Work

Embedding information literacy in a first-year business undergraduate course

Year: 2011

Type: article

Abstract: This article reports on a project to embed information literacy skills development in a first-year undergraduate business course at an Australian university. In accordance with prior research suggesting that first-year students are overconfident about their skills, the project used an optional online quiz to allow students to pre-test their information literacy skills. The students’ lower than expected results subsequently encouraged greater skill development. However, not all students elected to undertake the first quiz. A final assessable information literacy quiz increased the levels of student engagement, suggesting that skill development activities need to be made assessable. We found that undertaking the information literacy quizzes resulted in a statistically significant improvement in students’ information literacy skills from the pre-test to the post-test. This research therefore extends previous research by providing an effective means of delivering information literacy skill development to large cohorts of first-year students.

Source: Studies in Higher Education

DOI: 10.1080/03075071003725350

Authors: Robin Price, Karen Becker, Lynette Clark, Sue Collins

Institution: Queensland University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Library Science and Information Literacy

Subfield: Library and Information Sciences

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: Queensland University of Technology