Standard

Objective

General Education

Discipline-specific

Standard 1
The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.

1.1 Students will be able to formulate a manageable thesis statement or research question based on a topic.

Students will demonstrate an understanding of database and catalog records to help refine searches and develop a topic.

Students will be able to formulate a manageable thesis statement or topic for research in a particular subject area.

1.2 Students will be able to identify key terms that may be useful for locating information on a topic.

Students will demonstrate an ability to identify key words and concepts to help describe and perform an information search strategy for a particular topic.

1.3 Students will be able to locate and retrieve resources within the physical and digital library.

Students will be able to identify books, journals, and other resources available through the library – whether they are available in the library or through online access.
Students will be able to identify and distinguish among different types of published formats (books, journals, encyclopedias, indexes, audio-visual, etc.).
Basic searching – students will demonstrate the ability to do simple searching in general library databases (e.g., Academic Search Premier) and the library catalog (Voyager).
Information retrieval – student will be able to demonstrate an ability to use various search tools to retrieve information in a variety of formats.

1.4 Students will be able to differentiate between a scholarly and popular source, and a primary and secondary source.

Evaluating published resources – students will begin to understand the difference between scholarly and popular publications.

Students will have the ability to identify scholarly resources in a particular subject area.

1.5 Students will recognize that research material is available outside of Springfield College, and that research tools and library services are available to obtain material not owned by the college.

Students will understand that not all research materials will be available at Springfield College and can identify appropriate library services to obtain material not owned by the college.
Students will be able to develop and work within a realistic timeline to gather information resources to support a research project or paper that may not be available at Springfield College.
Students will have the ability to obtain research materials not owned by Springfield College.

Standard 2
The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.

2.1 Students will be able to distinguish between online catalogs, databases, gateways to online databases, and Internet only search tools.

Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to distinguish between online catalogs, library databases, and public internet search tools.
Students will have a familiarity with the library homepage and how to locate various services and information resources from it.
Students will be able to understand the differences between various databases and begin to understand how to select appropriate databases for specific information needs.

Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to identify key resources and databases for a specific subject area.
Students will be able to demonstrate an ability to select appropriate databases and research tools to support discipline and professional research.
Students will be able to identify and use databases that will provide information about specific types of research sources such as testing instruments, dissertations, conference papers, etc.

2.2 Students will be able to describe the organizational structure of library databases, and the difference between a keyword search and a subject or author search.

Students will begin to understand how database and catalog records are designed and how this understanding can help refine search strategies and topic development.

Students will be able to distinguish between keyword and field searching.
Students will be able to design effective keyword and fielded searches for a particular topic.

2.3 Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of what a controlled vocabulary is and why it is used.

Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of controlled vocabulary and how it relates to a particular subject area.
Students will be able to use appropriate controlled vocabulary in focused searching in a discipline.

2.4 Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of Boolean logic and term truncation.

Students will be able to combine words and terms to narrow their searching and focus on their topic area.
Students will be able to understand the concepts of Boolean logic, truncation, and other advanced searching skills and be able to apply them in directed research.

Standard 3
The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

3.1 Students will be able to apply evaluative criteria (e.g., author’s expertise, currency, accuracy, type of publication, etc.) to information and its source.

Students will have the ability to identify source and authorship, describe content, and evaluate information presented in a variety of published resources (both in print and online).
Students will be able to evaluate information sources in terms of usefulness to course writing or research assignments.

Students will be able to evaluate information sources related to their discipline.
Student will be able to demonstrate an ability to identify the value, the differences, and respective audiences of potential resources and formats in a specific discipline (popular/scholarly; current/historical; etc.)

Standard 4
The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

4.1 Students will be able to organize information in a manner that effectively convenes and supports the purpose of the document.

Covered by WAC requirements.

Covered by WAC requirements.

4.2 Students will be able to integrate new and prior information, including quotations and paraphrasing, in a manner that supports the purpose.

Covered by WAC requirements.

Covered by WAC requirements.

4.3 Students will be able to choose a communication medium and format that best supports the purposes of the intended audience.

Covered by WAC requirements.

Covered by WAC requirements.

4.4 Students will be able to communicate clearly and with a style that supports the purposes of the intended audience.

Covered by WAC requirements.

Covered by WAC requirements.

Standard 5
The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

5.1 Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of institutional policies on use of information technologies.

Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of campus policy regarding downloading, file sharing, e-mail etiquette, password protection, virus protection and related institutional policies on the use of information technologies.

5.2 Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of intellectual property, copyright, and fair use of copyrighted material.

Student will demonstrate an understanding of the nature of intellectual property, copyright, and fair use of copyrighted materials and how these relate to research in their profession, their own research, and to the educational process.

5.3 Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of what constitutes plagiarism.

Student will understand what plagiarism is and how it relates to academic work.

5.4 Students will be able to select an appropriate demonstration style and use it consistently to cite sources.

Students will understand what a bibliography is, the elements of a bibliography, and how to create a bibliography from a standardized documentation format.

Students will demonstrate an ability to create and develop a focused bibliography using a standard document format appropriate for a specific subject area.
Students will demonstrate an ability to select and use appropriate citation styles for professional literature in their discipline.
Students will be able to create a focused literature review in a given subject area and properly cite sources used.

5.5 Students will demonstrate an understanding of institutional policies related to human subject research.

Students will demonstrate an understanding of institutional policies related to human subject research.
Students will understand the use and restrictions regarding use of test and measurement tools used on human subjects.