Information Competency and Ohio University's Libraries

Introduction

The following document outlines why information competency should be a vital part of general education requirements and suggests what that might mean and how librarians can contribute to its realization. While the concepts of information competency should be incorporated in every general education course, they can be successfully integrated in all course work. In The Libraries Role section of this document, there are suggestions as to how this can be done in both general education required courses and other courses as well.

Information competency is the ability to effectively recognize and act on information needs--to locate, evaluate, and use appropriate information to make reasoned decisions. Although information competency requires technology and computer skills, it implies a focus on content, communication, and analysis rather than mere use of technology. Through critical discernment and reasoning, individuals who are information competent will be able to assume greater control over their own learning at all stages of life.

Information is exploding in both quantity and formats. Current estimates are that information in all forms is doubling every four to five years. Just as students should graduate knowing how to write, they should also know how to identify and assess the information on which their writing and decisions will be based. The University's Toward the Third Century (1988) emphasized that, "No one can carry away from the campus experience an adequate knowledge or information base. What university education can and should provide is a developed capacity to search for what is needed, an ability to find, interpret, and evaluate information."

The Ohio University Libraries offer user instruction to undergraduate students but have been hampered by the lack of a systematic approach to address the wider goal of information competency. During the 1998-99 academic year we provided introductory instruction to 4,818 first year students in 183 sessions. In a freshman class of about 3,400, some students received similar introductory sessions multiple times and others had no exposure. By contrast, we conducted subject-specific sessions for only 1,110 upper-division students, approximately one-sixth of the upper-level undergraduate student population. The limitations of this approach were documented in recent focus groups of faculty who teach undergraduates; they complained of students' inability to utilize the libraries' information resources effectively and the pervasiveness of the impression, summarized by Jane Bryant Quinn that, "the Net makes us think that we've actually done research." The report on the focus groups is excerpted in Appendix A.

Information competency is not just a library concern, but should be cultivated in the context of real problem solving, addressing the information requirements of specific classes and disciplines. Such importance is recognized by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in its Handbook of Accreditation, 2nd ed (1997): "Faculty and librarians share in the responsibility of emphasizing information literacy in all programs" (p. 47). Beyond North Central, G. Gordon Gee encapsulated the importance of this competency:

The Basic Five Concepts of Information Competency

The information competent student:

1. determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
2. accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
3. evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
4. individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
5. understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

Outline of Core Competencies

The information competent student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.

• defines and articulates the need for information.
• identifies a variety of types and formats of potential sources for information.
• considers the costs and benefits of acquiring the needed information.
• reevaluates the nature and extent of the information need.

The information competent student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.

• selects the most appropriate investigative methods or information retrieval systems for accessing the needed information.
• constructs and implements effectively-designed search strategies.
• retrieves information online or in person using a variety of methods.
• refines the search strategy if necessary.
• extracts, records, and manages the information and its sources.

The information competent student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

• summarizes the main ideas to be extracted from the information gathered
• articulates and applies initial criteria for evaluating both the information and its sources.
• synthesizes main ideas to construct new concepts.
• compares new knowledge with prior knowledge to determine the value added, contradictions, or other unique characteristics of the information
• validates understanding and interpretation of the information through discourse with other individuals, subject-area experts, and/or practitioners.
• determines whether the initial query should be revised.

The information competent student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

• revises the development process for the product or performance.
• The information literate student communicates the product or performance effectively to others.

The information competent student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

• understands many of the ethical, legal and socio-economic issues surrounding information and information technology.
• follows laws, regulations, institutional policies, and etiquette related to the access and use of information resources.
• acknowledges the use of information sources in communicating the product or performance.

The Libraries' Role

Although, in our experience, faculty members would like students to come to their courses with well-developed research skills, they rarely do. It is unrealistic to expect students to acquire information competency skills on their own, but this goal can be reached through a partnership of faculty members and librarians working together.

