The goal of the Gordon Library’s instruction program is to foster critical thinking and effective research skills in students in support of the university’s campus-wide learning outcomes. As such, the instruction librarians have developed the following programmatic learning outcomes for students that will inform our instruction. Each outcome includes examples of the learning concepts associated with that outcome.
- Identifying an information need
- Deconstructing a research question and identifying its key concepts.
- Identifying and developing a focused research topic or research problem.
- Generating keywords and synonyms for key research concepts.
- Recognizing that information needs evolve throughout the research process.
- Identifying stakeholders and their information needs.
- Identifying where and how to find information
- Creating an efficient and effective search strategy through the selection of appropriate search tools.
- Recognizing that there are different search tools with different uses.
- Identifying a variety of types and formats of potential sources for information.
- Utilizing the features of search tools.
- Evaluating the information
- Creating an efficient and effective search strategy through the selection of appropriate search tools.
- Recognizing that there are different search tools with different uses.
- Identifying a variety of types and formats of potential sources for information.
- Utilizing the features of search tools.
- Organizing and documenting information
- Organizing and sharing information effectively by using appropriate tools, technologies, and strategies.
- Identifying and recording all pertinent citation information.
- Creating and using information responsibly and ethically
- Determining whether to support or challenge viewpoints encountered.
- Combining new information with existing knowledge to generate new ideas and address the particular problem or question.
- Contextualizing information in terms of the cultural, socio-economic, legal, and ethical implications of information.
- Attributing work by others accurately and appropriately to avoid plagiarism and recognizing intellectual property of others.
- Understanding author’s rights as they relate to scholarly publishing.
- Recognizing the rights and limits of copyright concerning one’s own work and that of others.
