‘Making Information Literacy legitimate’ – Summary of responses to request for information from CAUL members.
1. Australian Universities
University
Information
Literacy
stated as
generic
attribute
Yes/no
Documents
Comments
Charles Darwin
University
Yes
Policy of University Teaching
Charles Sturt
University
Implied
http://www.csu.edu.au/division/plandev/strategic/Strategic_plan
_2003.pdf
Policy of University Teaching states “to facilitate lifelong learning
teachers should enable students to develop their information skills, that is,
the ability to access, evaluate and effectively use information which
incorporates information technology skills”.
Graduate attributes listed in the Strategic Plan. Graduates are expected to
have the ability to “use appropriate information and communication
technologies effectively’. Revision of document is planned and this
statement will be broadened to ‘information literacy’.
Curtin University
Yes
Information Literacy Policy
University-wide Information Literacy Policy since 1999: ‘All staff and
students shall develop information literacy skills that are appropriate to
equip graduates of a world-class university of technology for careers in
their chosen fields and for lifelong learning”
Deakin University
Yes
http://www.deakin.edu.au/courses/advantage.php
Deakin Advantage lists Graduate Attributes that include: ‘the ability to
identify, gather, retrieve and operate on textual, graphical and numerical
information at a standard appropriate to the discipline area and level of
award’. The ‘demonstration of information literacy skills’ is identified as
an exemplary characteristic of this graduate attribute.
Griffith University
Yes
http://www.griffith.edu.au/griffithgraduate
The Griffith Graduate Project commenced in 1999 with the aim of
promoting generic skills across the university. Information literacy is
specifically listed as one of those generic skills.
Macquarie
University
Implied
Macquarie University 2001 Academic Strategic Directions
Document
Lists as a generic skill for students: “Foundation skills of literacy,
numeracy and information technology” and “critical analysis skills to
evaluate, synthesise and judge”
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Monash University
Yes
www.adm.monash.edu.au/unisec/academicpolicies/policy/grada
ttributes.html
University’ Academic Policy website has a policy on Monash Graduate
Attributes with the following statement: “The Learning and Teaching
Plan 1999 added information literacy to this list”. Work is currently
underway to update, expand and implement Monash Graduate Attributes;
the working party has included information literacy in the revised list of
graduate outcomes.
Murdoch University
Implied
Graduate Attributes:
http://www.tlc.murdoch.edu.au/gradatt/
Queensland
University of
Technology
Yes
QUT Graduate Capabilities
Teaching and Learning Plan 2003-2007
QUT Student Portfolio
http://www.appu.qut.edu.au/resources/genericcapab.jsp
Information literacy was not included separately but placed under the
communication attribute and described as ‘the ability to communicate
effectively and appropriately in a range of contexts using communication,
literacy, numeracy and information technology skills’
QUT Graduate Capabilities includes: “the capacity for lifelong learning
including: searching and critically evaluating information from a variety
of sources using effective strategies and appropriate technologies”
Teaching and Learning Plan includes: “The use of technology will be not
only to improve educational quality and flexibility, but also to reflect
QUT’s ‘real world’ orientation and to support QUT’s aim of developing
information literacy skills in its graduates’.
QUT Student Portfolio includes: allow students to record their life and
learning experiences against 10 skill areas, of which Lifelong Learning
(information literacy and computer literacy) is one.
Swinburne
University of
Technology
No
www.swin.edu.au/lib/infoskills/grad_attributes.htm
Not specifically mentioned in graduate outcomes document but separate
information literacy document is linked to each of the University graduate
outcomes
University of
Canberra
Yes
http://www.canberra.edu.au/secretariat/council/generic.html
http://www.canberra.edu.au/secretariat/council/generic_HDR.ht
ml
Generic Skills and Attributes for Undergraduate and Postgraduate
Coursework includes: “Information Literacy and Numeracy: Graduates
are expected to be able to select and use appropriate information and
communication technology to retrieve, manipulate and present
information”.