1. Information Competency as a General Education Requirement

Basic information competency education requires a minimum of two encounters. For example:

1A. Freshman Level

Every freshman should receive a librarian-led introduction to the library's resources and services and should prepare a modest, guided research paper requiring information competency and writing skills. Library staff would partner with faculty members to teach the skills required by such a paper. This paper represents a key mode of academic communication and the skills derived from the experience should prepare the student for writing and research assignments during the first two years.

1B. Sophomore or Junior Level

Every sophomore or junior should receive a more subject-oriented introduction to the information skills and resources required for their major. A 200- or 300-level course in each department could be modified to emphasize these skills and resources. Each department would decide which class this would be, what strategy would be most appropriate for delivering this instruction and what project(s) would be most appropriate for demonstrating mastery of these skills. There are several ways in which librarians could work with faculty members to implement this modification. For example, the class could actually be team-taught with the relevant librarian with subject expertise. Or, the class could be paired with a one-credit information skills class which could be taught by the librarian with subject expertise.

2. Other Options for Integrating Information Competency Into the Curriculum

The goal of student information competency can be embedded even more deeply into the curriculum by going beyond its introduction into general education requirement courses. To be most effective, information-seeking skills need to be "course-specific and curriculum-specific at the time when students have a need for the information and instruction" (Farmer, p.109). Information competency education needs to be cumulative and so pervasive at Ohio University that it is inescapable.
Librarians at Ohio University are eager to work with faculty members on an individual basis. They are also willing to develop and present workshops for faculty on the effective teaching of information-seeking skills. Some possible scenarios follow:

2A. Implement Information Competency Skills as an Add-On to Another Course

Information competency can be treated as an enhancement to an already established course in a discipline. Students enrolled in a course can gain one extra credit hour for completing the information component that is developed by the faculty teaching the course in consultation with librarians.

2B. Implement Information Competency as a Discipline-Specific Course

If a subject-oriented required course is not incorporated into general education (see 1B, above), the same kind of course could still be offered. A student would take this course once they have been accepted in a discipline. This 200- or 300- level course would concentrate on providing information competency skills and resources using the student's own discipline or major as a base. The course would be taught by faculty within the discipline and assisted by librarians with subject expertise.

2C. Implement Information Competency through Assessed Mastery

An excellent way for a campus to institute a program of information competency is to do so by requiring students to demonstrate mastery. Students can be given ample opportunity to acquire the necessary skills (through workshops, workbooks, computer tutorials, classroom instruction, etc.), and when they believe they have mastered the competencies identified, they can apply for an assessment and evaluation. The students' transcripts could reflect this assessed mastery.

Bibliography

Breivik, P. S. (1998). Successful information literacy programs. In P. S. Breivik Student learning in the information age. (pp. 34-56). Phoenix, AR: Oryx Press.

Descriptions of information literacy efforts at other universities. (No date) [Online]. The University of Arizona Library. Available: http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/infolit/DESCRIPT.HTM [2000, January 26]

Farmer, D. W. (1992). Information literacy: overcoming barriers to implementation. In M. Kramer (Series Ed.) & D. W. Farmer & T. F. Mech (Vol. Eds.) New Directions for Higher Education: No. 78. Information literacy: developing students as independent learners. (pp. 103-112.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Gee, E. G. (1989). Preface. In P. S. Breivik and E. G. Gee, Information literacy; revolution in the library (pp. ix-xi). New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.

Information competence. (1999), [Online] University of Akron University Libraries. Available: http://www.uakron.edu/library/gateway/info-competence.html [1999, December 20]

Information literacy competency standards for higher education (Rev. draft). (1999), [Online] Association of College and Research Libraries. Available: http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilstandardlo.html [2000, January 12]

Lanham, R. A. (1997). A computer-based Harvard Red Book: general education in the digital age. In L. Dowler (Ed.), Gateways to knowledge; the role of academic libraries in teaching, learning, and research. (pp. 151-167). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Commission on Higher Education. (1994). Characteristics of excellence in higher education; standards for accreditation. Philadelphia: Visual Arts Press.

