Thriving in Academe

Information-Driven Teaching and Learning
We often assume that our students access and use information in the same way we did as students. The world of information, however, has moved on, and so must we.

It used to be so simple! Need to find information for a term paper? You just walked over to the library, asked the librarian for the location of the one or two volumes you could use, and looked up the information. After a few practice runs, you could even skip talking to the librarian. That was "then."

"Now" is very different. Today, when students need to access information, their options are numerous, their paths complex, and the guidance available to them is limited. All of this very frequently translates into unsatisfactory student work, a marked increase in plagiarism and cheating, and frustration on the part of teachers, who ask, "Why can't they do it just as well as we used to?"

The Changing Information Landscape
Information sources have proliferated and become more complex over the past decade, and they will continue to do so for a long time to come. From a well-established, systemic, and centralized system composed mainly of books, journals, government documents, and the indices that accompany them, the world of information has expanded tremendously.

It now includes not only online versions of all of the traditional sources, but also sources never before considered, such as electronic databases and Web sites. The sheer volume of information and information sources is daunting, and so is the task of making informed and discriminating choices of value and usage.

The challenges facing today's information-seeker do not even resemble the challenges of only a few years ago. The new information landscape requires competence and skills not only to locate or access information, but to make informed, discriminating choices. So much of what is labeled as "information" out there may not be authoritative, timely, or accurate.

The Changing Pedagogical Dialogue
The recent evolution in higher education from a teaching focus to a learning focus has brought about a shift in the focus of the teaching/learning process.

This new focus includes an articulation of learning outcomes, a student-centered approach to course and curriculum development, an increased emphasis on student understanding and capabilities rather than fact-learning, an expanding emphasis on undergraduate student research, and an awareness of the need to prepare students for the application of knowledge in non-academic settings.

Information literacy competencies closely parallel this emerging learning agenda. They are being adopted by accrediting organizations as an integral part of the expected standards of institutional performance.

Academic departments, major programs, faculty and courses, therefore, are now—with the support of librarians—the key arena for the development and implementation of information literacy.

The Definition of Information Literacy
What does it mean to be information literate? Let's look at what information literate students can do. They can:

• determine the nature and extent of the information needed;
• access needed information effectively and efficiently;
• evaluate information and its sources critically and incorporate selected information into their knowledge base and value system;
• use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose, either individually or as members of a group;
• understand many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information. (Association of College & Research Libraries, January 2000. See www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html.)

Of course, these capabilities also characterize the information-literate teacher and researcher.

Embedded in this definition is the assumption that an information-literate person is also library-literate, computer-literate, and Internet-literate. A minimal level of these embedded literacies is a prerequisite for the successful navigation of new information within the context of the changing pedagogical dialogue.

A Win/Win Proposition for Teachers
Embracing information literacy as part of the academic process carries dual benefits for teachers. First, it provides them with the tools to improve their own research capabilities. Second, it presents opportunities to enhance student learning in tangible ways.

The advent of online sources of information, while increasing the scope of possibilities, also carries with it a high price tag—the increased amount of time necessary to access and peruse resources, and uncertainty of their veracity.

In becoming information literate, teachers develop their own capabilities in accessing necessary information in productive, time-efficient, and valuable ways. The need to become a creative and, at the same time, a discriminating seeker of information, has helped teachers locate, evaluate, and use materials in significantly more meaningful and practical ways than before.

For students to learn and produce at the highest levels, we, as teachers, must be willing to walk with them toward greater information literacy. The academic process—curricula and assignments in particular—is the right venue to make progress.

This process can lead students to numerous critical proficiencies: from being able to articulate a concise and focused topic of research to a facility with identifying academic databases—knowing what's included in FORMIS or INSPEC, for example. The academic process can take them from adeptness at determining the correct interface for a particular source to the capacity to determine the authenticity and credibility of sources.

Creating a Foundation for Academic Success
Like most challenges, the integration of information literacy into the fabric of our courses can be accomplished through good planning. A teacher moving in that direction can:

• Infuse the curriculum with ample opportunities for students to acquire, practice, and hone information-literacy skills.
• Structure assignments to highlight the process of identifying, searching, accessing, evaluating, and integrating information as an integral part of what is expected.
• Enable students to reflect on the process of information access and use through such channels as journals and process maps.
• Use information-literacy skills to help students assess information and distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable practices of information usage.
• Partner with a librarian to enhance the curriculum.

Additional Benefits
While information literacy provides obvious benefits, such as facility in searching for and accessing information, some less obvious benefits are achievable as well.

Information literacy, for example, enables students to learn and practice citation of sources and paraphrasing, and appreciate the value of original materials.

By demonstrating the use and misuse of information, providing channels for process development, and expecting students to be reflective in the development of their assignments, teachers who promote information literacy can make a valuable contribution to their students' success, not only in their courses, but throughout their academic experience and their professional lives.

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