What is Information Literacy?
Program Sequence
Information Literacy Intensive Classes
Standards & Goals
Contact Info
What is Information Literacy?
Information literacy is the ability to find and use information, including identifying information needs, using effective research strategies, recognizing appropriate sources of information and evaluating their authority, reliability, accuracy and currency. Information literacy skills will be important to our students throughout their professional lives.
All Penn Engineering students should have a structured and logical exposure to the organization of information resources in the field of engineering. They should:
- have the skills to find information effectively and efficiently
- be able to apply these methods when they encounter new resources
- evaluate information and its sources critically and use information ethically
By mastering these skills, they will be effective lifelong learners.
Through the Engineering Information Communication program, librarians and faculty will work together to help students develop these skills. The program will integrate information literacy instruction into existing courses
Program Sequence
Integration into existing courses can make information literacy more effective and more relevant to students.
An integrated program can help students to:
- acquire the skills to find, evaluate, and use sources that will be essential in their professional careers.
- become familiar with the types of literature available in their field, including technical reports, conference papers, journal articles, patents, standards, handbooks, and more.
- understand how professional engineers use the literature as a means of communication.
For each course designated as information literacy-intensive, an Engineering librarian will work with the professor to develop instruction and materials specific to that course. This may include:
- in-class or separately scheduled presentations.
- information retrieval labs.
- online (Blackboard/course site) and print resource guides.
- consultations on assignments.
- TA training/ grading rubrics.
Students will acquire and practice these skills over the course of their degree programs.
Freshman Year
To introduce Penn Engineering students to information skills, librarians from Penn’s Engineering Library will work with faculty who teach the required freshman introductory courses in each department.
Sophomore/Junior Years
To continue to build skills, students in each department will take at least one information literacy-intensive class during either the sophomore or junior year.
Senior Year
Librarians from Penn’s Engineering Library will provide support for each Senior Design class for students’ capstone research projects.
Current Information Literacy Intensive Classes
BE 100 EAS 101
BE 210 EAS 445/446/545/546
CBE 150 ESE 441/442
CBE 459 MEAM 247
CSE 120 MEAM 347
CSE 400 MEAM 445/446
Standards & Goals
The standards of the Information Literacy Program are congruent with those endorsed by ABET.
(i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
- Students will be using engineering-specific information resources throughout their careers.
- Familiarity with the structure of the various types of engineering literature will help them employ authoritative information sources.
(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
- Publications in their field are essential engineering tools for our students. As professionals, they will need to keep current with progress in engineering, find information relevant to their work and use the literature in many other ways.
- Knowledge of advanced search techniques and strategies will make them efficient and effective retrievers of relevant information.
- The goals of the Information Literacy Program reflect the information literacy standards set by the Association of Colleges and Research Libraries (ACRL)
- The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
- The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
- The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
- The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
- The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.
as well as the Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology
For more information or to discuss support for a class, please contact:
Danianne Mizzy
Assistant Head, Engineering Library
217 Towne
215-898-5700
danianne@seas.upenn.edu
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