1. Standard One Outcomes
Sample Outcomes: Standard 1.1
- Confers with instructors and participates in class discussions, peer workgroups, and electronic discussions to identify a research topic or other information need
- Develops a thesis statement and formulates questions based on the information need
- Uses general information sources effectively to increase familiarity with the topic and clarify terminology in the subject area
- Defines or modifies the information need to achieve a manageable focus, by narrowing or broadening the scope or direction of the thesis statement or questions
- Identifies key concepts and terms that describe the information need and recognizes related more-specific concepts
- Recognizes that existing information can be combined with original thought, experimentation, and/or analysis to produce new information
Sample Outcomes Standard 1.2
- Knows how information is formally and informally produced, organized, and disseminated
- Recognizes that knowledge can be organized into disciplines that influence the way information is accessed
- Describes the publication cycle appropriate to the discipline of the research topic
- Identifies the value and differences of potential resources in a variety of formats (e., multimedia, database, website, data set, audio/visual, book)
- Identifies the purpose and characteristics of information provided for different audiences (e., popular vs. scholarly, current vs. historical)
- Differentiates between primary and secondary sources, recognizing how their use, importance, and characteristics vary with each discipline
- Realizes that information may need to be constructed with raw data from primary sources
Sample Outcomes: Standard 1.3
- Determines whether the needed information is available immediately
- Makes decisions on broadening the information-seeking process beyond local resources (e., interlibrary loan; using resources at other locations; obtaining images, videos, text, or sound)
- Considers the feasibility of acquiring a new language or skill (e., foreign or discipline-based) in order to gather needed information and to understand its context
- Defines a realistic overall plan and timeline to acquire the needed information
- Decides when it is or is not necessary to abandon a topic, depending on the success or failure of an initial search for information
Sample Outcomes: Standard 1.4
- Reviews the initial information need to clarify, revise, or refine the question
- Describes criteria which influence initial information choices and decision-making with regard to the information need
2. Standard Two Outcomes
Sample Outcomes: Standard 2.1
- Identifies appropriate investigative methods (e., laboratory experiment, simulation, fieldwork)
- Investigates the benefits and applicability of various investigative methods
- Investigates the scope, content, and organization of information retrieval systems
- Identifies a user’s guide for a given information retrieval system
- Identifies what types of information are contained in a particular information retrieval system and the time period covered
- Demonstrates when it is appropriate to select and use a particular tool to fulfill the information need
- Selects appropriate means for recording or saving the desired information (e.printing, saving to diskette, exporting to bibliographic manager software)
Sample Outcomes: Standard 2.2
- Develops a research plan appropriate to the investigative method, modifying it as new insights are gained
- Identifies keywords, synonyms and related terms for the information need
- Demonstrates an understanding of the concept of browsing and browses indexes to identify appropriate search terms
- Demonstrates an understanding of the concept of keyword searching and uses it appropriately and effectively to develop more efficient search strategies
- Explains what controlled vocabulary is and why it is used
- Identifies and uses controlled vocabulary specific to an information retrieval source
- Understands that different terminology for the same concept may be used in general and subject-specific sources or even within different subject-specific sources
- Constructs a search strategy using appropriate commands for the information retrieval system selected (e., Boolean and proximity operators, truncation, wildcards, nesting, +/- symbols, quotation marks; tables of contents and indexes for books)
- Implements search strategies in various information retrieval systems using different user interfaces and search engines, with different command languages, protocols, and search parameters appropriate to the system
Sample Outcomes: Standard 2.3
- Uses various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats
- Uses various classification schemes (call number systems), catalogs, or indexes to locate information resources within the library
- Uses specialized online or in person services available at the institution to retrieve information needed (e., interlibrary loan/document delivery, professional associations, institutional research offices, community resources, experts and practitioners)
- Uses surveys, letters, interviews, and other forms of inquiry to retrieve primary information
- Uses the website of an organization, institution, library, or community to locate relevant information
Sample Outcomes: Standard 2.4
- Assesses the quantity, quality, and relevance of the search results by examining elements of the citation and assessing the quality using criteria such as source, currency, authorship, abstract, format, etc.
