1. Digital Literacy & Critical Thinking
Empowering Student Performance with Your ASU Library Partners
Mark Allan, Assistant Director for Research and Instruction Services
Kimberly Wirth, Coordinator of Information Literacy/Research Librarian

2. Information Literacy: know when information is needed and ability to locate, evaluate, and use information.
Digital Literacy: ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information
Media Literacy: ability to critically read and create academic and professional communications in a range of media, including social media
Transliteracy: encompasses the relationship between people and technology and their skills to interact across a range of platforms, devices, and media
Advances in Technology brought several different literacies into prominence.
Visual Literacy: ability to find, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual media

3. Metaliteracy Information Literacy Digital Literacy Media Literacy
Transliteracy
Visual Literacy
Two things emerged from all of these literacies: the need for higher order critical thinking skills and the term Metaliteracy. A key element in metaliteracy is metacognition…

4. Identify and Overcome Bias Where and How to Find Information
Metacognition
Higher-order thinking that enables understanding, analysis, and control of one’s cognitive processes
Evaluate Knowledge
Plan Research Strategy
Conduct Research
Review, Reflect,
Adjust
Assess Assignment
Mind Mapping
Identify and Overcome Bias
Where and How to Find Information
The ability to think about our own thinking is fundamental to being able to identify and overcome our own biases and open our research to information we may otherwise ignore.

5. A digitally literate person:
Skillset – both technical and cognitive – necessary to finding, understanding, evaluating, creating, and communicating digital information in a wide variety of formats.
Technical Skills
Appropriate selection of technologies
Finding information
Creating information
Communicating information
Effective use of technologies
Collaborating
Communication
Cognitive Skills
Know where to Find Information
Internet, U-Search, Databases
Evaluate Information
Reliability & Information Need
Using and Sharing Information
Citation & Plagiarism
The influx of technological advances along with easy access to information led to a definition of a digitally literate person as someone who
Possesses a variety of skills – both technical and cognitive – that are necessary to finding, understanding, evaluating, creating, and communicating digital information in a wide variety of formats

6. The Role of Digital Literacy in Higher Education
“Digital literacy is not the responsibility of any one singular area in higher education; rather, it requires a collaborative effort from teaching faculty, librarians, educational technologists, academic advisors, and more.”
Mallon, M.N. (2018) p. 31
How does this fit in to higher education? Students come to us with diverse levels of skills and abilities. In higher education, digital literacy is not the responsibility of any one singular area or department, but is better served as a collaborative effort from faculty, librarians, educational technologists, academic advisors, and more.

7. The Role of Digital Literacy in Higher Education
“…prepare students to be responsible citizens and to have productive careers.”
Living, learning, and working in a digital society
Collaborative project
Include digital literacy in learning outcomes
Include digital activities in the curriculum
A goal in ASU’s mission statement is to prepare students to be responsible citizens and to have productive careers.
Facilitating higher order thinking skills through incorporating digital literacy prepares students for living, learning, and working in a digital society. More and more employers are looking for these skills when hiring.
As mentioned in the quote on the previous slide, advancing digital literacy is a collaborative effort including many different university departments and employees!
Early steps could include asking ourselves these two simple questions:
Do current learning goals adequately include digital activities?
Have we embedded relevant digital activities into the curriculum? For example, a class that requires more than one speech/presentation could require one live presentation and one recorded presentation (using library’s presentation practice room).

8. Educators worked to incorporate Digital literacy into Bloom’s Taxonomy
Educators worked to incorporate Digital literacy into Bloom’s Taxonomy. This infographic shows how they used technology and digital tools to facilitate student learning experiences and outcomes. Each level for developing higher order thinking skills is paired with examples of the digital tools that connect with this taxonomy framework. For example, analyzing includes mind-mapping, an exercise we use in some of our information literacy workshops.
Retrieved from:

9. Millennials
When discussing digital literacy, millennials are a group many look to with expectations of high digital literacy skills. However, researchers are finding that growing up in the digital age does not guarantee that students are able to effectively use technology for research, collaboration, and content creation.

10. State of critical thinking survey, 2019
1001 College-Educated Americans
Survey included:
Questions about confidence in critical thinking skills
Basic 9 Question test of digital literacy
Conducted online by Qualtrics from May 8 through May 14, 2019
Earlier this year MindEdge conducted a survey on the state of critical thinking. The survey participants were college educated Americans and included a variety of questions including some about their level of confidence in their critical thinking skills. While these college-educated Americans express a high level of confidence in their critical thinking skills, most could not pass a nine-question quiz designed to test their ability to detect fake news. Let’s take a look at how Millennials scored.

