Further Elucidation of the Information Literacy Learning Objectives and Examples of
Activities that Teach Information Literacy:
The following material suggests three components for each of the information literacy learning
objectives. These items are not meant to be prescriptive, but rather to further explain each
objective. This additional information may spark ideas about how to integrate the learning
objective into a particular major, or it may confirm that the major is already addressing part or all
of a particular learning objective.
In addition, there are examples of ways in which students in a particular major might indicate
competency in an objective. While each of these examples mentions a particular discipline,
aspects of them will be transferable to a wide range of disciplines. Departments are encouraged
to develop models that best fit the unique design and objectives of their programs, and to share
these as examples for other majors.
The last element for each learning objective is a section of possible assignments or activities to
help address the learning objective. Again, these are just suggestions. Departments are
encouraged to develop discipline-specific mechanisms for teaching these abilities.
For additional assistance, please feel free to contact:

Trudi Jacobson
Head, Information Literacy Department
tjacobson@albany.edu

The bibliographer for your department
(A list of bibliographers can be found at
http://library.albany.edu/subject/leaders/bibs/)
1. Understand the information environment and information needs in the discipline in
today’s society, including the organization of and access to information, and select the
most appropriate strategies, search tools, and resources for each unique information
need
a. Recognize that information is organized to varying degrees and use of that
organization is empowering
b. Determine scope of required information; reevaluate needs throughout the
process: research is a recursive process
c. Match information needs and search strategies to appropriate search tools
Examples:

A Spanish major knows how to find culturally authentic materials in Spanish: newspapers,
images, videos, audio files, etc.

A political science major can determine which database is the most relevant for
conducting background research for a project and can structure a search using key terms
that map to her research needs. *

An English major can conduct research on a work in a number of ways, combining indepth examination of a text with collaborative discussion and academic research. *

An education major understands the way knowledge is developed and disseminated in the
field and is able to locate appropriate information from a variety of sources to address
trends and adapt their teaching to pedagogical and student needs. *

A biology major understands the way knowledge is developed and disseminated in the
field and is able to locate appropriate information from a variety of sources to address
current trends.
Sample Activities:

Students might be assigned to compare several key discipline-specific databases (which
might include Minerva) and other information organization tools. They must develop
effective search strategies and show an ability to select appropriate resources from the
search results. As a part of the assignment, students reflect on the different results
obtained through these searches and those that they find via Google or Wikipedia.

Students keep a research journal while working on a research paper or project. In the
journal, they note their search strategies, the tools and search terms used, the types of
results obtained, and the process of selecting the best ones. Throughout, they note what
was and wasn’t effective, the points at which they reevaluated their needs, and the
adjustments they made. They also reflect on the process as a whole and what they learned
from it.

Chemistry and physics students are often asked to determine chemical and physical
properties of substances and materials in laboratory assignments. Students usually need
to compare their findings with known, accepted values. Students could be asked to
compare traditional reference sources like the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics
and Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry to Web-based resources found via
http://libguides.library.albany.edu/content.php?pid=87928&sid=654053 and
http://libguides.library.albany.edu/content.php?pid=86718&sid=645121. Students should
be able to determine if the Web-based resources are as reliable as the traditional sources.

Biology, chemistry, physics, or atmospheric sciences student investigates the differences
between the primary and secondary literature. Student selects an article of interest from a
science news source like the NY Times (Science Section), Discover, Scientific American,
or Chemical & Engineering News that contains citations or links to the original journal
articles. Student compares the news item to the original journal article for purpose,
audience, content, and accuracy.

Students are assigned to watch a scene from a feature film depicting a historical event.
Students identify the historical figures in the scene and find biographical information
about them. Additionally, if the scene includes characters discussing or mentioning
primary sources, students identify and locate them (In some cases, students will be able to
find digital versions of the primary sources. In other cases, students might be able to
identify which archives contain the original document). The film “Lincoln” by Steven
Spielberg is a good example for this. Also, a related exercise could be to demonstrate
which characters in the scene are historical figures and which ones are just fictional
characters created for the film.
2. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate content, including dynamic, online content, if
appropriate
a. Demonstrate the ability to place an information source in its context (for example,
author’s purpose, format of information, and delivery mode) in order to ascertain
the value of the material for that particular situation
b. Distinguish between editorial commentary and information presented from a more
research-based perspective, recognizing that values and beliefs are embedded in
all information
c. Assess content from different sources, including dynamic content from social
media, critically
Examples:

A public health major can distinguish between various types of communicative media
and how they influence social interpretations of reality (for example, how something on a
social network that is untrue might influence public opinion regarding a public health
issue). *

A history major is able to critically assess a wide range of secondary sources, identifying
the effect that author’s purpose, value, and choice of format and delivery mode have upon
the content and presentation of the information.

