Quality Enhancement Plan

INFORMATION LITERACY

Purpose

Laurel Ridge’s QEP will ensure that graduates are proficient in the “overarching set of abilities” that makeup information literacy: they are “consumers and creators of information who can participate successfully in collaborative spaces” (ACRL). Specifically, information literacy “is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning” (ACRL).

Goal #1 – Laurel Ridge Community College students will develop proficiency in the process of finding, understanding, and evaluating information.

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will limit or qualify research questions according to the context of the investigation, by identifying gaps or problems for which information is needed.
2. Students will “match information needs and search strategies to appropriate search tools.”
3. Students will “understand how information systems (i.e., collections of recorded information) are organized in order to access relevant information.”
4. Students will revise search strategies as needed, using different types of “searching language” appropriately.
5. Students will “use research tools and indicators of authority to determine the credibility of sources”

Goal #2 – Laurel Ridge Community College students will develop proficiency in the process of applying, integrating, creating, and sharing information.

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will organize and integrate multiple sources of information in an academic assignment/s.
2. Students will understand and comply with copyright and trademark laws of the US and demonstrate knowledge of the difference between the legal rights of authors and the concepts of fair use, open access, and common knowledge in the public domain.
3. Students will cite content with instructor-designated attribution/citation criteria (e.g. MLA, APA, Chicago Manual, etc.) in an academic assignment/s
4. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the consequences and risks of online behavior of all kinds, including using search engines, online commerce, and social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)

QEP Coordinator/Faculty Lead

Co-Chairs

In 2017, Laurel Ridge will complete the 10-year re-affirmation process through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). One very important part of re-affirmation is the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).  Our QEP topic is Information Literacy.

SACSCOC states that the QEP “describes a carefully designed and focused course of action that addresses a well-defined topic or issue(s) related to enhancing student learning.” In addition to the main goal of enhancing student learning, the course of action identified must:

• Be incorporated at all sites/locations
• Be attainable (in terms of cost and resources)
• Be sustainable
• Be measurable
• Be tied to the college mission
• Be faculty-driven but include broad participation from the College