National Forum on Information Literacy (1999). [Online]. Available: http://www.infolit.org/ [2000, January 27].

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. (1997). Handbook of accreditation (2nd ed.). Chicago: North Central Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.

Reynolds, J. (1989) University approval of library research skills as part of the general education curriculum requirements. In M. Pastine and B. Katz (Eds.) Integrating library use skills into the general education curriculum. (pp. 75-86). New York: Haworth Press.

Sonntag, G. & Ohr, D. M. (1996). The Development of a lower-division, general education, course-integrated information literacy program. College and Research Libraries, 57, 331-338.

Snavely, L. & Cooper N. (1997). Competing agendas in higher education; finding a place for information literacy. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 37, 53-62.

Appendix A: Faculty Focus Groups on Information Competency

February 10, 2000
Excerpted from Report by Focus Groups Facilitators: Marjorie Heyman (Institutional Equity) and Dianne Bouvier (Asst. Ombudsman)

In January and February 2000, facilitators met with six faculty focus groups for about one hour each to assess faculty impressions of undergraduates' perceptions of the Library. Four of the faculty groups were randomly selected from clusters of academic disciplines: science and engineering, social sciences and education, communications and business, and arts and humanities. The other two groups were also selected randomly, but from among faculty members and teaching assistants who previously scheduled classes for library instruction with librarians. The following are excerpts from the report of the facilitators.

On ability to use information resources

The great majority of focus group respondents feel that many students do not use the Library and its resources unless assigned specific assignments in class. Faculty and instructors were discouraged by what they perceive as general student unwillingness to physically utilize the Library. Instead, students increasingly are relying on the Internet to provide them with sources and references to class assignments. The comment, "Undergraduates first response to an assignment is to go to the Web," was echoed by participants in all focus groups. A few professors commented that they have overheard seniors proudly state that they have never set foot in the Library while at OU, having instead used the Internet for resource material.

Definition of information competency

Faculty defined information literacy/competency/proficiency as the ability of students to be able to understand what was required of them when undertaking a research project; being able to find materials relevant to their topic of interest; being able to evaluate these as to their relevance and quality; and finally, citing these references appropriately. Most participants agreed with the following expectations for seniors:

• be able to cross-reference
• know journals and scholarly materials available in their field
• recognize what kinds of material are appropriate to search for/use depending on the project
• use both depth and breadth of resources (as one faculty member put it, "They need to go beyond the internet!")
• know the style manuals for their major
• evaluate the credibility of the information available, as well as being able to evaluate its content.

This being said, faculty were unanimous in expressing their frustration that most students are unable to find what they need in the Library without continued assistance. Despite classroom instruction from either the faculty member or a librarian guest speaker, most students are unable or unwilling to begin to conduct serious research in the Library without prodding. One person observed, "Students will only learn if I force them to find reference materials outside of the web. I have to show them how to do it, since they won't use their own initiative to find out." Faculty also observe that students rely on their library-savvy friends to guide them when researching a term paper. Additionally, faculty were personally frustrated with the rapid changes in resource availability, new journals, and information technology. One person spoke for most, commenting, "If it is hard for us to keep current with what's new, it must be overwhelming for the student." As a consequence, many suggested that there needs to be continual interaction and communication between the librarians in specialized fields and faculty members as to new books, journals, periodicals, etc., that appear within a particular discipline.

