Advancing Critical Thinking and Information Literacy Skills in First Year College Students

ABSTRACT

This article provides a case study of recent curriculum development in a freshman skills program which integrates critical thinking and English composition as linked courses at Gonzaga University. Known as “thought and expression” courses, this block of courses, which also includes speech communication, can be taken by students separately or in a linked cohort with the same twenty students in each class. In linked courses, faculty are generally aware of each others' course topics and assignments, and they meet to discuss student progress and look for opportunities for curriculum integration. In this case study, library faculty were included in the instructional team, and information literacy skills that relate to critical thinking were integrated into the goals of the critical thinking and English composition courses. Faculty involved in the courses believe that integrating library skills into course goals adds coherence to the curriculum; it also helps students to achieve the developmental goals of the learning community created by this course model.     

Information Literacy in Subject-Specific Vocabularies: A Path to Critical Thinking

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the benefit of library instruction to increase critical thinking skills among business students in the form of a vocabulary skill-building workshop. This learning opportunity represents collaboration between business librarian and classroom faculty to improve students' ability to articulate a research problem and identify information needs in order to proficiently analyze business information and make sound business decisions. Business schools increasingly rely upon standards set forth by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) to formulate curricula and embed learning outcomes to prepare students to meet workplace expectations. These standards were utilized during workshop planning stages to implement critical thinking learning outcomes into the educational experience. Workshop curricula also relied heavily on the Guidelines for Information Competency set forth by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) to emphasize specific learning outcomes more commonly associated with the teaching of library instruction.