Presentation to UL Development Council.

1. Information Literacy @
The University of Akron
General Education & Beyond
Joseph A. Salem, Jr.
Head, Research & Learning Services
jsalem@uakron.edu
330-972-8581
10/22/2012

2. What Is Information Literacy?
• Information Literacy is
the set of skills
needed to find,
retrieve, analyze, and
use information.
– Association of College &
Research Libraries
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3. 21st Century Literacies
• Information Literacy
• Basic Language
Literacy
• Visual Literacy
• Spatial Literacy
• Historical Literacy
• Cultural Literacy
• Political Literacy
• News Media Literacy
• Scientific Literacy
• Mathematical Literacy
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4. Information Literacy & University
Libraries
• Developed through
instructional
partnerships between
University Libraries &
the disciplinary faculty
• Goal is to integrate
information literacy
into key courses
within the curriculum
• Current program is
based on relationships
between the
disciplinary faculty
and subject librarians
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5. General Education Revision @ The
University of Akron
• General Education
Revision a key strategic
goal of Vision 2020
• New general education
curriculum based on the
learning outcomes that
every UA student should
obtain
• Designed to meet needs
for graduating college
students among
employers and graduate
schools
• The new program will
also assess their
achievement at the
institutional level
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6. Learning Outcomes for 21st Century
Success
1. Communication Skills and Information
Literacy
2. Critical Thinking and Complex Reasoning
Skills
3. Knowledge of Arts, Humanities, Natural
Sciences, and Social Sciences
4. Responsible Citizenship in an Interconnected
World
• Awareness of multiple dimensions of diversity
• Domestic focus
• Global focus
• Economic literacy
• Personal and societal health
• Environmental sustainability
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7. General Education Coursework
Learning Outcome Course Content Credits
Communication Writing & Information 6
Literacy I & II
Speaking & Information 3
Literacy
Critical Thinking Reasoning Processes 3
Quantitative Reasoning 3
Disciplinary Knowledge Arts 3
Humanities 3
Natural Science + Lab 4
Social Science 3
Gen Ed Credit Hours 28
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8. Designated Attributes Embedded in
Course Content
Learning Outcome Course Attributes*
Responsible Citizenship in an Diversity—Domestic focus
Interconnected World
Diversity—Global focus
Economic Literacy
Personal & Societal Health
Environmental Sustainability
Additional Credit Hours 6-15
*Courses with these attributes must include at least one of the following: be
writing intensive, involve qualitative reasoning, or involve normative reasoning

9. Assessment Cycle
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10. Information Literacy in General
Education
• UL faculty are
developing Web-based
modules for the three
courses in which
information literacy is
embedded
• UL faculty developing
the “research journal”
assignment that will be
part of institutional
assessment
• UL faculty developing
the rubrics that will be
used to assess the
process and outcomes
assignments in these
three courses
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11. Information Literacy @
The University of Akron
• All students will now
systematically interact
with information literacy
instructional content and
assignments
• Student information
literacy will be assessed
at the institutional level
• Upper level subject-
specific information
literacy instruction will
now be able to assume
a base level of skills
upon which to build
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12. Questions?
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