With information coming at us from an unprecedented variety of sources, developing the ability to think critically about the information we use and share has become increasingly important, and increasingly challenging.
Miami Dade College's ten General Education Learning Outcomes include Information Literacy (outcome #4), which refers to an individual's ability to "formulate strategies to locate, evaluate, and apply information."
The MDC librarians are committed to promoting information literacy and facilitating its incorporation across the College curriculum.
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) defines Information literacy as the set of integrated abilities encompassing:
For more information, see ACRL's Information Literacy Framework or view the video below.
One easy way to help your students develop effective research skills is to schedule your class for an information literacy session (also known as "library instruction"). These sessions typically last 50 minutes to 1 hour, and can be tailored to meet your students' specific information needs.
To schedule a session, complete the online request form.
The embedded librarian works in partnership with the course instructor to provide students with access to research assistance throughout the semester. This partnership may also include information literacy instruction and/or the development of course-specific research guides or other instructional materials.
The MDC Librarians teach LIS 2004 (Strategies for Online Research), a one-credit course that can be offered online or face-to-face, and is sometimes paired with another course as a learning community. The course focuses on critical thinking skills for retrieving and evaluating information resources available through the internet. Students learn how to design effective search strategies, and how to use information efficiently and ethically.
As a professor, and as an expert in your field, you already know how to design assignments that reinforce the concepts you introduce in class. If your assignments include a research component, you can also help your students develop information literacy skills.
The infographic below lists some best practices to keep in mind when designing research assignments. (A text version is also available.)
