scholarly journals Fostering Critical Thinking in First-Year Students through Information Literacy Instruction

2022 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandi Goodsett ◽  
Hanna Schmillen
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Information Literacy Instruction

scholarly journals Instructional Characteristics of Information Literacy Programs in the First College Year

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R. Keup ◽  
Ryan D. Padgett ◽  
Cindy A. Kilgo ◽  
Anne-Marie Deitering
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
National Sample ◽  
First Year ◽  
Instructional Tools ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Information Literacy Instruction ◽  
Instructional Characteristics

Drawing from a national sample of 465 institutions, this descriptive study explores the instructional and pedagogical characteristics of course-based information literacy (IL) education in the first year of college. These national data indicate that information literacy instruction is an institutional priority for first-year students but that delivery methods, pedagogy, and evaluation of student learning outcomes rely upon more traditional approaches such as IL instruction in English courses and first-year seminars; librarians as the primary content developers and instructors; classroom activities, lectures, research papers, and presentations as common instructional tools; and an underutilization of information technologies. While analyses of institutional practices suggest emerging areas of information literacy instruction, these strategies have yet to gain prominence on campuses across the country.

On their own terms

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-192
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Kocevar-Weidinger ◽  
Emily Cox ◽  
Mark Lenker ◽  
Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol ◽  
Virginia Kinman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
First Year ◽  
Literacy Curriculum ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Literacy Instruction

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate how first-year students conduct everyday life research and how, if possible, their everyday research skills can inform information literacy instruction in higher education. Very few studies in information literacy emphasize existing knowledge that students bring with them to college; instead, the emphasis tends to fall on deficits in students’ academic research skills. Strengths-based approaches or asset-based approaches as found in the literature of psychology and education provide a basis for exploring this direction in information literacy education. Design/methodology/approach The research used a phenomenographic methodology, interviewing 40 first-year students from two large universities, a medium-sized university and a community college. Findings The qualitative study suggests that first-year students are capable of using information purposefully to learn or research interests that have sparked their curiosities. They are also capable of reflecting on the ways that their investigations fulfilled their purposes, resulted in unexpected outcomes or made them consider their issue in a new light. These existing capacities provide promising starting points for strengths-based approaches to information literacy instruction. Practical implications Dialogue with students about prior research experiences enables teaching librarians to plan engaging, authentic information literacy curriculum that acknowledges existing strengths. Originality/value This study provides a valuable contribution to empirical evidence of student research skills prior to entering higher education and suggests connections between those skills and the ACRL Information Literacy Framework. In addition, the study provides a case for strengths-based education, activating students’ prior knowledge to learn and create new knowledge. Authors have presented at Library Instruction West, July 2018.

The art of the real: fact checking as information literacy instruction

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-31
Author(s):  
Jamie M. Addy
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
First Year ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Literacy Instruction ◽  
Fact Checking

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how academic librarians tasked with research instruction can use connections between digital, civic and information literacy to combat polarization and misinformation through skill-based instruction. Design/methodology/approach The paper discusses a wealth of original data centered on first year students and their information literacy abilities. Discussion of two data sets (one pre/post scored by rubric and one mixed methods) is included to demonstrate the following: existing information literacy skills among a sample cohort of first year students and pre-/post-test assessments from the pilot program for a digital literacy curriculum, along with qualitative responses. Findings This paper outlines ways in which information literacy instruction with a fact checking curriculum can help students evaluate digital information more accurately. Originality/value This paper provides valuable insight into pedagogical practices that center information literacy as it relates to civic engagement, digital polarization, and the decline of trust and civility since the 2016 Election of President Trump.

scholarly journals Assessing the Scope and Feasibility of First-Year Students’ Research Paper Topics

2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Rinto ◽  
Melissa Bowles-Terry ◽  
Ariel J. Santos
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Textual Analysis ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Topics ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Analysis Methodology ◽  
New Information

This study applied a content analysis methodology in two ways to evaluate first-year students’ research topics: a rubric to examine proposed topics in terms of scope, development, and the “researchability” of the topic, as well as textual analysis, using ATLAS.ti, to provide an overview of the types of subjects students select for a persuasive research essay. Results indicated that students struggle with defining an appropriate and feasible focus for their topics and that they often select topics related to education, health, and the environment. These findings were used to implement a new information literacy instruction model that better supports student topic development.

scholarly journals Promoting Linguistic Diversity and Inclusion

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne Bowker
Keyword(s):  
Machine Translation ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion

Using a lingua franca for scholarly communication offers some advantages, but it also limits research diversity, and there is a growing movement to encourage publication in other languages. Both approaches require scholars to access material through other languages, and more people are turning to machine translation to help with this task. Machine translation has improved considerably in recent years with the introduction of artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning; however, it is far from perfect and users who are not trained as professional translators need to improve their machine translation literacy to use this technology effectively. Machine translation literacy is less about acquiring techno-procedural skills and more about developing cognitive competences. In this way, machine translation literacy aligns with the overall direction of the Association of College & Research Libraries’ (2015) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, which encourages a conceptual, rather than a skills-based, approach. This case study presents a pilot project in which machine translation literacy instruction was incorporated into a broader program of information literacy and delivered to first-year students—both Anglophone and non-Anglophone—at a Canadian university. Students were surveyed and, overall, they found the machine translation literacy module to be valuable and recommended that similar instruction be made available to all students. Academic librarians are well positioned to participate in the delivery of machine translation literacy instruction as part of a broader information literacy program, and in so doing, they can promote linguistic diversity and better enable students and researchers from all regions to participate in scholarly conversations.

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