At Fort Hays State University, information literacy is integrated into the curriculum through both general education and discipline-specific courses. This culminates in the graduation requirement for Discipline-Specific Writing and Information Literacy.
One course
• Produce a discipline-specific written document, judged proficient according to a program-approved rubric in the student’s major that includes:
• Produce an integrated or supporting artifact that demonstrates the proficient use of information resources related to the discipline-specific written document that includes:
The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education provides a flexible structure for teaching IL. It includes six core concepts:
Rather than prescribing rigid standards, the framework encourages flexible, critical thinking about how information is produced, shared, and used. It supports lifelong learning and helps students become ethical, reflective users of information across disciplines.
ACRL has also provided Companion Documents that tailor the frames to specific disciplines.
Concept: Authority depends on the context and is influenced by community norms and the purpose of the information.
Graduation Requirement Alignment: Evaluation of sources according to discipline-appropriate criteria. Students learn to assess the credibility of sources based on disciplinary norms, helping them choose appropriate evidence for their writing.
Example:
In a nursing course, students compare a peer-reviewed journal article on patient care with a blog post written by a practicing nurse. Faculty guide students to evaluate the credibility of each source based on the context—academic vs. experiential—and discuss how both can be authoritative in different ways.
Concept: Information is created through a process that affects its format, reliability, and use.
Graduation Requirement Alignment: Integrated artifact demonstrating proficient use of information resources. Understanding how information is created helps students select sources that match the purpose and depth of their writing.
Example:
In a media studies class, students analyze how a news story evolves from a tweet to a blog post to a published article. Faculty encourage students to reflect on how the format and creation process influence the depth, accuracy, and intended audience of the information.
Concept: Information possesses value in terms of legal, social, and economic factors.
Graduation Requirement Alignment: Disciplinary-appropriate documentation of sources. Students recognize the ethical and legal responsibilities of using information, including proper citation and avoiding plagiarism.
Example:
In a business ethics course, students explore copyright and intellectual property issues by examining case studies of companies using proprietary data. Faculty lead discussions on the ethical use of information and the implications of plagiarism and data ownership.
Concept: Research is iterative and involves asking increasingly complex questions.
Graduation Requirement Alignment: Fully developed and supported ideas. Students engage in iterative questioning and exploration, leading to deeper analysis and stronger arguments in their writing.
Example:
In a history seminar, students begin with a broad topic like “Civil Rights Movement” and refine their research questions through preliminary reading and librarian-led workshops. Faculty emphasize the evolving nature of inquiry and support students in narrowing their focus.
Concept: Scholarship involves sustained discourse among scholars and communities.
Graduation Requirement Alignment: Consideration of a target audience. Students situate their writing within ongoing scholarly conversations, tailoring their tone and content to disciplinary audiences.
Example:
In a psychology course, students trace how theories of cognitive development have changed over time by reading seminal works and recent studies. Faculty encourage students to identify how scholars respond to, build on, or challenge each other’s work.
Concept: Searching is a nonlinear, strategic process that requires flexibility and evaluation.
Graduation Requirement Alignment: Identification and location of information sources. Students develop flexible search strategies to find relevant, high-quality sources that support their discipline-specific writing.
Example:
In a criminal justice class, students conduct research using multiple databases, adjusting keywords and filters to find relevant case law and scholarly articles. Faculty and librarians co-teach a session on advanced search strategies and source evaluation.
Forsyth Library’s instruction team can help support you in curriculum mapping or scaffolding IL outcomes across courses and programs.
Robyn Hartman
(785) 628-4340