Bissell Library, American College of Thessaloniki (ACT), Greece

Information Literacy Syllabus

Description:

The Bissell Library Information Literacy (IL) course taught by Bissell Librarians features six
(6) in-class sessions.

The course is graded and comprises 30% of the total grade for the English 101 course. The IL
course focuses on teaching effective search strategies, critical thinking skills, selecting and
evaluating resources and the ethical use of information.

Course Goals:
1. Provide to students an introduction to Information Literacy
2. Teach students how to effectively and efficiently research, select, access, search, and
evaluate print and e-resources, and web information sources
3. Teach students about the ethical use of information for research
4. Create flexible, life-long research skills for effective information seeking and retrieval

The program design and Learning Outcomes (see Appendix) incorporate Association of
College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards and Framework.

Learning Outcomes
1. Identify various types of resources offered by the library
2. Construct effective searches and implement specific searching strategies in order to
effectively select and access relevant and accurate information
3. Incorporate resources into course assignments and projects
4. Critically examine resources and applying evaluation criteria
5. Select the most relevant, reliable, accurate, and valid information for course
assignments and projects
6. Document the research process in order to demonstrate research progress
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical use of information, basic copyright,
fair use of copyrighted material, and what constitutes plagiarism
Follow laws, regulations, ACT policies, and etiquette related to the access and use of
information resources for assignments and projects.

Content outline: Please see Appendix.

Course Assessment:
Self-assessment (not graded):
Class hands-on exercises (Moodle & Internet mini quizzes)

Graded assessment:
10% Final quiz
10% Research Demo Assignment
7% Database presentation
3% In class exercises/class participation
 Instructor Objectives Learning Outcomes

Pre-course
First Day of
Class
Present the standards of the skills an Information
Information Literacy Definition Literate Person should possess, according to ACRL. Acknowledge the skills that will be possessed wh
the Information Literacy sessions are finished, if
requirements are met by the student.
Demonstrate Moodle Information Literacy course
Introduce Course Management System module Apply Moodle CMS in order to effectively particip
(CMS) (IT instructor) in college courses

Pre-assessment survey Assess students’ pre-course information seeking skills

Review syllabus, course requirements Inform students about course elements and
Introduction -
Library Catalog
1st session

assignments

Learning Hub website Demonstrate the Learning Hub website for better use of Identify the services offered by the Learning Hu
the service and how students can book appointments in ord
to gain maximum benefit

Types of books and their parts
Locating books in the library
Dewey Decimal Classification System
(DDC)
Teach various parts of a book, such as title page, verso, Identify the uses of the parts of a book in order
contents, bibliography, front/back page. maximize their uses
Demonstrate DDC and explain how it can be used for Apply the principles of an LCS in order to effecti
locating materials in the library locate materials on the shelves

Library Catalog Searching for books Introduce library catalog searching to students Apply the principles of library catalog searching
order to effectively retrieve information
What is plagiarism? Introduce definitions of plagiarism and the ethical use of Identify the nature of plagiarism and the need fo
Ethical Use
of Information
2nd session

information bibliographic referencing in order to use informa

Ethical use of information ethically

Citing Sources (Harvard OU) Emphasize importance of citing the sources Work on citation exercises in order to become
familiar with different citation styles

Information Cycle Examine the appropriateness and timeliness of different Differentiate between types of sources and avail
Search
3rd session

Strategies

resource types formats in order to select sources appropriately

Types of sources / Journals vs. Magazines Outline the different types of sources according to the need

Searching Strategies Introduce Boolean Logic and its relevance and Understand the principles of searching in order t
applications to subject searching. retrieve the best available sources
 Database Searching Strategies: searching Introduce controlled language searching (subject Formulate keywords and phrases in order to

ebooks)
(Article -
Databases
4th session
headings) vs. keyword and author, title searching efficiently search within databases for reliable
by subject, author, title resources

Explain criteria for database(s) selection Identify the most appropriate database to use in
Database selecting and accessing order to effectively satisfy their information need

E-books Introduce searching for and within electronic books Utilize search strategies in order to benefit from
special features electronic books provide
Database Presentation Students demonstrate in groups a database Become acquainted with presentation skills in or
5th session
Assignment

to demonstrate them in academic studies and la

in life as a life-long learning skill

Search engines Introduce web search strategies, Google Scholar: pros Select appropriate sites and distinguish between
Internet
6th session

& cons sources in order to employ effective web search

strategies for information retrieval

Web evaluation criteria Present web evaluation criteria for selecting accurate, Evaluate and utilize web resources based on
reliable information evaluation criteria in order to select the most
accurate, timely, objective, extensive and
authoritative resources

Final Exam = Quiz

Final
7th Session