LibGuides: Information Literacy: Why Information Literacy?

Did you know?

Information Literacy (IL) refers to the ability to recognize a need for information and to find, analyze, and synthesize related material from books, articles, websites and more.

How Can IL Benefit Students?

A 2017 survey of 42,000 students in more than 1,700 courses at 12 major research universities showed that:

Retention rates were higher for students whose courses included IL instruction.
Students whose courses included IL instruction reported higher average first-year GPAs than those whose courses did not.
Students who took IL instruction successfully completed 1.8 more credit hours per year than students who did not.

How Can IL Benefit Faculty?

Students who are information literate are better able to come up with workable topics for their papers, research those topics iindependently, and write papers that conform to rigorous academic standards.

Starter Kit

Not sure where to get started?

To hit the ground running, try the following material with students. It will give them a solid start on IL basics without becoming overwhelmed.

Video: The Research Process Part 1 (Pre-Research) and Part 2 (In-Depth Research, Outlining, and Writing
Use this video to demonstrate the value of pre-research. Learn how to align your initial exploration to your assignment requirements.
Video: Beginning Research with Wikipedia/Google Part 1 (Getting Started with Wikipedia/Google) and Part 2 (Transitioning from Google/Wikipedia to Databases)
This video will help you understand the process of background research by introducing techniques for gathering background information using Google and Wikipedia.
Video: Thesis Statements
Use this video to learn how to identify the purpose of your research efforts and construct evidence-based statements. Learn how to narrow in on a topic, conduct background research, and synthesize the existing body of evidence in order to craft a compelling argument.

Why Critical Thinking?

An ability to think critically is essential to a student's time in school and is a vital life-long skill.

Employers highly value critical thinking skills too, with a 2013 AAC&U study showing that “a candidate’s demonstrated capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more important than their undergraduate major."

It's not easy to teach students to adopt a new thinking style; in today's polarized environment, it can even be difficult to impart to them the importance of deliberate and critical thinking.