Information Literacy

Members

Faculty Chair: Linda Evans, MCC
Faculty Chair-elect: Florence Landon, MCC
Co-Chair: Gilbert Gonzales, MCC

Georgia Dillard, PC
Marcia Melton, MCC 
Donna Rebadow, PVCC
Susan Starrfield, SMCC

Charge

The Information Literacy Committee's charge is to clarify the concept of "information literacy," that is, to identify the critical and analytical skills students must develop in order to use information appropriately and judiciously. The group will look at how we address information literacy within the Maricopa Community Colleges.

Introduction

The Ocotillo Information Literacy Group evolved out of what was once the Ocotillo Library Users Committee. During the past few years, we discovered that our discussions centered increasingly around issues related to information literacy. At the end of last year, one of our recommendations was that we redefine our group, our name, and our focus. Our primary objective this year has been twofold: to define what information literacy means and to consider options for implementing information literacy programs and curriculum across MCCCD and across the curriculum.

Year in Review

The Ocotillo Information Literacy Group has spent much of the 1993-94 year researching and listening to what others have done in the area of information literacy. We looked at a number of articles dealing with definitions of information literacy only to discover that there is both a common ground of goals and competencies and a diversity of ideas about what constitutes information literacy. Additionally, we looked at models of information literacy already in place to determine what was successful and what needed improvement in each model. We were fortunate to have an opportunity to invite Dennis Isbell, a librarian at ASU West, to speak to us about how ASU West approached the issue of information literacy. This is an example of a school that devoted time and resources to promoting information literacy from the inception of the school. Mr. Isbell was helpful in directing us to some philosophical bases for information literacy curriculum as well as describing the model being piloted at ASU West. We used that model as one of the three options we have identified for implementation of information literacy across MCCCD. In addition, the group was able to explore the use of information technologies becoming available across MCCCD, such as Gophers and MUSEs. As a result of our research, we composed two documents which we feel serve as a foundation for future work in this area.

Definition of Information Literacy

Information literacy is the ability to identify what information is needed and the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information in solving problems and composing discourse. It encompasses a set of competencies that will provide for survival and success in an information technology environment. The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report identifies information literacy as one of five essential skills that the workplace will demand of employees of the future. Teaching information literacy involves communicating the power and scope of information as well as explaining how information is organized, how it is retrieved through a variety of access sources and tools, and how to evaluate, organize, and apply information to a variety of problems and situations.

Information Literacy Competencies

The information literate person can:

A. Understand the basic organization of a college library/information center and the significance of the growing and changing world of information access.
1. Know different types of access tools available in various formats, electronic (e.g., online catalogs, CD-ROM databases), audiovisual, and print reference sources.
2. Navigate the information highway with vehicles such as Internet, BITNET, and other networks.
B. Identify the information needed.
1. Select appropriate subject terms and/or keywords.
2. Determine type of information needed such as popular vs. scholarly, primary vs. secondary, current vs. retrospective, and so on.
C. Develop a search strategy.
1. Identify types of sources needed, e.g., books and/or periodical articles.
2. Select appropriate reference sources.
3. Determine availability of periodicals.
D. Evaluate the information content.
1. Understand the implications of the difference between information and knowledge.
2. Analyze sources for quality, relevance, timeliness, and authority.
E. Apply information appropriately in a research task.
1. Integrate information resources into academic discourse.
2. Apply principles of academic honesty in crediting information sources.

Options for Implementing Information Literacy Curriculum

We have evaluated a number of models in place nationwide for implementing information literacy curriculum. Our evaluation has focused on the viability and appropriateness of these models to our own district, which is comprised of multiple sites with various levels of information technology. Ultimately, we arrived at a list of three models that warrant further study.

Information Literacy as a Stand-alone Course. In this model, students would take a course devoted strictly to teaching information literacy skills. This would be similar to our current library instruction, but far more extensive. Students would take a pre-test and a post-test to assess their achievement in mastering information literacy competencies. We might consider allowing students to test out of the requirement if they scored above a certain level on the pre-test, as we currently do with the critical reading requirement. One of the concerns about stand-alone information literacy curriculum is staffing. Our current librarians could not handle the enormous addition to their workload. A course like this could be offered by an alternate means of delivery, such as remote access through modems and/or self-paced study guides. It could also be scheduled on an open-entry/open-exit basis, although the committee is well aware that this kind of learning will require contact with resource persons in the library. Computer-managed instruction components could be used to ease the burden of paperwork for the instructor.
Information Literacy Integrated into an Existing Research Course. We might also want to look at incorporating information literacy competencies into an existing research course. Given that ENG102 is required of all graduating students, it is one logical option. Of course, this would require collaborative teaching arrangements among English faculty and information specialists, so staffing remains a concern under this model. Some models for this type of arrangement already exist across the District. For example, Chandler/Gilbert Community College has experimented with teaching a library skills course in conjunction with ENG102. This model raises a question of process. It might be necessary to modify ENG102 to increase the credits students receive in light of the expanded content of the course. This, in turn, raises the question of transferability of ENG102 credit to state universities.
Information Literacy Component Added to a Discipline-Specific Course. The information literacy model closest to home is that in use at ASU West. ASU West has made a strong commitment to promoting information literacy among its students. Dennis Isbell, a librarian at ASU West, shared with the committee how he works with classroom faculty to teach an information literacy component in a 300-level course in American Studies. In this model, students become familiar with specific information resources they are likely to encounter in their academic majors and in their careers. This model requires close collaborative ties among classroom faculty and library faculty, which would place a burden on staffing. Also, there is a good deal of work to be done in designing information literacy components for a variety of academic disciplines. Another concern is that students may not be prepared to select a major at the freshman or sophomore level, so this model would work best for students who are relatively certain of their educational and career paths. For example, nursing students would certainly benefit from a discipline-specific approach to information literacy.

Conclusion/Future Goals

The committee recognizes that the topic of information literacy is a complex issue and that the best approach might well prove to be a variety of approaches. We feel that the models we have identified offer a springboard for other experiments in preparing our students for life and work in the Information Age. Further, as the District Curriculum Committee considers new ways of making our students information literate, the Ocotillo Information Literacy Group hopes to move forward in 1994-95 with specific curricular recommendations and specific plans for piloting some of the options that we have selected as feasible for MCCCD.

Index

Ocotillo Report '94-- Information Literacy

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c 1994, Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (MCLI) Maricopa County Community College District, Arizona