Information Literacy Plan for American University

American University Library's Division of Research, Teaching & Learning has implemented a two-tier information literacy plan that aims to take a comprehensive approach to developing the information literacy skills of students over the course of their college careers. Features of the program are:

• TIER ONE: The Information Literacy Tutorial and the College Writing Program
  The tutorial combined with course-integrated instruction in the university's College Writing Program provides a basic level of research and information literacy instruction to incoming students:
  • Instruction includes teaching the use of the ALADIN catalog, subscription databases and Google Scholar; developing basic searching concepts; using AU and other library collections; and understanding the tenets of academic integrity and scholarly communication.
  • Completion of the tutorial offers students a limited but initial assessment of their information literacy skills.
    
    
• TIER TWO: The second tier of information literacy instruction focuses on developing advanced research skills within the disciplines. This initiative is under expansion, and it is being introduced in courses required for majors in each school or college.
  • Information covered includes introductions to and evaluations of discipline-specific subject databases, citation styles, Web sources, data sets, primary sources, or non-print media.
  • Graduate and upper-level undergraduate student researchers are encouraged to develop proficiency with the citation management tools such as campus-supported EndNote software, or the freely available, Web-based Zotero.
  • Sessions can be presented by library faculty members or by teaching faculty members.
  • Assessment can be built into an accompanying assignment, a research paper, a midterm or final exam, as well as student evaluation of teaching.

We are interested in comments, questions and teaching partners. Contact , Assistant Director of Library Instruction.