11. State of Critical Thinking Survey, 2019
Only 5% of millennials got 8-9 questions correct; 21% got 6-7 correct; and a whopping 74% essentially failed the quiz with 0-5 questions correct! Why did Millennials score so poorly?
Retrieved from:

12. Dunning-Kruger Effect
Millennials
Digital Natives
Smart Phones, Computers, Internet
Technology Savvy ≠ Critical Thinkers
Metacognition
Expectations and Assumptions
Dunning-Kruger Effect
What is it?
Cognitive Bias
Impact on Self Assessment
Impact on Academic Success
This may be due in part to the fact that Millennials are considered to be digital natives, in other words they were born into the world of digital technology and have grown up with computers, smart phones, and the Internet. We see their fingers flying as they text, upload images to Instagram and listen to them discuss different apps.
Their comfort level with technology led many to assume that digital natives are inherently critical thinkers and metacognitive. Therefore, millennials have grown up with higher expectations and assumptions about their abilities. These expectations come from non-millennials and from the millennials themselves. Studies such as the State of Critical Thinking Survey indicate that millennials may be exhibiting signs of the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias that leads people into having an inflated view of their own abilities and underestimate their limitations. A result of this causes people to reach inaccurate conclusions on self-assessments and can impact their academic success. Unfortunately, while millennials may be very proficient with the technologies they use frequently, their skills drop when they step outside their comfort zone and use tools they don’t know. An example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect we’ve seen in the library occurs when a student is looking for information and is unable to find anything on his/her topic. Rather than ask for assistance the student concludes that we do not have what he or she needs because the search was unsuccessful. It never occurs to these students that we actually have access to many resources and that the failure to retrieve the item could be attributed to not using the correct database, an effective search strategy, or that their skills were not as advanced as they believe.

13. Digital Literacy, Information Literacy
ASU
Media Literacy
Digital Literacy
Transliteracy
STUDENTS
Vive la révolution de l'information
At ASU we teach many of the various literacies that Kim previously mentioned under the Information Literacy Banner, giving our students the tools to overcome misinformation as well as disinformation.
We take guidance from best practices and standards from various reputable and scholarly entities
Misinformation
Disinformation

14. Best Practices: Rising to the Challenge
Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
ADOPTED by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) IN 2016
threshold concepts:
Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
Information Creation as a Process
Information Has Value
Research as Inquiry
Scholarship as Conversation
Searching as Strategic Exploration
Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
ADOPTED by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) IN 2016
Consists of Threshold concepts once grasped by students, transform their understanding of the concept
Example – Authority is construed and contextual – just because someone has a Dr. before their name does not make them an expert inevery situation.

15. Best Practices: Rising to the Challenge
Texas Core Curriculum
Revision Published by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in 2018
Core Objectives:
Critical Thinking Skills
Communication Skills
Empirical and Quantitative Skills
Teamwork
Personal Responsibility
Social Responsibility
We teach elements of the following in our Information Literacy Sessions
Critical Thinking Skills (CT) - creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information
Teamwork (TW) - ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal
Personal Responsibility (PR) - ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making (Info Lit example – Plagiarism)
Social Responsibility (SR) - intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities (Info Lit example – Citation)

16. Best Practices: Rising to the Challenge
school Library Programs: Standards and Guidelines for Texas
Developed by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) in consultation with the State Board of Education, Adopted 2018.
Core Objectives:
Strand 1. Information Literacy
Strand 2. Inquiry
Strand 3. Reading
Strand 4. Digital Learning
Strand 5. Safe and Nurturing Environment
Strand 6. Leadership
Strand 7. Appendix (Additional Metrics)
Strand 1. Information Literacy
Strand 2. Inquiry
Strand 4. Digital Learning
Because these standards are so recent they have not yet been fully implemented, and most students now being admitted to ASU don’t have these skills. As time moves on and more students become versed, we’ll be able to respond and move ahead.
However, even then we must be cognizant of schools where they don’t have library staff.
For example, some of our dual credit programs are at schools with libraries with limited resources. We have come up with a very basic online tool to serve these and other’s needs that Kim will mention later.

