Developing Critical Thinking and Information Literacy Outcomes

As two over-arching sets of knowledge practices, critical thinking and information literacy connect with every discipline.  Ideally, students continually develop and refine these practices during and beyond their college career.

In keeping with this expanded approach, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) 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."  (from the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education Links to an external site.)

Additionally, the ACRL has developed a framework Links to an external site. with six overlapping core concepts:

• Authority Is Constructed and Contextual Links to an external site.
• Information Creation as a Process Links to an external site.
• Information Has Value Links to an external site.
• Research as Inquiry Links to an external site.
• Scholarship as Conversation Links to an external site.
• Searching as Strategic Exploration Links to an external site.

Each concept has an accompanying set of knowledge practices and dispositions that are descriptive rather than prescriptive.  These may be used selectively and adapted to any discipline or subject, to help create and refine learning outcomes for your course.

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