The document discusses how integrating information literacy and digital literacy is key to 21st century student success. It provides examples of how one university library teaches digital literacy concepts through its first year experience program and information literacy courses. Lessons cover topics like understanding how personal information is tracked online, evaluating search engine results, and reflecting on how the open internet works. Students found value in learning about issues they were previously unaware of regarding their online activities and information consumption.

1. Information Literacy +
Digital Literacy =
21st-century Student Success
Martha Kruy, Briana McGuckin, Sharon Clapp
Elihu Burritt Library, Central Connecticut State University
Prepared for Connecticut Library Association Conference
2016

2. BI IL
Bibliographic Instruction
The goal: to teach how to find information in the
library
Organized and taught by a librarian
Librarian had superficial contact with
individual classes & curriculum
Content consists of teaching students to use
research tools access through the library
Teaching methods involve lecture,
demonstration, with emphasis on
presenter
Information Literacy
The goal: to be an effective user of information in
any format and place
Collaboratively designed and delivered by the
librarian, instructor and others
Librarian or content created by librarian is
often integrated in classes and curriculum
Content consists of critical thinking skills
related to the use of information
Creation of learning environments where
librarians and faculty are coaches or
guides.
Opening Plenary ACRL Immersion 2013

3. What, exactly, is a threshold concept?
In professional terms:
“[a] threshold concept can be
considered akin to a portal, opening
up a new and previously inaccessible
way of thinking about something.”
(Bravender, 2015)
In student
terms:
toddstewartphotography.net

4. Information Literacy Framework: Research
as Inquiry Threshold Concept
Prompt: “Develop an opinion on standardized testing. Write a five-page
paper.”
1. Pick a side. 1. Research.
2. Research. 2. Pick a side.
3. Write the paper. 3. Write the
paper.
This frame is about understanding that our research - even at the personal
level - suffers if we start out with an answer in mind. We have already

5. Information Literacy Framework:
Authority is Constructed Threshold Concept
“The authority of information, or the influence it carries with users, is entirely
dependent on the context in which it is used and by whom.” (Bravender, 2015).
Say what? How do we explain this to our students and patrons?
(“File: A philosopher…,” Wikimedia Commons,” n.d.)
(“SupremacyandSurvival…”,n.d.)
versus

6. Does Digital Literacy Deserve its Own TC?
Is there something that people should understand, about the Internet specifically,
before (or as) they use it as a research tool?
https://episode1.donottrack-doc.com/en/
Thinking about the video and the frames you’ve seen (Authority is Constructed
and Contextual, Research as Inquiry), write down a frame (critical concept) for
understanding information as delivered on the open Internet

7. Digital Literacy Threshold Concept
“Digital Reality is not an Objective
Construct”
What you see is not what you get.
information you retrieve
information you surrender
Clarity, or being forthright, is not what
the Internet is about.

8. Working Digi-Lit into an Info-Lit Classroom
Online: The “beginning of a beautiful friendship” (analog and digital, that is)
Kruy and Clapp discuss the tautology: we don’t know what we don’t know” from the student
researcher’s perspective (Dunning Kruger effect).
Kruy invites Clapp to teach a course unit in LSC-150 online course about how the open
internet really works (so students know more about what they don’t know)
Clapp now teaches one digital literacy unit for most LSC-150 courses adjusting the same
lesson content to both online and in-classroom environments
On-Ground: News to Me!
Lead-in was a lesson on infographics (Authority is Constructed and Contextual)
Homework: reflecting upon Do-Not-Track (Research as Inquiry)

9. Lesson Content and Student Reception
- Do not track videos
- Reflective Essays
- On other do not track episodes, e.g., Episode “The Spy in My Pocket” - https://donottrack-
doc.com/en/episode/4
- Google v. DuckDuckGo v. CentralSearch
- Discussion Boards
- “... I truly cannot believe I’ve gone all this time without knowing how
extensively my information can be tracked”

10. First Year Experience
● Reengineering the First Year Experience:
○ Growth Mindset/Character Strengths, Career Development, Financial,
Health & Wellness & Information LIteracy
● Week 3 of the First Year - Consequences & Decisions Digital Literacy
(Managing your online identity/reputation)
● Week 6 - Information Literacy - daily research activities log

11. Bibliography
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2013). Opening Plenary, ACRL Immersion [Lecture notes]. In Immersion
‘13 program track notebook.
Bravender, P., McClure, H. and Schaub, G. (Eds.). (2015). Teaching information literacy threshold concepts : lesson plans
for librarians. Chicago, IL: Association of College and Research Libraries.
Kacian, J. (1989). Class notes. [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://blogs.cas.suffolk.edu/andthen/class-notes-2/.
Mann, S.A. (2014, February 10). Diplomacy and Division Between England and Rome [Blog post]. Retrieved from
http://supremacyandsurvival.blogspot.com/2014/02/diplomacy-and-division-between-england.html
Stewart, T. (2012). The light at the end of the tunnel [photograph]. Retrieved from toddstewartphotography.net.
Wellcome Trust. (2014). File:A philosopher (Galileo?) studying a celestial globe. [Photo of painting]. Retrieved from
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_philosopher_(Galileo%3F)_studying_a_celestial_globe._
Oil_pai_Wellcome_M0007634.jpg