Embedding information literacy in a university subject through collaborative partnerships

Curricula designed to develop tomorrow’s professionals recognise that information literacy will be developed and implemented to ever increasing degrees. The current challenge to tertiary education is to embed information literacy in authentic meaningful practice in academic tasks at all levels. An innovative and multifaceted approach to the development of information literacy has been implemented at an Australian tertiary institution. The approach which involved collaboration among the university’s academic teaching staff, professional developers, academic learning skills advisers and librarians aims to empower students from a variety of backgrounds to confidently utilise a range of information literacy strategies. Scaffolded academic tasks afforded students the opportunity of acquiring skills in information gathering, recognising relevance, critical thinking and reflection. The project contributed to the development of independent, confident, critical thinking students who were able to meaningfully evaluate and utilise information in a variety of contexts