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First Year Seminar: Research & Critical Thinking

This guide contains information for PALs to help with library research related assignments and curriculum planning.

What Is Information Literacy?

According to the Association of College & Research Libraries:

Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.  

The ACRL uses the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.  It is a framework because it is based on a cluster of interconnected core concepts, with flexible options for implementation, rather than on a set of standards, learning outcomes, or any prescriptive enumeration of skills.The six concepts that anchor the frames are

  • Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
  • Information Creation as a Process
  • Information Has Value
  • Research as Inquiry
  • Scholarship as Conversation
  • Searching as Strategic Exploration

You can learn more by reviewing ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

Helpful Videos

Higher Order Thinking Skills

 

 

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What Can You Do with Information Literacy?

BETTER ASSIGNMENTS

If you are creating your own research assignments, we are always available to work with you. This collaboration helps create assignments that refer to the best possible sources and also lets us make arrangements within the library to accommodate the needs of the assignment. A well-designed assignment can teach students valuable research skills and improve the quality of their papers. Unfortunately, assignments also have the potential to confuse and frustrate students, leading to a poorly written product. Please feel free to use or modify any of the lesson plans or assignments included in the "Lesson Plans" tab.

FYS & The Library

FYS & THE LIBRARY

Students will conduct library research that includes a critical analysis of sources.

One goal of the University First Year Seminar is "to develop and utilize critical thinking skills necessary for academic success."  Underpinning this goal is students’ use of the Library and a critical analysis of sources.  With that in mind, the Library developed a series of learning outcomes that address competencies typically expected from a first-year student.  The assignments and lesson plans included in this guide address these outcomes.  

Students will:

Introduce

• Identify access points (ex. web site, staff, etc.) to information about UT Arlington Library in order to locate library policies and/or services.

Find

• Differentiate between the content indexed in a library catalog, a library database, and the free web in order to select a research tool which will retrieve desired resources.

• Decipher a database record in order to locate materials through UT Arlington Library.

• Construct basic search strategies in order to retrieve accurate and relevant materials.

Access

• Retrieve items from their physical location in order to access information on their topic.

Evaluate

• Critically evaluate information sources in order to select those appropriate to their information need.

Cite

• Recognize the ethical reasons for attributing information sources in order to avoid plagiarism.

• Identify, locate, and arrange necessary publication information in order to accurately cite a source using the required format.