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General Education and Information Literacy Learning Outcomes

What is Information Literacy

What is Information Literacy?

Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, organize, use, and communicate information in all of it's various formats, most notably in situations requiring decision making, problem solving, or the acquisition of knowledge. It is a combination of research skills, critical thinking skills, computer technology skills, and communication skills. Information literacy is essential for academic success, effective functioning in the workplace, and participation in society as knowledgeable citizens.

Skyline College. n.d.. Overview, Information Literacy.https://skylinecollege.edu/library/informationliteracy/

 

In 2016 the Association for College and Research Libraries introduced the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.  The six frames are:

General Education Component Skills for Information Literacy

The New Mexico Department of Higher Education includes Information Literacy outcomes for 3 of the 4 skills listed below in their General Education Curriculum of Essential Skills.

NM Higher Education Department (NM HED), General Education Curriculum, https://hed.state.nm.us/resources-for-schools/public_schools/general-education

And DACC provides a rubric Information Literacy Skills Assessment on the last page of the General Education Assessment Plan.

 

How we help:

DACC Librarians can host a class visit to the library, visit your class in-person or online, or embed via Canvas to provide point of need instruction and assistance to DACC students with finding and evaluating information from trusted, authoritative sources. The library can also provide worksheets for the research process that can serve as artifacts of student learning.

Additionally these introductory Research Guides can assist your students in essential skills in finding and evaluating information.

Introduction to Library Research

Types of Sources.

Please find below suggestions for where and when library content and a Librarian can help.

Component Skill Example Assignments Library Support
Authority and Value of Information
  • Citation formatting Exercise
  • Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing exercise
  • Speech or debate
  • Annotated bibliography
  • Research paper or argumentative essay

 
  • Author's credentials evaluation
  • Source authority evaluation
  • Identifying bias
  • Citation formatting
  • Quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing
  • Copyright/ fair use application
Information Structures
  • Search statement construction
  • Search result evaluation
  • Find and summarize and academic source
  • Types of Sources
  • Search Criteria construction
  • Searching techniques
Research as Inquiry
  • Research question/ thesis statement formulation
  • Academic journal article summaries
  • Research  paper
  • Topic exploration
  • Database selection
  • Effective search techniques

Schedule a Library Instruction Session: in-person, online, or embedded

Schedule Library Instruction

DACC Librarians can create information literacy instruction tailored to your assignment and/or learning outcomes, and content can be delivered in-person, online, and via Canvas.

We teach students how to:

  • define their topic and formulate a research query
  • distinguish various information sources
  • search for information across knowledge platforms
  • evaluate sources for credibility and authority
  • incorporate their research into their assignment
  • cite their research properly
  • avoid plagiarism
  • find important library resources in the discipline