Note several skills which are relevant to your students in a particular course. Estimate the degree to which the statements are true for these students.

14. Group Discussion Choose one example of a class assignment or activity which helps foster the development of information literacy (IL). Then reflect on and discuss the following questions in a group of 2-4: • What specific skills/processes relevant to IL does the assignment/activity involve? • How does the activity foster development of IL (including critical IL)? • Are there ways that the activity might further support development of IL?

15. Citizenship and Information Literacy “[Information literacy] empowers people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use, and create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational goals. It is a basic human right in a digital world and promotes social inclusion of all nations.” (International Federation of Library Associations, 2005, p. 3)

16. THANK YOU! Andrea Baer, Ph.D. Instruction & Reference Librarian andreabaer@kings.edu

17. References Association of College & Research Libraries (2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm#f1 Gibson, C. (2006). Student engagement and information literacy. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, p. viii. International Federation of Library Associations. (2005). The Alexandria Proclamation. Retrieved from http://infolit.org/information-literacy-resources/data-center/. p. 3 Magolda, B. (1992). Knowing and reasoning in college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. McLeod, J. and Vasinda, S. (2008). Critical literacy and Web 2.0: Exercising and negotiating power. Computers in the Schools, 25(3-4), p. 261. National Forum on Information Literacy. (n.d.) “About the NFIL.” Retrieved from http://infolit.org/about-the-national-forum/ Ward, D. (2006). “Revising information literacy for lifelong meaning,” The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 32(4), p. 398.