Featured Information Literacy Learning Objects

Ready-made learning objects for teaching and assessing information literacy, created by our UCR Librarians

Integrating Information Literacy into Instruction

From small tweaks to big changes, tips for integrating information literacy into your existing teaching practice

Want more? Contact the Department of Teaching and Learning to start the conversation.

Quick Wins: Less than an hour

• Connect a Library Guide to your Canvas course! (coming Fall 2024)
  1. First, select a Library Guide that’s relevant to your course. Reach out to a librarian for suggestions! 
  2. When you’re ready to add the guide to your Canvas course, click “Modules” on the left side bar. On any module category, click the + sign, then select “External Tool” from the drop-down menu. 
  3. From the tool list, select TEST. Under content type, we suggest choosing “Full LibGuide” 
  4. Select a guide that applies to your course and a guide page, then click “Embed Content.” The Library Guide is now embedded in your course!

  UCR IL Outcomes: 1.b, 1.c, 2.e, 3.a, 3.c, 4.b, 4.d

• Link to Course Readings via the Library

  UCR Library provides access to many scholarly articles and books, as well as newspaper and magazine articles. Having students find the readings at the library introduces them to library technology, library searching techniques, information formats, and citation styles.
  For lower-division students: Copy the catalog permalink and add the link to your list of readings or course schedule. Include a statement like this: 

  To access the article, click the link under “View Online.” If you’re off-campus, make sure to enable your VPN. 

  For upper-division and graduate students: Provide students with a citation for each reading and show them how to search UC Library Search to find and access articles. You can also link to one of the handy UCR Library guides to searching library resources. 
   

  UCR IL Outcomes: 2.a, 2.e, 3.c, 5.a

• Outline Expectations and Clarify Terms for Outside Sources

  Do you have any assignments that include requirements for outside sources, e.g. four peer-reviewed journal articles? Clearly outline your expectations for appropriate sources for your assignments and explain your reasons for these requirements. If you use words like credible, relevant, and scholarly, clarify what the terms mean in context of the assignment and discipline.

   

• Guide Students to Appropriate Search Tools and Resources

  In the assignment instructions, suggest search tools, databases, or journals that are appropriate for your discipline or assignment. In addition to those you use for your research and teaching, check out the UCR Library Subject Guides. You can also reach out to a librarian for additional ideas about search tools, to schedule library instruction, or to recommend additions to our subject guides.

  UCR IL Outcomes: 1.b, 1.c, 2.d, 2.e

• Link to the UCR Library Subject Guide for your Discipline

  Link to the UCR Library Subject Guide for your discipline in the assignment instructions. 

  UCR IL Outcomes: 1.b, 1.c, 2.d, 2.e

• Model Information Searching

  Take ten minutes during your in-class assignment introduction to model how you would search for information for the assignment.

  UCR IL Outcomes: 1.d, 2.b, 2.c, 3.a

• Model Source Assessment

  Take ten minutes during your in-class assignment introduction to model how you evaluate sources in your discipline.

  UCR IL Outcomes: 3.a, 3.b

• Practice Reading Citations

  Many students struggle with citation formats because they do not understand the component part of citations, such as volume, issue, and DOIs. Demonstrate how you “read” citations in your own research process.

  UCR IL Outcomes: 2.a, 2.f, , 5.a, 5.b

Steady Progress: 1-2 Hours

• Add a Metacognitive or Reflective Component

  Add a metacognitive component to an assignment or assessment. For example, have students reflect on their research process. Ask questions like: 

  • How did you select your search tools? 
  • What keywords did you use at first, and how effective were they? 
  • How did you adjust your search? 
  • Did you topic shift as you conducted your literature review? 
  • How did you overcome challenges finding information? 
  • What expertise have you gained as a researcher? 

  Consider adapting this worksheet from ReadWriteThink. 

  UCR IL Outcomes: 1.d, 2.b, 2.c, 3.d, 3.e, 4.a, 4.b

• Analyze Assignment Instructions

  This will give you feedback on student needs and help clarify the assignment for them. Have them: 

  • Summarize the actions they’ll need to take
  • Identify any unclear terms in the assignment description
  • Highlight key requirements
  • Discuss their responses to identify any initial misconceptions about the purpose or process for the assignment

  UCR IL Outcomes: 1.a, 2.b, 4.d, 4.e

• Introduce Scholarly Conversations through Lateral Reading and Citation Chaining

  Encourage lateral reading or citation chaining for reading and research assignments. For targeted readings that are significant in the field or a topic of debate, ask students to find one additional reading that cites the assigned reading. Model how to do this in UC Library Search or Google Scholar. Ask students to skim this additional article and summarize how it relates to the original reading. Does it cite the original for background, methodology, theory, or something else? Do the authors agree or disagree? What does the second article add to the discussion?

  UCR IL Outcomes: 2.a, 3.a, 3.d, 4.a, 4.d

• Counter Citation Anxiety

  Identify what aspects of citation are most important to you. Is it most important that students use sources effectively, understand the building blocks of citation, or master a particular disciplinary citation style? Make sure the assignment instructions and rubric reflect your priorities and explain those priorities to students. 

  UCR IL Outcomes: 2.d

Big Goals: Higher-effort/longer-term

• Scaffold Large Research Assignments

  Break large research assignments down into more manageable chunks and provide feedback after each part. For example, if you assign a large research project for the quarter, break it down into smaller assignments throughout the quarter, like a topic proposal, annotated bibliography or literature review, thesis statement, and first draft. The University of Minnesota Assignment Calculator is a good tool for students to map out each step of a research project.

  UCR IL Outcomes: 1.c, 1.d, 2.b, 2.c, 3.a, 4.b, 4.e
   

• Reconsider the Traditional Research Essay

  Traditional research essays, in which students select a topic and find and synthesize sources on that topic, have received pushback from several disciplines over the last fifty years because they have no audience or intellectual purpose, conflate research with summarizing secondary sources, and mislead students about how scholars research and write in their disciplines See Larson 1982; Howard, Serviss, and Rodrigue 2010; and Ross and Walker 2018 for more discussion. Instead, consider assigning research and writing assignments that are authentic and mirror published research and writing genres, like a literature review, reference article, newspaper opinion piece, or another recognizable genre with a form, target audience, and information need.

  UCR IL Outcomes: 4.b, 4.c, 4.d, 4.e

• Review Course Texts and Assigned Readings

  Are there opportunities to swap or add types of information that further develop learning objectives, as well as expose students to diverse formats they may experience later in their degree or in their personal and professional lives? Government information, trade/professional publications, reports from non-governmental/philanthropic organizations, and recorded lectures and presentations from conferences are all great options to consider and grow familiarity with the common information formats in the field or discipline.

  UCR IL Outcomes: 3.a, 3.b, 3.c, 4.a, 4.b, 4.e, 5.d