Discussion Guides
Information literacy is often thought of in terms of skills, but those skills are informed by a spectrum of information concepts that those who are information literate should be familiar with. Discussion is one of the most powerful ways to engage students with such concepts. Below are some materials (all available through the library) and accompanying links to discussion questions and blogs that should facilitate these relevant discussions.
The Name of the Rose (film)
This movie can spark conversations about the history of information packaging, organization, and access; the value and dangers of information; and the importance of critical thinking.
Information Origins
Using videos and readings this section introduces students to the history of information use, creation, and storage, gives an overview of some of the social, political, and ethical contexts of information, and discusses the similarities and differences of networks and hierarchies and how these relate to information systems.
If you would like to suggest further discussion materials, please let us know. We’d be happy to help you develop a similar discussion guide.
Online Learning Activities
Here are some resources to help explore and practice information literacy skills.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is a set of reasoning strategies that keep us from believing everything we read or hear. In an age where more and more information is being created and communicated, we need critical thinking tools to keep us from absorbing every statement as truth or fact and, obviously, to help us find the information that we can trust…
Using Sources Responsibly
This is an exercise in which students read a brief article and then five different paragraphs which quote or paraphrase the article. Students rank which usages are more or less responsible in terms of accurately quoting or representing the meaning and intention of the original article.
Lectures, Explanations, Tutorials
Popular and Scholarly Sources
You have a source in hand; is it appropriate to use for a given assignment? What is it? How do you tell? Is it more popular or scholarly?
Using the Points of View Database
Explanation with video tutorials on how to access and search this database.
Website evaluation Form
We use a version of this form in conjunction with evaluative criteria discussed in the Wadsworth Handbook (8th ed.) to help students learn how to evaluate websites and develop a keen critical eye.
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