Learning Outcomes

These learning outcomes, based on the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education, provide the basis of the Libraries’ programmatic teaching and learning-related efforts.

Frames, Outcomes, & Big Questions

Frame

Authority is Constructed and Contextual: Evaluating information in a complex information environment

Outcomes

Students will be able to:

demonstrate skepticism when evaluating information
understand and evaluate the contexts in which information is created
recognize that their own experiences, beliefs, and worldview influence their ability to evaluate information
demonstrate the ability to evaluate a source in relation to a particular information need
.recognize that traditional notions of granting authority may inhibit diverse ideas and world views
recognize areas in which they have authority and assess how they might speak with authority in other contexts

Big Questions

What does it mean to be skeptical?
What do I need to know in order to evaluate whether someone is an authority on a topic?
What factors might make the same information credible in one context but not in another?
What are some contexts that shape whether I believe someone or think they have the authority to speak on a topic or idea?
How do I get people to believe what I am claiming?
How can/does perception of authority function as a gate-keeping mechanism? What is the potential impact on those from marginalized communities?

Frame

Information Has Value: Understanding the social, legal, ethical, and economic contexts influencing information creation and use

Students will be able to:

describe how access to information is defined by membership within particular communities
make choices about which information systems to use, based on their information needs and informed by social, legal, ethical, and economic contexts
identify acts of labor—intellectual and physical—in the creation and dissemination of information
identify key questions they should consider before reproducing existing or publishing new information
explain basic concepts of copyright, information ownership, and information use—including fair use and the public domain—within a U.S.-context and with awareness of differing international contexts
acknowledge and credit creators of information in meaningful ways, when drawing on and making use of others’ information/work
make choices about and exert control over information they create
make choices about and exert control over information about themselves
use information to inform and influence others’ understanding

What kinds of value does information have? What are the costs (economic, time, environmental, technical, social) in creating and distributing information?
How is intellectual property assigned value in law and society?
When and how do I credit information I’m using that’s been created by someone else?
Who decides who has access to information? How are these decisions made? What factors affect my access to information?
What does access to information enable me to do, or what are the consequences of not having access to information? How does limited access to information affect my power to act and move through the world, either individually or with my communities?
What is the value of information about me? Who gets to decide that value? Who owns and controls the information and the financial value?

Frame

Medium and Message: Recognizing, discerning, and selecting among a variety of information types, formats, and genres

Students will be able to:

recognize that scholarly research materials exist in a variety of forms
distinguish between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources
select suitable source types for their information needs
differentiate among scholarly, trade, and popular publications
select resources that meet their information needs regardless of the resources’ medium
make choices about information types, formats, and genres that are informed by an awareness of the audience they wish to reach
make choices about information types, formats, and genres that are informed by the medium they will be communicating in

Frame

Research as Inquiry: Engaging in research as a process of questioning, reflecting, assessing, and revising

Students will be able to:

demonstrate intellectual curiosity
frame research topics as questions for exploration
assess whether or not information found meets research needs
draw conclusions based on analysis and interpretation of information found
refine and revise research questions in light of information needs and new discoveries and understandings

What does it mean to be intellectually curious?
How can/does the iterative, and sometimes "messy," nature of the research process improve my understanding of a topic?
How can I know what I don't know?
How do I make meaning of what I find?
How do I know when I'm finished with my research?

Frame

Searching as Strategic Exploration: Searching strategically and effectively for information in closed and open information systems

Students will be able to:

articulate the scope of an information need
design a research strategy to match information needs
understand how open and closed information systems work, and apply that knowledge to their research process
cast a wide net when seeking information
seek, consider, acknowledge, and respond to related ideas
organize information in intentional and functional ways
synthesize and evaluate information at strategic moments throughout the research process in order to refine the exploration

How do information systems work?
How do I get started with my research?
Where should I look for information?
What do I do when I can't find information related to my question, or when the information I find leads me down a new path?
What terms should I use to find information?
How can I organize information in a way that is useful to me?
How do I put all of these ideas together in a way that makes sense?

Frame

Scholarship as Conversation: Appreciating, using, and participating ethically in scholarly conversations

Students will be able to:

recognize the dynamic and often open-ended nature of scholarly conversations
evaluate conversations for gaps and opportunities
pursue multi-faceted perspectives on a topic of investigation
identify and synthesize the development of a conversation over time, recognizing dominant threads and voices within a body of research and with attention to whose perspectives and voices are missing
demonstrate the ability to place their work in conversation with others and acknowledge the ideas and contributions of others
participate in scholarly conversations through the introduction of original ideas and viewpoints
identify opportunities for sharing one's research based on topic and one's level of authority

What is scholarly conversation? What are the features of scholarly conversation?
Where does scholarly conversation happen?
What factors affect whose voices and ideas are amplified or muted in scholarly conversation?
How do I find and trace scholarly conversation and acknowledge the contributions of others?
How do I participate in scholarly conversation?