Further Elucidation of the Information Literacy Learning Objectives and Examples of Activities

Further Elucidation of the Information Literacy Learning Objectives and Examples of Activities that Teach Information Literacy:

The following material suggests three components for each of the information literacy learning objectives. These items are not meant to be prescriptive, but rather to further explain each objective. This additional information may spark ideas about how to integrate the learning objective into a particular major, or it may confirm that the major is already addressing part or all of a particular learning objective.

In addition, there are examples of ways in which students in a particular major might indicate competency in an objective. While each of these examples mentions a particular discipline, aspects of them will be transferable to a wide range of disciplines. Departments are encouraged to develop models that best fit the unique design and objectives of their programs, and to share these as examples for other majors.

The last element for each learning objective is a section of possible assignments or activities to help address the learning objective. Again, these are just suggestions. Departments are encouraged to develop discipline-specific mechanisms for teaching these abilities. For additional assistance, please feel free to contact:

 Trudi Jacobson Head, Information Literacy Department [email protected]

 The bibliographer for your department (A list of bibliographers can be found at http://library.albany.edu/subject/leaders/bibs/)

1. Understand the information environment and information needs in the discipline in today’s society, including the organization of and access to information, and select the most appropriate strategies, search tools, and resources for each unique information need a. Recognize that information is organized to varying degrees and use of that organization is empowering b. Determine scope of required information; reevaluate needs throughout the process: research is a recursive process c. Match information needs and search strategies to appropriate search tools Examples:  A Spanish major knows how to find culturally authentic materials in Spanish: newspapers, images, videos, audio files, etc.  A political science major can determine which database is the most relevant for conducting background research for a project and can structure a search using key terms that map to her research needs. *

 An English major can conduct research on a work in a number of ways, combining in- depth examination of a text with collaborative discussion and academic research. *

 An education major understands the way knowledge is developed and disseminated in the field and is able to locate appropriate information from a variety of sources to address trends and adapt their teaching to pedagogical and student needs. *

 A biology major understands the way knowledge is developed and disseminated in the field and is able to locate appropriate information from a variety of sources to address current trends. Sample Activities:  Students might be assigned to compare several key discipline-specific databases (which might include Minerva) and other information organization tools. They must develop effective search strategies and show an ability to select appropriate resources from the search results. As a part of the assignment, students reflect on the different results obtained through these searches and those that they find via Google or Wikipedia.

 Students keep a research journal while working on a research paper or project. In the journal, they note their search strategies, the tools and search terms used, the types of results obtained, and the process of selecting the best ones. Throughout, they note what was and wasn’t effective, the points at which they reevaluated their needs, and the adjustments they made. They also reflect on the process as a whole and what they learned from it.

 Chemistry and physics students are often asked to determine chemical and physical properties of substances and materials in laboratory assignments. Students usually need to compare their findings with known, accepted values. Students could be asked to compare traditional reference sources like the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics and Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry to Web-based resources found via http://libguides.library.albany.edu/content.php?pid=87928&sid=654053 and http://libguides.library.albany.edu/content.php?pid=86718&sid=645121. Students should be able to determine if the Web-based resources are as reliable as the traditional sources.

 Biology, chemistry, physics, or atmospheric sciences student investigates the differences between the primary and secondary literature. Student selects an article of interest from a science news source like the NY Times (Science Section), Discover, Scientific American, or Chemical & Engineering News that contains citations or links to the original journal articles. Student compares the news item to the original journal article for purpose, audience, content, and accuracy.

 Students are assigned to watch a scene from a feature film depicting a historical event. Students identify the historical figures in the scene and find biographical information about them. Additionally, if the scene includes characters discussing or mentioning primary sources, students identify and locate them (In some cases, students will be able to find digital versions of the primary sources. In other cases, students might be able to identify which archives contain the original document). The film “Lincoln” by Steven Spielberg is a good example for this. Also, a related exercise could be to demonstrate which characters in the scene are historical figures and which ones are just fictional characters created for the film.

2. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate content, including dynamic, online content, if appropriate a. Demonstrate the ability to place an information source in its context (for example, author’s purpose, format of information, and delivery mode) in order to ascertain the value of the material for that particular situation b. Distinguish between editorial commentary and information presented from a more research-based perspective, recognizing that values and beliefs are embedded in all information c. Assess content from different sources, including dynamic content from social media, critically Examples:  A public health major can distinguish between various types of communicative media and how they influence social interpretations of reality (for example, how something on a social network that is untrue might influence public opinion regarding a public health issue). *

 A history major is able to critically assess a wide range of secondary sources, identifying the effect that author’s purpose, value, and choice of format and delivery mode have upon the content and presentation of the information.