- Identifies gaps in the information retrieved and determines if the search strategy should be revised
- Repeats the search using the revised strategy as necessary
Sample Outcomes: Standard 2.5
- Selects among various technologies the most appropriate one for the task of extracting the needed information (e.Find and copy/paste software functions, photocopier, scanner, audio/visual equipment)
- Creates a system for organizing information
- Differentiates between the types of sources cited and understands the elements and correct syntax of a citation for a wide range of resources
- Demonstrates an understanding that citation styles vary by discipline and publication
- Decodes citation information correctly to determine whether an item is available locally and if so, locates it
- Records all pertinent citation information for future reference
- Uses various technologies to manage the information selected and organized
3. Standard Three Outcomes
Sample Outcomes: Standard 3.1
- Reads the text and selects main ideas
- Restates textual concepts in his/her own words and selects data accurately
- Identifies verbatim material that can then be appropriately quoted
Sample Outcomes: Standard 3.2
- Examines and compares information from various sources in order to evaluate its reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point of view or bias
- Applies evaluative criteria to the information and its source (e.author’s expertise, publisher’s reputation, currency and type of publication, sponsorship, bias)
- Searches for independent verification or corroboration of the accuracy, completeness, and interpretation of data or representation of facts
- Analyzes the structure and logic of supporting arguments or methods
- Recognizes prejudice, deception, or manipulation
- Recognizes the cultural, physical, or other context within which the information was created and understands the impact of context on interpretation of the information
Sample Outcomes: Standard 3.3
- Recognizes interrelationships among concepts and combines them into potentially useful primary statements with supporting evidence
- Extends initial synthesis, when possible, at a higher level of abstraction to construct new hypotheses that may require additional information
- Utilizes computer and other technologies (e.spreadsheets, databases, multimedia, and audio or visual equipment) to study the interaction of ideas and other phenomena
Sample Outcomes: Standard 3.4
- Determines whether information satisfies the research or other information need
- Uses consciously selected criteria to determine whether the information contradicts or verifies information used from other sources
- Draws conclusions based upon information gathered
Tests theories with discipline-appropriate techniques (e., simulators, experiments) - Determines probable accuracy by questioning the source of the data, the limitations of the information gathering tools or strategies, and the reasonableness of the conclusions
- Determines when information on a topic may not be reliable if retrieved by less authoritative tools (e.Web search engine)
- Compares new information with authoritative sources to determine if conclusions or data is reliable
- Integrates new information with previous information or knowledge
Applies established evaluation criteria to decide which information sources are most appropriate
Sample Outcomes: Standard 3.5
- Investigates differing viewpoints encountered in the literature
- Determines whether to incorporate or reject viewpoints encountered
Sample Outcomes: Standard 3.6
- Participates in classroom and other discussions
- Participates in class-sponsored electronic communication forums designed to encourage discourse on the topic (e., email, bulletin boards, chat rooms)
- Seeks expert opinion through a variety of mechanisms (e., interviews, email, listservs)
Sample Outcomes: Standard 3.7
- Determines if original information need has been satisfied or if additional information is needed
- Reviews search strategy and incorporates additional concepts as necessary
- Demonstrates how searches may be limited or expanded by modifying search terminology or logic
- Reviews information retrieval sources used and expands information retrieval to include others as needed (e.reference lists, works cited, online links, footnotes)
Sample Outcomes: Standard 4.1
- Organizes the content in a manner that supports the purposes and format of the product or performance (e.outlines, drafts, storyboards)
- Articulates knowledge and skills transferred from prior experiences to planning and creating the product or performance
- Integrates the new and prior information, including quotations and paraphrasings, in a manner that supports the purposes of the product or performance
- Manipulates digital text, images, and data, as needed, transferring them from their original locations and formats to a new context
4. Standard Four Outcomes
Sample Outcomes: Standard 4.1
- Organizes the content in a manner that supports the purposes and format of the product or performance (e.outlines, drafts, storyboards)
- Articulates knowledge and skills transferred from prior experiences to planning and creating the product or performance
- Integrates the new and prior information, including quotations and paraphrasings, in a manner that supports the purposes of the product or performance
- Manipulates digital text, images, and data, as needed, transferring them from their original locations and formats to a new context
Sample Outcomes: Standard 4.2
- Maintains a journal or log of activities related to the information seeking, evaluating, and communicating process
- Reflects on past successes, failures, and alternative strategies
Sample Outcomes: Standard 4.3
- Chooses a communication medium and format that best supports the purposes of the product or performance and the intended audience
- Uses a range of information technology applications to create the product or performance
- Incorporates principles of design and communication
- Communicates clearly and with a style that supports the purposes of the intended audience
5. Standard Five Outcomes
Sample Outcomes: Standard 5.1
- Identifies and discusses issues related to privacy and security in both the print and electronic environments
- Identifies and discusses issues related to free vs. fee-based access to information
- Demonstrates an understanding that Web-accessible resources may be either free or fee-based and licensed
- Describes how the terms/conditions of subscriptions or licenses may limit uses of information to a particular clientele or location
- Describes the difference between search results obtained using a Web search engine (e.Yahoo, Google) and a library-provided search tool (e.catalog, Web-based periodical index or electronic journal)
- Identifies and discusses issues related to censorship and freedom of speech
- Demonstrates an understanding of the fair-use limitations for incorporating copyrighted materials into new works (e.papers, assignments, presentations, websites)
- Applies appropriate controls for the electronic reproduction and display of copyrighted materials
- Understands how copyright is established and protected as well as the rationale for it
- Knows how to determine ownership of copyright and apply for permissions and/or properly apply attribution
Sample Outcomes: Standard 5.2
- Participates in electronic discussions following accepted practices (e."Netiquette")
- Uses approved passwords and other forms of ID for access to information resources
- Complies with institutional policies on access to information resources
- Preserves the integrity of information resources, equipment, systems and facilities
- Legally obtains, stores, and disseminates text, data, images, or sounds
- Demonstrates an understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and does not represent work attributable to others as his/her own
- Demonstrates an understanding of institutional policies related to human subjects research
Sample Outcomes: Standard 5.3
- Selects an appropriate documentation style and uses it consistently to cite sources
- Demonstrates an understanding that appropriate documentation style may vary by discipline (e.MLA for English, APA for psychology)
- Identifies citation elements for information sources in different formats (e.book, article, chapter, audiofile, TV program, Web page, interview) and incorporates the appropriate elements in the correct syntax for a particular documentation style
- Posts permission-granted notices, as needed, for copyrighted material
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