The purpose of this document is to articulate a plan for the integration of information literacy into the Northeastern Illinois University curriculum and covers the mission and values of the Information Literacy Program, alone with the following:
Program Goals and Outcomes
1. Orientation, Summer Transition Program, and Developmental courses
2. First-year Experience and English 102
3. Introduction to disciplinary research (100-200 level courses)
4. Advanced research within disciplines (200-300 level courses)
5. Graduate research (400 level courses)
Mission of the Information Literacy program
Northeastern Illinois University’s mission is to be a public comprehensive university with locations throughout Chicago that provides an exceptional environment for learning, teaching, and scholarship. The University prepares a diverse community of students for leadership and service in our region and in a dynamic multicultural world. Information literacy is an essential part of the preparation students need to succeed after graduation.
The goal of the NEIU information literacy program is to increase information literacy among undergraduate students at Northeastern Illinois University in accordance with the Baccalaureate Goals for NEIU, and among graduate students in accordance with their disciplinary needs.
Values for the Information Literacy program
The first Baccalaureate Goal for NEIU students is the development of intellectual and practical skills, including information literacy and research experience.
The NEIU Libraries follow the professional guidance of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy which defines information literacy as:
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.
Information literate students are able to think critically about the processes that govern the creation, dissemination, and value of knowledge in their academic, personal, and professional lives. Information literate students are able to effectively evaluate and analyze information from a variety of sources, and properly incorporate those sources into written and oral communication. The NEIU Libraries are committed to building students' information literacy through library instruction, in every discipline, at strategic points in the curriculum to satisfy specific student learning goals.
Program Goals and Outcomes
Library instruction may occur via individual research consultations, group instruction sessions, or online through the learning management system, at a singular encounter or over a series of encounters. Librarians can work with instructors to design research assignments to best develop information literacy skills and train instructors on skills that can be shared with students. The NEIU Libraries’ prioritizes instructor requests for classroom instruction that support a specific research assignment or research methods course. Librarians may also recommend services such as individual research consultations or online learning modules in addition to or in lieu of a synchronous class session or workshop when deemed appropriate.
The NEIU Libraries’ information literacy program sees students at five levels in their academic careers:
1. Orientation, Summer Bridge Program, and Developmental courses
2. First-year Experience and English 102
3. Introduction to disciplinary research (100-200 level courses)
4. Advanced research within disciplines (200-300 level courses)
5. Graduate research (400 level courses)
Each of these levels will be described in turn.
The success of these student learning goals will be measured in a variety of ways, both in and outside of formal library instruction, and the measurement will be decided upon in consultation with the instructor teaching the course. Subject librarians have found that assessment is most effective when the instructor allows credit to be assigned to any assessment activities that librarians design. For that reason, librarians may request points to be assigned to library instruction, at instructor discretion.
1. Orientation, Summer Bridge Program, and Developmental courses
Students at this level are becoming familiar with the university environment. Orientation and Summer Transition Program (STP) courses familiarize students with the library as a place, making them aware that we have services that they need. The STP program, along with developmental courses, support students’ transition from high school to college, as well as enhance their math, reading comprehension, and writing skills prior to their first year of college. STP courses are six-week courses that take place over the summer and may have writing assignments, but may not have a research component.
At this level, the subject librarian will teach students to be able to:
2. First-year Experience and English 102 courses
First-year experience and English 102 are required courses for most incoming students. They are disciplinary and often have a research component. ENGL 102 has a research paper, often requiring the use of journal articles.
In FYE classes, subject librarians will teach students to be able to:
In ENG 102 classes, subject librarians will teach students to be able to:
3. Introduction to disciplinary research
When students begin to take coursework in and beyond the General Education curriculum, they may begin to work in a discipline in which they may go on to major. At this level, students need to become familiar with introductory resources to their discipline, major research trends within that discipline, and how to use more advanced research tools, including subject headings and specific databases.
In library instruction at this level, subject librarians will use their disciplinary knowledge to teach students to be able to:
While many of the goals at this level are based on searching and finding resources, students are continuing to practice and expand their understanding of authority and authorship and the differences between academic and non-academic sources and formats. At this level, students are just becoming familiar with understanding the conversation of scholarship and research as an ongoing activity.
4. Advanced research within disciplines (200-300 level courses)
As students advance in their academic careers, they begin to specialize within disciplines, and instructors will ask them to complete more in-depth research assignments using discipline-specific resources. To supplement the foundational research skills that students gained in previous library instruction at lower levels, at this level, librarians will teach more advanced searching techniques, source types, and values, and encourage students to take a more critical approach to the evaluation of information.
In library instruction at this level, subject librarians may use their disciplinary knowledge to teach students to be able to:
5. Graduate research (400 level courses)
Students in the graduate program engage in highly specialized, discipline-specific coursework with a focus on research. Though the students have completed work at the undergraduate level, they enter their graduate studies with a diversity in educational background and experience. Students may be new to both the expectations of graduate level research and the NEIU-specific library research environment.
Librarians will teach students at this level to be able to:
Prepared by the 2015 Information Literacy Steering Committee and revised December 2021 by the NEIU Librarians
Last updated: December 3, 2020