The world of engineering information–10 points to survive (original) (raw)

Information Literacy: A Critical Component in Engineering Practice in the Twenty-First Century

As available information proliferates, the necessity of being able to correctly select, interpret, and measure the "goodness" of the information, and therefore how much it should be relied upon, becomes more and more critical to all fields, but especially to the practice of engineering. However, this is a skill which is not taught or stressed in many engineering education programs today. Ranging from when, or whether, a certain method or process or theorem is applicable to a hypothetical problem in the classroom, to what sources of data and what software simulations should be used to estimate hardware failure probabilities in crisis situations such as the Columbia space shuttle takeoff damage leading to the breakup of the shuttle upon reentry, ability to select, evaluate, and apply the best available information is critical to success. Yet while most engineering educators and practitioners would agree that this is a vital skill set, the burdens of assessment required by AB...

The informed engineer

2003

Future engineers need an education program that can provide them with the breadth of knowledge necessary to be knowledgeable and productive contributors to both the workplace and to society. In short, engineers need information. Unfortunately, most technical science courses don't require assignments that involve information research. It is even more unfortunate, that due the heavy technical nature of their curriculum, students are often only exposed to these information retrieval skills a few times in their college career.

Training Future Engineering Students to Information Literacy: a Challenge for Academic and Professional Success

2015

Information literacy in the present era, which is characterized by the multitude of information sources, information explosion, and the rapid development of information technology and communication, has become a must for the effective use of scientific and technical information for both academic and professional success. This article focuses on information literacy of future engineering students. It presents results of a study conducted among a sample of students who reveal shortcomings and gaps in information retrieval in this category. It then proposes ways of intervention for engineering schools in order to facilitate the development of these skills in the academic community. Key-Words: Information Literacy, engineering students, information competency, academic librarians, training program, higher education.

Integrating Information Literacy in Engineering: Librarians/Faculty

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Libraries. She is also the bibliographer for mechanical and aerospace engineering, as well as for civil and environmental engineering. Previously, she worked as the Head of the Physical Sciences Library and as an Associate in the Government Documents Department. She is currently the President of the Patent & Trademark Depository Library Association and Chair of the WVU Library Faculty Assembly. She holds a M.L.I.S. from the University of South Carolina, a M.A. from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. from Calvin College.

Information literacy learning model for engineering students

2008

This paper provides an overview of an information skills program integrated into the first year engineering subject "Documentation techniques". This is a problem-based learning subject, which requires the students to work through and report on an engineering project. Over the past four years the program has transformed radically as a result of applying an action research framework which is primarily concerned with continuing improvement and change in practice. Currently, the information skills program consists of a student-led orientation tour, an integrated subject web page (developed using the RESEARCH AND WRITE tutorial).

Information literacy for a sustainable career in engineering and technology

2011

Information literacy has become an important skill for undergraduate students due to societal changes that have seen information become a valuable commodity, the need for graduates to become lifelong learners to remain effective across their working lives, and the recognition by many stakeholders that information literacy is an underpinning generic skill for effective learning in higher education.

INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS OF ENGINEERING STUDENTS

International Journal

Information literacy is one of the critical digital-age literacies for higher education. Students need to be information literate to cope with the challenges in further studies and future profession. Assessment of students' information skills is important to determine how information literate they are. This study describes the results of an information skills assessment and has identified the skills that need improvement. It has also identified the type and format of resources students most frequently use in course assignments. The respondents in the study were diploma-level engineering students who had undergone at least three semesters at a Malaysian college. Data were collected using a survey instrument adapted from Mittermeyer and triangulated using a citation analysis of student bibliographies in an essay assignment. The results of this study show that the respondents seriously lacked the necessary knowledge and skills to evaluate internet information, to identify the most efficient search strategy, to use scholarly resources, and to use information ethically. Most scholarly resources used were books in print format, while most non-scholarly resources referred to were in electronic format. This study implies the importance of information literacy assessment as the first step in improving students' information skills. It also indicates the need to encourage students to use more scholarly electronic resources in their coursework. It is suggested that a larger sample of students be used in order to be more representative of the engineering student population. An intervention program should also be introduced to improve students' information literacy skills.

Information Literacy Skills of Engineering Students: A Survey

The aim of this study was to measure the self-perceived level of Information Literacy (IL) skills of engineering students of different disciplines at B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD levels. The findings may be helpful for library professionals to design an instructional program to improve students' suck skills for better utilization of available printed and online sources. This study was also to identify the difference between selected personal and academic variables and the level of IL skills. Data was collected through ACRL Standards based pretested questionnaire in a survey. SPSS software was used for data analysis. Keyword: 1. Information Literacy. 2. Information Literacy Skills, 3. Engineering Students

A Comparison of Beginning and Advanced Engineering Students’ Description of Information Skills

Objective – The purpose of this research was to examine how beginning and advanced level engineering students report use of information when completing an engineering design process. This information is important for librarians seeking to develop information literacy curricula in the context of engineering design. Methods – Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews about information strategies used in engineering design with 21 engineering students (10 first and second year; 11 senior and graduate). Researchers transcribed interviews and developed an inductive coding scheme. Then, from the coding scheme, researchers extracted broader themes. Results – Beginning level engineering students interviewed: (a) relied primarily on the parameters explicitly given in the problem statement; (b) primarily used general search strategies; (c) were documentation oriented; and (d) relied on external feedback to determine when they had found enough information. Advanced level engineering stu...