Information Literacy is a UW-Parkside General Education requirement. All students who enter UW-Parkside with fewer than 90 credits must complete this requirement.
If you need access to the tutorial quizzes, please take the time to read the section on obtaining an account listed in the second column below.
"Information literacy is defined as the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand" (The National Forum on Information Literacy).
What is the Information Literacy requirement & does it apply to me?
All students entering UW-Parkside with fewer than 90 credits must complete the Information Literacy requirement. Most first-year students are introduced to the requirement in their English 101 class. Transfer students usually complete the requirement independently.
Why is being "information literate" important?
As a student who is information literate, you will be able to locate and use resources for your classes through both the library and the World Wide Web. You will also be able to use these resources effectively at each stage of a project, from defining a topic to critically evaluating the information found. Some of the information literacy skills you'll learn in this tutorial include developing research strategies, learning search techniques, and effectively evaluting resources.
How will completing the requirement make your life easier?
Knowing the research process and how to efficiently use library resources will save you time and ease frustration. Learning to evaluate the appropriateness of sources you select is almost guaranteed to improve your grades. The skills you'll learn won't just aid you in completing classroom assignments; they'll also benefit you throughout your entire working career. Plus, you need to complete the tutorials and the quizzes to graduate.
The Information Literacy Tutorial attempts to address the information needs of first-year students. After successfully completing the tutorial modules and quizzes, you should be able to :
- follow and understand the various steps in the research process
- select information sources appropriate for a particular need
- use standard research techniques for searching library catalogs and electronic databases
- understand the differences between searching library catalogs, periodical databases, and the World Wide Web
- critically evaluate resources
- understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it
What do you need to do to pass the Information Literacy requirement?
- Complete the Information
Literacy Tutorial.
- Complete the 5 modules within the Tutorial
- Complete the corresponding 5 quizzes with a grade of 80% or better on each quiz.
- If you are a student completing the tutorial in your English 101 class: Your account has been created automatically. Your username is your UW-Parkside email login. Your password is your Parkside email password. Be aware that the login is case sensitive.
- If you are a student needing to complete the tutorial independently: Talk to the Reference Librarian at the Reference Desk. If you already have an account, the instructions for completing the tutorial are located here (.doc).
- If you would like access to the tutorial for another reason: The tutorial modules are available freely on the World Wide Web. Please contact Paige Mano (mano@uwp.edu) if you need more information.
Where can you work on the tutorial?
Basically, anywhere with Internet access! Some students accessing the tutorial from behind a firewall have had trouble logging in and taking quizzes.
Contact Paige Mano by email, mano@uwp.edu, or by phone, 262.595.2190
Last Update: 01/19/12