Information Literacy

Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.

• Can learners determine an appropriate scope of investigation?
• Do learners consider research as open-ended exploration and engagement with information?

Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of authority required.

• Can learners define different types of authority?
• Are learners developing an open mind when encountering varied and sometimes conflicting perspectives?

Information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world. Legal and socioeconomic interests influence information production and dissemination.

• Do learners give credit to the original ideas of others through proper attribution and citation?
• Do learners respect the original ideas of others?

Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method. The iterative processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences.

• Can learners articulate the capabilities and constraints of information developed through various creation processes?
• Do learners understand that different methods of information dissemination with different purposes are available for their use?

Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops.

• Can learners utilize divergent and convergent thinking appropriately when searching?
• Do learners understand that first attempts at searching do not always produce adequate results?

Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations.

• Can learners contribute to scholarly conversation at an appropriate level?
• Do learners see themselves a contributors to scholarship rather than only consumers?