Critical Information Literacy What Students Will Know & Be Able to Do as a Result of the CSUSB General Education Program Barbara Quarton, MLIS

GE Transformation Assessment Work 4-5 faculty members per GE Learning Outcome Bi-weekly meetings Lively discussion, debate Review of literature; best practices Explore how other campuses approach assessment Narrative and rubric for each GLO Review of narrative/rubrics by the GET Committee Revision of narrative/rubrics by GLO subcommittees

GE Breadth Requirements: Executive Order 1100 Relative to Information literacy: “Courses approved for GE-Breadth should be responsive to the need for students to have developed knowledge of, or skills related to, quantitative reasoning, information literacy….” (Article 3.1) “Within the LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes framework, campuses may identify more specific outcomes, such as students’ ability to: demonstrate information competency—finding and examining information critically….” (Article 3.2) “Students will practice the discovery, critical evaluation, and reporting of information….” (Article 4)

Goals for today Share the definition of information literacy adopted by the Assessment Committee Overview the concepts and abilities encompassed by critical information literacy Intro the requirements for courses to fulfill critical information literacy Share a rubric that describes what students will know and be able to do at specific points in the curriculum

Critical Information Literacy: Definition Information literacy is a set of integrated abilities, encompassing the reflective discovery of information; the understanding of how information is produced and valued; and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning (Association of College & Research Libraries 2015)

Threshold Concepts Core ideas and processes that define the ways of thinking and practicing in a discipline Often taken for granted by experts, but difficult for students to grasp Like a portal, through which students must travel Mastery transforms students’ approach to the discipline Meyer, J., & Land, R. (2003). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: Linkages to ways of thinking and practising within the disciplines. Enhancing Teaching-Learning Environments in Undergraduate Courses Project, Occasional Report 4. Retrieved from http://www.colorado.edu/ftep/sites/default/files/attached-files/meyer_and_land_- _threshold_concepts.pdf

CIL Threshold Concept One Searching as strategic exploration: Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops.

CIL Threshold Concept Two Information creation as a process: Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method. The iterative processes of researching, creating, reviewing, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences.

CIL Threshold Concept Three Authority is constructed and contextual: Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of authority required.

CIL Threshold Concept Four Scholarship as conversation: Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations.

CIL Abilities: What We Want Students to Be Able to Do Design and use search strategies in various information resources Examine the values, perspectives, and processes that shape information across the information cycle Evaluate, select, and synthesize authoritative sources for the information need at hand Analyze and practice attribution across various contexts

  Advanced (3) Developing (2) Emerging (1) Initial (0) Student searches for information strategically Generates productive search strategies in both discipline-specific subscription databases and public search engines, adapting search tools and strategies to the information need at hand. Analyzes the ways that collections of information are organized in order to access relevant information. Refines search strategies as necessary, based on search results. Compares searches in subscription databases and public search engines, noting the benefits and drawbacks of both to the information need. Uses information from random sources. Student critically examines the values, perspectives, and processes that shape information and its access Reflects on the connections among social, cultural, and historical contexts in order to critique information sources, their content, and the processes that produce them. Analyzes how power manifests in the production and distribution of information by examining the ways that social, cultural, and historical contexts affect what type of information is created, who can create information, and what people know over time. Explains how and why review processes and perspectives differ across the information production cycle. Demonstrates limited capacity to recognize that different perspectives and processes are at work in information. Student selects authoritative sources that are relevant to the information need Selects relevant sources whose authority meets the requirements of the information need. Analyzes the constructed and contextual nature of authority, distinguishing sources whose authority is appropriate to the information need. Classifies information sources according to authority, purpose, and audience. Matches source type to information need. Evaluates information based on whether it agrees with their beliefs Student engages ethically and legally in information sharing and creation Produces artifacts that make attribution to their sources according to disciplinary and/or social conventions. Examines the purposes of and differences in attribution across academic disciplines according to the disciplines’ scholarly conversations or research practices. Describes the importance of attribution in terms of either the historical record or the scholarly conversation. Notes the requirement to cite sources to avoid plagiarism.

To Satisfy this GLO, Your GE Course Will Include Intentional discussion, reflection, and study of implications of CIL concepts Instruction, practice, and feedback on CIL abilities Required coursework that makes use of information sources At least one research project

What Support Is Available? Librarian Collaboration Critical Information Literacy Lab for Faculty Library Guides Linking to Library Resources Critical Information Literacy Instruction Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education Pfau Library Critical Information Literacy Program

One way of approaching this What is the GE course? What is the CIL performance level you are aiming for? Choose the CIL learning outcome(s) that blend with your course content. Using this information, locate the corresponding cell(s) of the rubric. Design your coursework and assignments. Write a CIL rubric for your specific course.