Focus groups were divided on the best approach for learning to use the Library effectively. Some faculty and instructors feel that the one-hour introduction provided by a reference librarian during class was helpful; others felt that many students forgot what they were taught unless there was immediate reinforcement. One person spoke for several, observing, "A one to two hour guest lecture is not enough. We need more in-house Library time, where we actually take our students over to the Library and show them reference materials." Several participants suggested that a mandatory, Tier I (Gen Ed) 1 or 2 credit hour course be established. The one caveat to this suggestion was that the course be tailored to their major or area of interest, thereby ensuring that students gain an introduction to the significant reference materials within their major. Finally, several people felt that a partnership approach, whereby the basics were taught to a class by a trained library professional, followed up by discipline-specific project(s) in class was the most effective approach. One variation on this approach has been the School of Journalism 233 course on Information Gathering. Sophomores must take this course before enrolling in advanced level journalism classes. While there had been resistance to this course from some within Journalism, most faculty now recognize that students are better prepared to critically evaluate resource materials, and that this has spilled over into other classes. It should be noted, however, that not all focus group participants endorsed either a Tier I Library course or a mandatory course within their departments, because of the stringent course requirements expected of students in some majors.

Appendix B: Representative Information Competency Programs at Other Institutions

Towson University

It is interesting to note that the impetus for this requirement came initially not from librarians at all but from the faculty as a consequence of a study showing that employers were dissatisfied with the skills of Towson graduates. Towson University's General Education Program is divided into two categories: Skills for Liberal Learning and Contexts for Liberal Learning. One of the five skills in the first category is Using Information Effectively. There are currently twenty-one discipline-specific classes covering subjects as diverse as art, business, health, and theater. Library staff support this General Education requirement by providing up to six instruction sessions per course.

• URL: http://onestop.towson.edu/GenEd/
• URL: http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/facultyUserInstruction.cfm

California State University at San Marcos

CSUSM has a five part General Education Program: Communication in the English Language and Critical Thinking; Physical Universe and Its Life Forms; Arts and Humanities; Social, Political, and Economic Institutions and Behavior; and Lifelong Understanding and Information Literacy. All General Education courses must contain an information literacy component!

In a Communication in the English Language and Critical Thinking course, which is considered a basic skills course, students learn how to use a library and how to evaluate sources. The course also concentrates on developing critical thinking and listening skills. A librarian is assigned to each course which fulfills the requirement for this first part of the General Education requirement.

In the core courses, i.e. the second, third and fourth parts, students learn how researchers in the various disciplines work. They are introduced to basic information sources in those disciplines and have assignments which help them develop the skills necessary to use those sources.

The fifth part of the General Education program at CSUSM is Lifelong Understanding and Information Literacy. Two of the four required components of a course fulfilling this requirement are: Courses will focus on the processes necessary for turning information into knowledge. Specifically, students will be able to identify access points, apply the appropriate access tool, formulate a search strategy, evaluate retrieved information as to its usefulness and be able to recognize alternatives in the absence of recorded information sources. Special attention shall be paid to the Internet as an access tool. Courses will require a series of assignments which will assist the student in understanding information resources supportive of the course content. Examples of such assignments include: an annotated bibliography, a statistical interpretation, an abstract, a summary, a short opinion paper and a research paper.

• URL: http://library.csusm.edu/departments/ilp/

San Jose State University

Although not stated explicitly in their general education requirements, the Academic Senate at San Jose University has written a policy which requires that information competency instruction take place at three levels. The instruction takes place in the English 1B, the Junior Level Writing course, and the graduate introduction to research methods. Instruction for English 1B is in the form of a one hour presentation which takes place in the regular classroom and covers the OPAC and basic indexes. Instruction for the 100W and graduate courses takes place in the Library and usually includes a live demonstration of electronic resources. Objectives for these courses are to teach students how to find and evaluate potential sources in scholarly and professional materials in their disciplines.

• URL: http://www.sjlibrary.org/services/
  literacy/info_comp/infocomp_beyond.htm

Ohio State University

Ohio State University requires a class for all incoming freshmen call University College 100. One segment of that program is the Library Instruction Program which involves assignments designed to introduce them to University Libraries, the search strategy concept, their OPAC and electronic databases.