A LACS major understands the importance of consulting and evaluating foreign
resources to produce well-rounded research that integrates different points of view. For
example, research about the United States-México border region should integrate both
sources created in the United States and in Latin America, especially Mexico.
Sample Activities:

Biology students are asked to evaluate the content of several information sources, such as
a popular article from a magazine, web newsletter or journal article, using criteria such as
author expertise, accuracy of the content, currency of the material and whether this
matters, relevance to the information need, and other discipline-based criteria.

Science students (biology, physics, chemistry, etc.) are assigned to investigate social
media such as blogs or scientific communities in his/her field. After selecting one, the
student then will compare it with the official web source of a well-established scientific
society in the field or to the general scientific organizations such as NSF or AAAS. Those
websites are usually static, while the blogs and other social media are interactive and
dynamic. The student will evaluate the quality of the materials and compare them. He/she
will learn to distinguish between those types of sources and gain appreciation of the
interactive modes of scientific communications.

Assign students to find and evaluate information on the same topic from a variety of
types of information sources. Students might consider the different contexts, contents,
and uses for information found in books, scholarly and popular articles, blogs, etc., as
well as in varying formats, such as textual, visual, numeric, and/or video. Students reflect
on how the choices made address the author’s purpose for a given situation.

Students are asked to evaluate the content of an information source, using criteria such as
author expertise, accuracy of the content, currency of the material and whether this
matters, relevance to the information need, and other discipline-based criteria. Students
might expand this investigation to determine the impact the source had on subsequent
discussion.
3. Conduct ethical practices in the use of information, in ways that demonstrate awareness
of issues of intellectual property and personal privacy in changing technology
environments
a. Differentiate between the production of original information and remixing or repurposing resources
b. Apply principles and laws of copyright and Creative Commons or other licensing
as appropriate to the creation of original or repurposed information
c. Follow appropriate ethical standards in sharing information
Examples:

A computer science, chemistry, physics, or nanoengineering student understands the
importance of the ethical use of intellectual property such as patents and their importance
to the modern technological industries. He/she will be able to investigate information
about patents: types of patents (software, chemical, device, etc.), their major features, and
the process of obtaining the patent as an individual or a member of an organization.

A music major understands the issues connected to licensing an original or remixed
composition and is able to follow through to obtain that licensing.
Sample Activities:

Students are assigned to select one work that they have created during the course and to
investigate copyright and Creative Commons or other licensing options (specific to the
discipline) for the work. They decide which option they would select if they were to
make the work public, and provide a justification for that selection. To address a portion
of Learning Objective #4, students might then go ahead and determine how and where to
share this work.
4. Produce, share, and evaluate information in a variety of participatory environments
a. Share information one has created and responsibly critique that of others in
collaborative environments
b. Make necessary differentiations among the unique attributes of different
information formats (e.g., scholarly article, blog, wiki, online community), and
have the ability to effectively use and cite information for the development of
original content
c. Produce original content appropriate to need in multiple media formats; transfer
skills to new formats as they evolve
Examples:

A computer science major can evaluate the quality of solutions offered to programming
problems on online community discussion boards, and contribute meaningfully to the
discussion. *

Biology majors are able to prepare either electronic or physical poster sessions that
undergo critique, and participate in critiquing those of others.
Sample Activities:

Students respond to discussion questions on a course blog or discussion forum, and also
respond thoughtfully to comments left by classmates.

In preparation for a research paper, students find information on their topic in a variety of
formats appropriate to the discipline. They submit a preliminary annotated bibliography
of these sources prior to writing the paper. Each annotation might discuss the
appropriateness of the source and its format for the topic. Alternatively, they might select
two items in unusual formats that enriched their information gathering, and discuss why
these formats were effective on a course blog or discussion forum.
5. Integrate learning and research strategies with lifelong learning processes and personal,
academic, and professional goals
a. Use self-reflection to assess one’s own learning and knowledge of the learning
process
b. Demonstrate the ability to think critically in context and to transfer critical
thinking to new learning
c. Engage in informed, self-directed learning that encourages a broader worldview
through the global reach of today’s information technology
Examples:

A studio art major can write an artist’s statement placing herself within or distancing
herself from existing theoretical and historical frameworks. *

A student graduating with a bachelor’s degree seeks out competing perspectives to
develop his own opinions about complex social issues. *

A student graduating with a bachelor's degree in biology knows when and how to
effectively search social networking platforms and use discipline-specific online research
communities when seeking employment. *
Sample Activities:

Students reflect on how their information finding abilities and knowledge have developed
over the course of the major, and what strengths they bring to the workplace or graduate
school in this regard. Such reflection might occur in journal entries or be documented in
course discussion forum entries.

Capstone students meet with new majors to provide one key piece of advice for fellow
students, based on their own experiences working with information in the field.
* Items marked with an asterisk were borrowed or adapted from the CUNY Working Document
for Developing IL Guidelines Across the Disciplines (5/13/13 draft). Special thanks to Robert
Farrell, Coordinator of Information Literacy and Assessment, Lehman College, and coordinator
of the working group, for permission to borrow and adapt elements from their document.