In current discussions around those skills critical to student success, the importance of information literacy should not be ignored. The relative ease of publishing information on the Web, coupled with rising public expectations around the right to access knowledge has led to unprecedented surges in both the amount of information available to students, and the number of tools mediating our access to that information.

It is sometimes mistakenly assumed that the Internet has made searching for information easier for researchers and students. However, the reality is that students struggle with information overload, an over-reliance on Google and non-scholarly sources in their academic work, a lack of awareness of scholarly publication types and tools, and they exhibit a general impatience with the often time-consuming and painstaking processes of systematic research. Also, students may not yet have adopted a solid set of criteria to use when evaluating information – and may choose citations based on format (online over print), length (short over long) and relevance (keywords in the title) rather than thinking more about the authority of information, perspective, the usefulness to their arguments and so forth.

Compounding these challenges for students, professors and librarians alike struggle with finding time to teach students the skills they need to thrive in this environment. Professors have only so much class time and so much material to cover. And librarians generally see students only in short encounters at the reference desk or in single session workshops geared to specific assignments. What, then, is the best way to reach students with information literacy concepts? York University Libraries propose embedding information literacy competencies into program/departmental curricula using a more collaborative and integrated approach. Rather than relying on one workshop or one faculty member to teach research skills, research skills can and should be developed incrementally over the course of a whole degree program.

Research Skills & Assignment Design

Such an approach can work on a number of different levels. To begin with, faculty can work with librarians when developing research assignments. Librarians not only have specialized knowledge of the research tools and strategies useful for your subject area, but also have seen hundreds of research assignments cross their reference desks and can very quickly identify common pitfalls and suggest new ideas/approaches you may not have considered before. Such collaboration can foster a deeper understanding of your course goals and improve any librarian-led workshops or guest lectures that you might add to your course curriculum. Librarians may also be able to assist you in developing rubrics for the assessment of information literacy competencies in your assignments.

Integration with Course Design

On a broader level, by virtue of their understanding of information literacy and the various skills students need to succeed in their research environments, librarians can help you clarify your learning objectives for the entire course, and situate your course within the wider context of your departmental goals and objectives. In the context of the new University Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations (UUDLES), it is important to have a sense not only of how your courses fit into your departmental curriculum, but also how your course addresses the various critical skills outlined in the UUDLES.

Research Skills & Program Design

Lastly, in mentioning the UUDLES it is important also to consider librarians as key collaborators when engaging in departmental planning exercises and reviews. Degree Level Expectations do not specifically mention “information literacy”; however, many of the competencies outlined in them dovetail very closely with what librarians would consider essential components of information literacy.  Your subject librarian can meet with your program directors, curriculum committee or entire department to discuss how research skills can be fostered across your degree programs. Disciplines (and inter-disciplinary areas as well) will obviously have unique needs – so librarians do not offer a one-size fits all approach to curriculum integration. Instead, we engage in dialogue with the department and attempt to find a solution that works best for you and your students.

In short, students need some attention to research skills if they are to thrive not just academically but once they graduate as well. A curriculum integrated approach to information literacy is the most effective way to ensure students get those skills – from the programmatic planning level down to the specific research assignments in individual courses.

For more information, contact your subject liaison librarian, or Lisa Sloniowski, Information Literacy Program Coordinator. We look forward to the conversation.