Integration of information literacy training into engineering and technology education (original) (raw)
Related papers
2012
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, and the recognition that information literacy is an underpinning generic skill for effective learning in higher education. This paper describes a sequence of activities and technologies designed to help students learn and practice information literacy skills.
Information Literacy Modules for First-Year Engineering Students
AEE Journal, 2022
The abundance of information available to us every day continues to increase, largely because of society's reliance on the internet. While the internet provides access to a wealth of information, information may be inaccurate or irrelevant because anyone can publish content on the internet. As a result, it is critical for individuals to develop information literacy, which includes the skills to gather information, assess its quality, and use it effectively. Information literacy is especially important for engineers because of the need to be lifelong learners in order to adapt to the needs of society and technological innovations. Despite the importance of information literacy, it largely remains absent from undergraduate engineering curriculum. In this work, we developed two modules that were implemented and assessed at two time points in two different first-year engineering courses. These modules focus on defining information and providing a framework to assess the information. Each module includes a short video followed by a handout with questions designed to support students in making connections between the videos and their assigned design project. The development of the modules was informed by current research within the area of information literacy as well as the first two authors' experience teaching first-year engineering students. Assessment data from the two implementations show that students were able to identify a range of resources they used to get information for their design project. While some students were
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.
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).
Integrating Information Literacy in the Engineering Curriculum: A Program Approach
The paper summarizes a program-based model that has been developed at Queen's University to integrate an information literacy program into the undergraduate engineering program to meet CEAB graduate attributes in professional and design course. A program-level approach to information literacy is useful to define the purpose and goals of information literacy outcomes and also to capture evidence of student learning. It also informs instructional methods that can be developed in class or through the use of embedded learning modules at the course management system in addition to hands-on library workshops.
Information literacy skills assessment of undergraduate engineering students
Worldwide commonalities and challenges in information literacy research and practice, 2013
This study assessed Information Literacy (IL) skills of first year undergraduate engineering students of a Pakistani university in order to plan instruction; and to provide the university with reliable data for integration of instruction in the university curricula. Independent samples t-test and ANOVA were applied to check gender and program based differences in IL skills of students. No gender or program-based difference in IL skills of students was found. It was also revealed that students did not possess IL skills good enough to help them in their university level studies. They do not have a fair idea about methods and tools to be used to retrieve required information from various resources. This low level of IL skills shows the need for an IL program properly planned, designed and carried out in a consistent manner.
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
Best Practices for Engineering Information Literacy Instruction: Perspectives of Academic Librarians
2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings
Information literacy instruction (ILI) has long been an important part of undergraduate education. Subject librarians, together with undergraduate instructors, help students identify the relevant information sources in their discipline and learn how to search for, locate, and recognize highquality information effectively. Information needs, specific resources, and information practices differ across subjects and vary by workplace and discipline norms. This work, funded by the Engineering Information Foundation, presents our first step in developing a series of modules to support engineering students' development of information literacy. We have interviewed five engineering librarians at the 2018 ASEE annual conference to better understand the best practices for information literacy instruction in engineering courses. Based on the analysis of the interviews we identified and described a number of concepts that will be considered as we develop our modules. This paper also provides a list of recommendations for faculty and librarians who are involved in ILI for undergraduate engineering students.