 A LACS major understands the importance of consulting and evaluating foreign resources to produce well-rounded research that integrates different points of view. For example, research about the United States-México border region should integrate both sources created in the United States and in Latin America, especially Mexico. Sample Activities:  Biology students are asked to evaluate the content of several information sources, such as a popular article from a magazine, web newsletter or journal article, using criteria such as author expertise, accuracy of the content, currency of the material and whether this matters, relevance to the information need, and other discipline-based criteria.

 Science students (biology, physics, chemistry, etc.) are assigned to investigate social media such as blogs or scientific communities in his/her field. After selecting one, the student then will compare it with the official web source of a well-established scientific society in the field or to the general scientific organizations such as NSF or AAAS. Those websites are usually static, while the blogs and other social media are interactive and dynamic. The student will evaluate the quality of the materials and compare them. He/she will learn to distinguish between those types of sources and gain appreciation of the interactive modes of scientific communications.

 Assign students to find and evaluate information on the same topic from a variety of types of information sources. Students might consider the different contexts, contents, and uses for information found in books, scholarly and popular articles, blogs, etc., as well as in varying formats, such as textual, visual, numeric, and/or video. Students reflect on how the choices made address the author’s purpose for a given situation.

 Students are asked to evaluate the content of an information source, using criteria such as author expertise, accuracy of the content, currency of the material and whether this matters, relevance to the information need, and other discipline-based criteria. Students might expand this investigation to determine the impact the source had on subsequent discussion.

3. Conduct ethical practices in the use of information, in ways that demonstrate awareness of issues of intellectual property and personal privacy in changing technology environments a. Differentiate between the production of original information and remixing or re- purposing resources b. Apply principles and laws of copyright and Creative Commons or other licensing as appropriate to the creation of original or repurposed information c. Follow appropriate ethical standards in sharing information Examples:  A computer science, chemistry, physics, or nanoengineering student understands the importance of the ethical use of intellectual property such as patents and their importance to the modern technological industries. He/she will be able to investigate information about patents: types of patents (software, chemical, device, etc.), their major features, and the process of obtaining the patent as an individual or a member of an organization.

 A music major understands the issues connected to licensing an original or remixed composition and is able to follow through to obtain that licensing. Sample Activities:  Students are assigned to select one work that they have created during the course and to investigate copyright and Creative Commons or other licensing options (specific to the discipline) for the work. They decide which option they would select if they were to make the work public, and provide a justification for that selection. To address a portion of Learning Objective #4, students might then go ahead and determine how and where to share this work.

4. Produce, share, and evaluate information in a variety of participatory environments a. Share information one has created and responsibly critique that of others in collaborative environments b. Make necessary differentiations among the unique attributes of different information formats (e.g., scholarly article, blog, wiki, online community), and have the ability to effectively use and cite information for the development of original content c. Produce original content appropriate to need in multiple media formats; transfer skills to new formats as they evolve Examples:  A computer science major can evaluate the quality of solutions offered to programming problems on online community discussion boards, and contribute meaningfully to the discussion. *

 Biology majors are able to prepare either electronic or physical poster sessions that undergo critique, and participate in critiquing those of others. Sample Activities:  Students respond to discussion questions on a course blog or discussion forum, and also respond thoughtfully to comments left by classmates.

 In preparation for a research paper, students find information on their topic in a variety of formats appropriate to the discipline. They submit a preliminary annotated bibliography of these sources prior to writing the paper. Each annotation might discuss the appropriateness of the source and its format for the topic. Alternatively, they might select two items in unusual formats that enriched their information gathering, and discuss why these formats were effective on a course blog or discussion forum.

5. Integrate learning and research strategies with lifelong learning processes and personal, academic, and professional goals a. Use self-reflection to assess one’s own learning and knowledge of the learning process b. Demonstrate the ability to think critically in context and to transfer critical thinking to new learning c. Engage in informed, self-directed learning that encourages a broader worldview through the global reach of today’s information technology Examples:  A studio art major can write an artist’s statement placing herself within or distancing herself from existing theoretical and historical frameworks. *

 A student graduating with a bachelor’s degree seeks out competing perspectives to develop his own opinions about complex social issues. *  A student graduating with a bachelor's degree in biology knows when and how to effectively search social networking platforms and use discipline-specific online research communities when seeking employment. *

Sample Activities:

 Students reflect on how their information finding abilities and knowledge have developed over the course of the major, and what strengths they bring to the workplace or graduate school in this regard. Such reflection might occur in journal entries or be documented in course discussion forum entries.

 Capstone students meet with new majors to provide one key piece of advice for fellow students, based on their own experiences working with information in the field.

* Items marked with an asterisk were borrowed or adapted from the CUNY Working Document for Developing IL Guidelines Across the Disciplines (5/13/13 draft). Special thanks to Robert Farrell, Coordinator of Information Literacy and Assessment, Lehman College, and coordinator of the working group, for permission to borrow and adapt elements from their document.