Core Learning Outcome: Information Literacy
What is Information Literacy?
The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) adopted the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education in 2016. The ACRL Framework provides the following definition:
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 Framework is structured around a set of six interconnected concepts, or frames. These frames reflect the core concepts of information literacy for higher education:
- Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
- Information Creation as a Process
- Information Has Value
- Research as Inquiry
- Scholarship as Conversation
- Searching as Strategic Exploration
The Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) has developed a series of VALUE Rubrics that correspond to key learning outcomes for college students. The Information Literacy VALUE Rubric provides another framework for evaluating and discussing student learning.