Faculty Toolbox for Information Literacy

1. Faculty Toolbox forInformation Literacy

2. What is Information Literacy? • How do we know if students are information literate? • What are students' entry skills upon admission to the university, and is there a significant change in skill levels from the freshman year to graduation? • How does the library contribute to information literacy? • Does information literacy make a difference to students’ academic success and retention?

3. Why Incorporate Information Literacy Into Your Classes? • Assessment Requirements at the University of Pittsburgh • Middle States Commission on Higher Education • Other Assessment Agencies • For example: ABET

4. Assessment Requirements at the University of Pittsburgh Visit the Provost Web site:www.pitt.edu/~provost/requirements.html Graduates of the University of Pittsburgh will be able to: “Gather and evaluate information effectively and appropriately.”

5. Middle States Commission on Higher Education • Several skills, collectively referred to as “information literacy,” apply to all disciplines in an institution’s curricula. • These skills relate to a student’s competency in acquiring and processing information in the search for understanding.

6. Middle States Commission on Higher Education • Determine the nature and extent of needed information; • Access information effectively and efficiently; • Evaluate critically the sources and content of information; • Incorporate selected information in the learner’s knowledge base and value system; • Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose; • Understand the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information. These skills include the ability to:

7. Other Assessment Agencies Visit the ABET Web site:www.abet.org/assessment.shtml

8. How to Incorporate Information Literacy Skills Information Literacy Plan

9. Where Do You Start? • Visit the ULS Information Literacy Web site • Explore the ULS Online Tutorials • Investigate the SAILS Test • Contact a ULS Librarian

10. Where Do You Start? Visit the ULS Information Literacy site: www.library.pitt.edu/services/classes/infoliteracy/

11. Where Do You Start? Explore our Online Tutorials! www.library.pitt.edu/services/classes/infoliteracy/teaching.html

12. Where Do You Start? • SAILS is used by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). • Project SAILS is based on ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. • This Web-based tool allows librarians, in collaboration with faculty, to document information literacy skill levels for groups of students and to pinpoint areas for improvement.

13. SAILS Questions • Forty-five questions from a randomly generated list of hundreds of questions. • Takes approximately thirty minutes to complete. • Answers are collected, scores and reports can be generated by class, department or school.

14. SAILS Sample Questions

15. SAILS Sample Questions

16. Contact a ULS Librarian Oakland Marian Hampton hamptonm@pitt.edu 412-648-7770 Regional Campuses Bradford Marietta Frank marietta@pitt.edu 814-362-7614 Greensburg Jacob Deininger deinj37@pitt.edu 724-836-7170 Johnstown Melissa Mallon mnmallon@pitt.edu 814-269-7287 Titusville Patrick Hall phall2@pitt.edu 814-827-4414

17. The University Library System (ULS) Serving information literacy needs on all five campuses Bradford Greensburg Oakland Titusville Johnstown