Developing Lifelong Literacy Skills

You will evaluate your information searching skills, and develop these through attendance at Library workshops, liaison with a designated subject librarian and a structured search plan. Details of your search journey will be presented along with evidence and a critical evaluation of the process.

Outline of Activity

There is a need for all students to acquire appropriate skills to successfully find, evaluate, manage and use information in order to become truly independent lifelong learners. These skills will help students to improve their searching skills to source relevant, quality information for assignments and dissertations. In an online information age, where being able to locate and use information effectively is highly prized, the ability to demonstrate these critical transferable skills to potential employers and professional associations will greatly enhance future employability.

Learning Outcomes

A successful student will be able to:

• Identify the key concepts on the chosen research topic
• Select suitable keywords/subject terms for each concept
• Identify appropriate information sources
• Develop a suitable search strategy
• Select useful references
• Review the search strategy
• Organise and manage potentially useful references
• Document this activity through a time log
• Communicate and present main findings effectively and appropriately.

Assessment Details

Students will have an initial meeting with their Subject Librarian to help assess their current level of information skills (using Newcastle University's self-assessment test) and to plan out their activity schedule.

Part of each student's engagement may be accounted for through participation in:

• Appointments with subject librarian
• Attendance at appropriate Library classes and workshops eg subject classes, referencing classes and RefWorks class.

The assessment process will be managed by recording attendance and participation in library workshops and the successful completion of a body of evidence which reflects on the approach adopted in the research methodology for a current topic of interest.

The evidence may be produced in one of two ways, either a reflective portfolio or a presentation. Assessment will be based on the key skills outlined in SCONUL's Seven Pillars of Information Literacy.

Level of Commitment

20 hours engagement

• Production and presentation of evidence via written portfolio or 15 minute Powerpoint presentation.
• Attendance at Library classes, eg subject specific, referencing, or RefWorks.

Contact

• Contact the Subject Librarian