QEP - Thinking and Beyond

San Jacinto College recognizes a connection between critical thinking and information literacy, and that students significantly improve their critical thinking skills by mastering information literacy skills. While no single commonly accepted definition of information literacy exists, learning experts often describe it as the ability to find and evaluate information for an ad hoc purpose or to equip the learner to take part in society. In an educational setting, these outcomes assume the intervention of a mentor such as a faculty or staff member, often a librarian.

Librarians at San Jacinto College evaluate information literacy using data collected from Libraryh3lp.com, a website that allows students to chat online with librarians for help with their research. This indirect instruction service provides an ongoing resource for students who need just-in-time assistance regarding research methods, academic citation, and the availability of library resources. Librarians directly teach information literacy during bibliographic instruction, which can take place in both formal and informal settings, as well as during chat sessions.

Librarians use a rubric developed by the American Library Association’s Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) to evaluate the level of information literacy a student demonstrates during a chat session. Users and librarians type chat queries and responses, and the libraries archive the chat session transcripts. The Steering Committee expects that a student’s critical thinking skills and level of information literacy will increase as a result of the student’s interaction with library staff.