Library » Information Literacy Assignments

Information Literacy Assignments

How do you include an information literacy component in a course? You may already be doing it. Just about any course assignment that requires finding and using sources can be an information literacy skill building exercise.

Review your course assignments and identify those that require your students to find and use sources outside of the textbook or assigned readings.
Review the information literacy goals and objectives for Stevenson students.
Identify the specific learning objectives your assignment meets.
Create an assessment that measures those objectives.

The five basic information literacy standards address:

1. Defining a need for information

2. Accessing information

3. Critically evaluating information

4. Using information to create an end product

5. Using information ethically

Need some ideas? Check out the following links to see examples of creative assignments that build or reinforce information literacy learning objectives:

Designing Assignments to Develop Information Literacy Skills

From Drew University Library
Highly recommended
Suggestions for designing assignments tied to specific information literacy learning goals and objectives
Lengthy list of sample assignments, both general and discipline-specific

Effective Assignments Using Library and Internet Resources

From the UC Berkeley Library
Offers excellent advice on designing a research-based assignment

Ideas for Library/Information Assignments

From Memorial University Libraries, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Lists sample assignments by primary teaching objective, such as “learning Research Skills” or “Critical Reading”

Ideas for Library Related Assignments

From Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound
A lengthy list of sample assignments that require some degree of research but definitely do not fit the standard term paper model

Suggestions for Assignments

From the Folke-Bernadette Memorial Library at Gustavus Adolphus College
This offers sample assignments by category and defines a set of concepts and skills for each