Information Literacy at Nicholls

Information Creation as a Process

The Big Questions:

• Is there a format that best fits the information need?

• What does format tell us about the author’s intended message?

• What format best communicates my message?

Understandings:

• Information may be perceived differently based on the format in which it is packaged.

• One’s own information creation process deserves thoughtful consideration of the format best suited to one’s message.

Student Learning Outcomes: The student will be able to...

• evaluate information and its sources critically.
• use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

Information Creation as a Process

Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method. The iterative processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences.

The information creation process could result in a range of information formats and modes of delivery, so experts look beyond format when selecting resources to use. The unique capabilities and constraints of each creation process as well as the specific information need determine how the product is used. Experts recognize that information creations are valued differently in different contexts, such as academia or the workplace. Elements that affect or reflect on the creation, such as a pre- or post-publication editing or reviewing process, may be indicators of quality. The dynamic nature of information creation and dissemination requires ongoing attention to understand evolving creation processes. Recognizing the nature of information creation, experts look to the underlying processes of creation as well as the final product to critically evaluate the usefulness of the information. Novice learners begin to recognize the significance of the creation process, leading them to increasingly sophisticated choices when matching information products with their information needs.

Knowledge Practices

Learners who are developing their information literate abilities

• articulate the capabilities and constraints of information developed through various creation processes;
• assess the fit between an information product’s creation process and a particular information need;
• articulate the traditional and emerging processes of information creation and dissemination in a particular discipline;
• recognize that information may be perceived differently based on the format in which it is packaged;
• recognize the implications of information formats that contain static or dynamic information;
• monitor the value that is placed upon different types of information products in varying contexts;
• transfer knowledge of capabilities and constraints to new types of information products;
• develop, in their own creation processes, an understanding that their choices impact the purposes for which the information product will be used and the message it conveys.

Dispositions

Learners who are developing their information literate abilities

• are inclined to seek out characteristics of information products that indicate the underlying creation process;
• value the process of matching an information need with an appropriate product;
• accept that the creation of information may begin initially through communicating in a range of formats or modes;
• accept the ambiguity surrounding the potential value of information creation expressed in emerging formats or modes;
• resist the tendency to equate format with the underlying creation process;
• understand that different methods of information dissemination with different purposes are available for their use.