17. ASU: Rising to the Challenge
Angelo State University Undergraduate Learning Goals (2009)
LIBERAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS OF INQUIRY, CRITICAL THINKING, AND SYNTHESIS
Students will acquire knowledge in the humanities, the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the arts, which collectively embody the human cultural heritage. Students will develop their abilities to practice higher-level critical thinking.
CORE SKILLS
Students will become proficient in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. They will also develop quantitative literacy and technological fluency.
SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE
Students will gain knowledge and skills appropriate both for their fields of study and to enter into the professional sector and/or graduate school.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Students will understand their responsibility as citizens in a complex, changing society.
CULTURAL IDENTITY
Students will gain insight into the ways cultural identities and experiences shape individual perspectives of the world.
Kim previously mentioned the University’s Mission Statement. Lets Look at Learning Goals:
#1 - Students will develop their abilities to practice higher-level critical thinking
#2 - They will also develop quantitative literacy and technological fluency.
#4 – Which we interpret the definition of “changing society” as being in part DIGITAL

18. ASU: Rising to the Challenge
Angelo State University graduate Student Learning Goals
Master Knowledge and Skills
Students will:
Demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills and values appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Demonstrate the ability to work as individual researchers/scholars and in collaboration with others.
Demonstrate the ability to be creative critical thinkers and to apply new technologies appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Master Communication and Dissemination
Be required to demonstrate advanced oral and written communication skills appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Demonstrate global perspectives appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Master Leadership and Social Responsibility
Comprehend and practice the ethical principles appropriate to their chosen discipline.
Understand and value individual differences, and have the skills to work effectively in a diverse, changing world.
Demonstrate the ability to work as individual researchers/scholars and in collaboration with others.
Demonstrate the ability to be creative critical thinkers and to apply new technologies appropriate to their chosen discipline
Social Responsibility in the digital age
Comprehend and practice the ethical principles appropriate to their chosen discipline.
a diverse, changing world.

19. ASU Library Information Literacy Curriculum
Library Services to enhance Digital Literacy & Critical Thinking Skills
Skills
When and how to Use U-Search, our Discovery Tool
What Databases May be Relevant, and How to Use Specific Examples
Tools such as Boolean Searching, Truncation, Exact Phrase Search, Controlled Vocabulary, Database Citation Helpers
Higher-Order Thinking
Benefits of a Research Strategy
Bias, Self and Others
Emphasizes both skills and Higher order thinking. Only a few are shown, but include when to use our wide reaching but not granular discovery service or individual databases, and some of the tools available to search to them. A couple of higher-order concepts are shown, and are developed more thoroughly in the next slide.

20. Library ACRL FRAMEWORK
Higher Order Thinking - Curriculum mAPPING
Library ACRL FRAMEWORK
CRAAP
Mnemonic to help students memorize standards to identify credible information sources
Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose

21. Higher Order Thinking – Responsive to Student’s and Faculty’s Needs
Current Curriculum
Cognitive Bias – Confirmation Bias
Future Curriculum
Possibility – Information Privacy

22. Best Practices - Scaffolded curriculum
Graduate Level Research Strategies
Advanced: Discipline Specific Customized Workshops
COMM 1315: Metacognition & Research Strategies
ENGL 1301/1302: Research Basics
GS 1181: Intro Critical Thinking & Metacognition

23. Best Practices – Live Information literacy instruction sessions
Active Learning
Interactive Lecture
Brainstorming Synonyms
Hands-on Searching
Relevant Search
Review Sessions
Search Game
Reflection Activities
Mind Mapping

24. ASSESSMENT: The Big Picture
How do we know our goals with regard to meeting these standards are working?

25. ASSESSMENT: The Big Picture
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) 2019 Engagement Indicators:
4. During the current school year, how much has your coursework emphasized the following?
First-year students
Seniors
You can see that as Freshman, our students report their first year coursework emphasized 4d, which is “Evaluating a point of view, decision, or information source” more than many of their peers, as well as 4e, forming a new idea or understanding from various pieces of information. This is the year that from our experience, students are most likely to be exposed to the Library’s Information Literacy offerings. The senior year our students report a greater percentage point difference in their coursework emphasis across the board.

26. ASSESSMENT: The ASU Picture
2018 ASU Student Satisfaction Inventory
Library staff are helpful and approachable. +4% over OTHER National Four Year Publics
Library resources and services are adequate. +13% OVER OTHER National Four Year Publics
IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction System
evaluating effectiveness of Faculty Teaching that facilitates student progress
13 Learning Objectives Are included, of which several encompass skills potentially impacted by information Literacy. One in Particular stands out and is intended by the Designers of Idea to Specifically Address Information:
“Learning how to find, evaluate, and use resources to explore a topic in depth”
If this objective has been or is chosen as significant for a course, the Library can assist you and your students maximize their Mastery of this objective
2018 ASU Student Satisfaction Inventory
Library staff are helpful and approachable. +4% over OTHER National Four Year Publics
Library resources and services are adequate. +13% OVER OTHER National Four Year Publics
IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction System
evaluating effectiveness of Faculty Teaching that facilitates student progress
13 Learning Objectives Are included, of which several encompass skills potentially impacted by information Literacy. One in Particular stands out and is intended by the Designers of Idea to Specifically Address Information:
“Learning how to find, evaluate, and use resources to explore a topic in depth”
If this objective has been or is chosen as significant for a course, the Library can assist you and your students maximize their Mastery of this objective

