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How Information Literacy Was Incorporated
Professor Sharon Dormire and a first-year librarian worked together during the course design phase to create course assignments that built information literacy skills throughout the semester. Two library sessions were conducted. The first session covered how to create a research strategy and find and evaluate background information and books, skills they would need to succeed at the first assignment, a presentation. The second session reviewed skills taught in the first session and added how to find and evaluate articles, including peer-reviewed articles, and how to find statistics and public opinion. These skills helped students complete a research paper and class debate.
Desired Learning Outcomes: Create and execute a research strategy; critically evaluate information.
Faculty Testimonial
“This was my first year teaching a Signature Course and it was the best teaching experience of my life. One of the most significant components of the course was the collaboration with Michele Ostrow, the librarian helping me develop the information literacy component of my course. Wow, our collaboration was far beyond my expectations. We worked to create library activities that were focused on the class activities I had planned for the course. For example, Michele developed a class focusing on how to access and use books and internet resources for student oral presentations regarding history, religious, and cultural influences on adolescent sexuality. A second class was subsequently planned to prepare students to gather current information for a research paper. I hate to admit it, but I learned a great deal about our UT resources that I had not known in the past. My students and I were so positively impressed that I have built similar class activities into my summer elective course!” – Professor Dormire, UGS 302, “Dimensions of Adolescent Sexual Health”