Information Literacy is the term used to describe the ability to effectively locate, evaluate, and communicate information. This skill set is critical not only in the realm of academia, where it is necessary for proper research and writing, but outside of academia, where it is necessary to navigate the constant flood of information (and mis/disinformation) that characterizes life in the 21st century. The Association of College and Research Libraries identifies six important concepts that compose a successful understanding of information literacy:
Some or all of these may sound familiar to you as concepts that you already include in your instruction -- they are relevant to ICaP Outcomes 1, 3, and particularly 5. Intentionally embedding information literacy into your curriculum can assist in reinforcing those concepts. For more details on each of these points and on information literacy in general, see the "Helpful Resources" tab.
The teaching materials on this page (see the "Teaching Materials" tab) are designed to be presented to students in order to help cultivate the skill of information literacy. Ideally, the lessons you choose to implement should precede students' research projects, so that students are able to properly benefit from developing these skills. The instructor is encouraged to modify the lessons as necessary in order to fit them into the course.
Before implementing the lessons provided on this page, it may help to determine one's students' current level of knowledge. For this purpose, we have created the Pre-Assessment Activity found in the "Teaching Materials" tab. If you have questions about any of the assignments or activities or how to embed them into your course, please contact Kristin Leaman: leamankb@purdue.edu.
Below are information literacy activities designed by the Purdue Libraries. If you have questions about implementing these activities into your course, please email Kristin Leaman: leamankb@purdue.edu.
The Association of College and Research Libraries has provided a detailed framework regarding the nature of information literacy and how to implement it in higher education. That framework can be found here. Above is a PDF version.
The tutorials found at the above link include content in both text and video forms. Topics covered include how to identify whether an article is scholarly, how to do effective research, and how to navigate aspects of the Purdue Libraries system.