Social and Behavioral Sciences | Open Access Articles

Using Rubrics For Information Literacy Skill Assessment: A Case Study For Business Education, Bobbi Makani, Ann Agee, Marilyn Easter, Yuhfen Diana H. Wu

Diana H. Wu

Information literacy—the ability to find, evaluate and use information effectively—is an essential skill set. The authors examine how assignments such as case analyses and research reports help business students master these abilities and provide examples of how analytic rubrics with measurable outcomes are particularly suited to assessing these skills. Also demonstrated is how librarians enhance and support student learning of information literacy by teaching in-depth research skills. Working together, professors and librarians can give students a solid foundation in the information-handling skills they need to be effective and productive in the workplace today.

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Opening Pandora's Stream: Piping Music Into The Information Literacy Classroom, Dianna E. Sachs, Kathleen A. Langan

Dianna E Sachs

Although it is well known that music can affect cognitive processes, very little research has been conducted examining the influence of background music on students in college classrooms. In 2010, librarians at Western Michigan University implemented a pilot study to investigate the effect of background music on undergraduate students in information literacy classes. The authors used a survey to collect both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate student comfort, confidence, and retention of facts. The results indicate positive correlations between background music in the classroom and student comfort, confidence, and retention. Further investigation is ongoing, to expand upon these results.

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Culturally Relevant Information Literacy, Rob Morrison

Rob Morrison

This paper is a qualitative case study of the role of culture in the information-seeking process. This study revealed that culture does impact how we locate, evaluate and value information and thus specific kinds of knowledge. Librarians and educators must deeply engage in discussions on literacy and how information is tied to knowledge that does not limit learners to the Western worldview. Information Literacy will always be an abstract term until integrated into knowledge production.

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