27. ASSESSMENT: The Library Picture
Angelo State Assessment EFFORTS
Library Surveys student & Faculty Surveys
Pretest/post test of in-person Instruction
Authentic Assessment by way of evaluating students worksheets completed during active learning sessions
Blackboard Online Tutorial quizzes
Angelo State Assessment EFFORTS
Library Surveys student & Faculty Surveys
Pretest/post test of in-person Instruction
Authentic Assessment by way of evaluating students worksheets completed during active learning sessions
Blackboard Online Tutorial quizzes

28. The Bottom Line
The ASU Library Incorporates Best Practices Into Its Digital and Information Literacy Program
The ASU Library works to support the University’s Mission and Learning Goals
Faculty can utilize the Library’s Resources, including its information Literacy Program, to support their student’s Course, Research, and other academic Experiences
Institutional assessment practices encompass the Library and The information Literacy Program
Learning how to find, evaluate, and utilize resources serves to prepare students for active lifelong learning
The ASU Library Incorporates Best Practices Into Its Digital and Information Literacy Program
The ASU Library works to support the University’s Mission and Learning Goals
Faculty can utilize the Library’s Resources, including its information Literacy Program, to support their student’s Course, Research, and other academic Experiences
Institutional assessment practices encompass the Library and The information Literacy Program
Learning how to find, evaluate, and utilize resources serves to prepare students for active lifelong learning

29. Nap’s Over – Now for the Important Nose (News)
Minimize Sound

30. Partnering with the Library and eLearning
Library Services to enhance Digital Literacy & Critical Thinking Skills
The Library and eLearning are working together so that you can use the library in Blackboard to enhance student digital literacy and critical thinking skills.

31. Partnering with the Library and eLearning
Class Librarian: Embedding in Blackboard Courses
Place librarians directly in Blackboard courses:
Librarians provide focused guidance to help students:
Select quality sources for assignments
Discover appropriate subject databases
Build confidence in their search skills from seeking assistance
Address Dunning-Kruger Effect
Easier for students to ask questions
Students can learn from each other
First, the service of embedding a librarian in your Blackboard courses that have a research component. For embedding, we simply exist in your course as a Discussion Board forum named Class Librarian.
By having a librarian in the course, students are more likely to seek assistance when their research efforts are not producing the results they need. This is especially true after they receive feedback from you indicating that their sources are not acceptable; remember the Dunning-Kruger effect. Since we are aware of their assignments and your expectations, we can help your students develop a good research strategy and show them hidden gems in the databases that will help them retrieve appropriate results.
Research should not be a frustrating experience, it should be a journey of discovery.

32. Partnering with the Library and eLearning
Class Librarian: Embedding in Blackboard Courses
I am in need of assistance, I have search for three days only to reach dead-ends. I am no closer to starting my writing assignment but I am extremely frustrated.
I have been told that we can find journals through the library online, but I have no clue how to do that.
Which database/search platforms are best for caselaw research?
I need to find peer-reviewed articles for my assignment. What does that mean and how do I do it?
These are some typical types of questions that we receive from students seeking assistance. Common themes range from feelings of frustration when they can’t retrieve the information they need, feelings of confusion when they have no idea how to find what they need, or how to decide where to look. I would like to point out that three of the four (click) examples came from graduate students; so we cannot assume that our graduate students are all expert researchers.

33. Coming Fall 2019! Partnering with the Library and eLearning
Ask-a-Librarian: Discussion Boards in Blackboard
Coming Fall 2019!
For all ASU students
Ask research based questions
Receive research assistance from ASU librarians
Librarians share tips and strategies for research
Learn from questions asked by other students
Separate from the Class Librarian and beginning with this fall semester, eLearning has helped the library create Ask-a-Librarian discussion boards that will be housed in the Library Services area in Blackboard. This will replace the former chat reference service we had and your students will benefit from having exclusively ASU librarians answer their questions.
There will also be Ask-a-Librarian discussion boards placed in the area for Dual Credit students and in the templates for Nursing and Curriculum and Instruction.

34. Partnering with the Library and eLearning
Blackboard Information Literacy Tutorials
Use to meet Critical Thinking SLO
“Gather, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information relevant to a question or issue.”
Introduces students to understanding, locating, critical thinking/evaluating, and ethical use of information
Recommended for any course with a research assignment
Also housed in Blackboard are the Library’s Information Literacy Tutorials that address research strategies, critical thinking skills, citation, and plagiarism. The tutorials can be accessed in two different ways; if you’re teaching a GS1181 course, they are housed in the template and the quiz results will show up in your gradebook. All other courses can be enrolled via a link in blackboard.

