Instruction Committee

Excerpt from Reaccreditation Standard 11:

"....Several skills, collectively referred to as "information literacy," apply to all disciplines in an institution's curricula. These skills relate to a student's competency in acquiring and processing information in the search for understanding, whether that information is sought in or through the facilities of a library, through practica, as a result of field experiments, by communication with experts in professional communities, or by other means. Therefore, information literacy is an essential component of any educational program at the graduate or undergraduate levels.

These skills include the ability to:

• determine the nature and extent of needed information;
• access information effectively and efficiently
• evaluate critically the sources and content of information
• incorporate selected information in the learner's knowledge base and value system;
• use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose;
• understand the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and information technology; and
• observe laws, regulations, and institutional policies related to the access and use of information.

Closely tied to information literacy is the need for technological competency at all levels within an institution and its curricula. .... institutions should provide both students and instructors with the knowledge, skills,and tools needed to use the information, new technology, and media for their studies, teaching, or research. "