Generic Skills and Attributes for Higher degree by research includes:
“Communication:to be able to identify, analyse, evaluate and
communicate information and knowledge”
University of
Melbourne
Yes
http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/pdfs/9principles.pdf
The University document ‘Nine principles guiding Teaching and learning
in the University of Melbourne; the framework for a first class teaching
and learning environment’ the eighth of nine principles notes that “it is
essential for Melbourne graduates to develop the skills of independent
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information searching, evaluation, and utilization using all available
sources of information”.
The specific ‘Attributes of the University of Melbourne Graduates’ does
not use the term information literacy but includes a range of statements
relating to the concept eg: “an ability to evaluate and synthesise the
research and professional literature in the
Discipline”.
University of New
England
Yes
http://une.edu.au/offsect/une_grad_attributes.htm
http://www.une.edu.au/library/about/infolit.htm
Graduate Attributes include: “Information Literacy: Graduates will have
developed competencies in information literacy”
University of NSW
Yes
http://www.secretariat.unsw.edu.au/acboard/approved_policy/gr
aduate_attributes.pdf
Graduate Attributes include: “Information Literacy – the skills to locate,
evaluate and use relevant information”
University of
Queensland
Implied
Graduate Attributes:
http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/contents/view.asp?s1=3&s2=20&s3
=5
University of South
Australia
Yes
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/gradquals.staff/default.asp
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/staff/tchlr
n/life.asp
Graduate Attributes document includes:
‘The ability to collect, analyse and organise information and ideas…’
‘The ability to engage effectively and appropriately with information and
communication technologies’
Indicators of Graduate Qualities include:“A graduate will: locate,
evaluate, manage and use information in a range of contexts – ie. be
information literate”
University of the
Sunshine Coast
Yes
Statement of Graduate Attributes
Statement of Graduate Attributes includes: “to be able to collect, organise,
analyse, evaluate and use information in a range of contexts”
University of Sydney
Yes
http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/graduateattributes/policy.htm
Graduate Attributes include: “Information Literacy: Graduates of the
University will be able to use information effectively in a range of
contexts’”
University of
Tasmania
Implied
http:www.utas.edu.au/tl/policies/index.htm
Generic Attributes of Graduates includes: ‘Knowledge:Apply technical
and information skills appropriate to their discipline or professional area’
‘Problem Solving Skills: find, acquire, evaluate, manage and use relevant
information in a range of media’
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University of
Technology Sydney
Implied
http://www.iml.uts.edu.au/learnteach/enhance/design/gradatt.pd
f
http://www.lib.uts.edu.au/information/training
Statement of Graduate attributes includes: “Knowledge literacies domain:
academic literacies and practices that encompass the learning of
disciplinary, cross-disciplinary and trans disciplinary knowledge, and the
ability to gain, access to, utilise and critically assess knowledge from a
range of sources”.
University of
Wollongong
Yes
http://www.uow.edu.au/about/teaching/attributes.html
http://www.uow.edu.au/research/current/resgradattrib.html
Attributes of a Wollongong Graduate lists: “A basic understanding of
information literacy and specific skills in acquiring, organising and
presenting information, particularly through computer based activity”
Victoria University
Yes
Core Graduate Attributes at Victoria University
Contains five attributes. Number 2: “can locate, evaluate, manage and use
information effectively”.
Core Graduate Attributes working party will be looking at ways of
embedding Information Literacy in assessment tasks. Regular course
review process now includes the Core Graduate Outcomes.
2. New Zealand Universities
University of
Auckland
Implied
http://www2.auckland.ac.nz/teachingandlearning/Documents/Gr
aduate%20Profile%20Feb%202003.pdf
Graduate profile includes: “An ability to recognise when information is
needed and a capacity to locate, evaluate and use this information
effectively.
University of Otago
University
Yes
http://www.otago.ac.nz/about/pdfs/teachinglearningplan.pdf
http://www.library.otago.ac.nz/services/TLP.html
Teaching and Learning Plan 2002 – identifies information literacy as an
attribute of a University of Otago Graduate: “INFORMATION
LITERACY: a basic understanding of information literacy and specific
skills in acquiring, organising and presenting information, in particular
through computer-based activity”
Lbuls/CAUL/CAULinfoliteracydoc
6 March 2016