35. Partnering with the Library and eLearning
Curriculum Builder for Blackboard
Build Reading Lists in Blackboard:
Link articles, videos, eBooks, and websites to your Blackboard Course:
Remain in compliance with copyright
Keeps student resources in one convenient location
Help offset cost of textbooks
Helps library monitor usage statistics to see what resources are important to you
Nestled in the tools section of your Blackboard courses is the Curriculum Builder. You can use this to create reading lists for your students. From Curriculum Builder you can search for library resources and link directly to articles, eBooks, and more. This helps you remain in compliance with copyright, keeps student resources together, and generates usage statistics each time a library resource is used by your students. We can then use these statistics to see what resources are important to you!

36. Partnering Directly with the Library
Putting it all together
Outside of Blackboard, we have more tools and services designed to facilitate digital literacy and Critical Thinking.

37. Partnering Directly with the Library
New to Angelo State University
Did you know that we have subject and course research guides? You can easily link to these guides from your blackboard course. Today I would like to draw your attention to our brand new guide on using the library. It is for anyone new to ASU and does not replace any of our information literacy tutorials or workshops. You can consider this to be a foundational platform to get students started. It shows new users what is on the library’s homepage, and explains the differences between U-Search, RamCat, and Databases. Also in the guide are some tips for accessing databases from off campus.

38. Information literacy instruction sessions
Partnering Directly with the Library
Information literacy instruction sessions
Synchronous
Asynchronous
Student research needs differ based on their information need and the research strategy best suited to their discipline. Therefore we use the scaffolded curriculum, as mentioned by Mark, in our Information Literacy Instruction Sessions. So students taking English composition will get something different than students in a public speaking course. Students in an advanced biology course will get something different than students in an advanced communications course. We offer synchronous sessions in the Library’s Information Literacy Corner, or in your classroom. We also offer asynchronous sessions for online courses.

39. Train the trainer (you!)
Partnering Directly with the Library
Train the trainer (you!)
Why
What
Scheduling Conflicts
Summer Sessions / 8-Week Courses
Other Scheduling Conflicts
You want to be a librarian! 
Work with you on:
Best resources for your class
Best research strategies
Your own research needs
Should scheduling information literacy sessions with us ever become problematic (such as during condensed sessions) we can work with you so that you can temporarily take the reins for information literacy instruction and meet the standards and best practices we mentioned earlier. A word of caution, we do not recommend this as a permanent situation because the information landscape is constantly changing. As librarians, we keep up with items such as changes in content, platforms, and the way people look for information and then adapt our sessions to address these changes. Students who do not participate in up-to-date Information Literacy sessions are at risk of falling behind the curve which can make their research experiences time-consuming and frustrating.
Remember:
Librarians keep up-to-date on changing content, platforms, and information seeking behaviors.

40. Putting it all together
Transforming Your Students Into Information Content Creators
in a Digital World
Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy
ACRL: Scholarship as Conversation
Capstone Projects Published Student Papers Student Presentations
I’d like to share an example of putting everything together. Let’s say you have a class with a research project and have worked with your students and the library to develop their digital literacy and higher order thinking skills. A shining example of using the methods in Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy and the ACRL Threshold Concept of Scholarship as Conversation would be demonstrate that they are information content creators in a digital world by placing the best papers, projects, or presentations in the Angelo State Digital Repository. If interested, please talk to our Digital Repository Librarian.

41. References
2018 ASU Student Satisfaction Inventory spring-2018
American Library Association Digital Literacy Taskforce B4EF A7D0
Angelo State University Undergraduate Learning Goals
Angelo State University Graduate Student Learning Goals:
Developing a Campus Framework for Digital Literacy
Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
Idea Student Ratings of Instruction: Some Thoughts on Selecting IDEA Objectives
IDEA Objectives Selection Form: Sample Faculty Form

42. References (Continued)
Mallon, M.N. (2018). The Pivotal Role of Academic Librarians in Digital Learning. Santa Barbara, Californial: Libraries Unlimited.
NSSE 2017 Engagement Indicators: Angelo State University engagement-indicators-reportpdf
NSSE 2019 Engagement Indicators – Angelo State University engagement-indicators-reportpdf
Proposing a Metaliteracy Model to Redefine Information Literacy
School Library Programs: Standards and Guidelines for Texas
State of Critical Thinking Survey
Texas Core Curriculum
Perchance to Snore