Evaluation of My Information Literacy

Throughout learning environments, the learner aims at acquiring, mastering, and retrieving information to apply it appropriately. These goals are a set of skills known as information literacy. People in the same learning context have different information literacy levels due to inherent complexities of information, such as sources, types, and quality (“Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education” 2). This article adds that people who have excellent information literacy can determine the type and amount of information needed, evaluate it and its source, incorporate it into their relevant knowledge base, and leverage its utility ethically and in a legally appropriate manner. It is important to note that information literacy has standards over which a student’s information literacy outcomes can be assessed.

I do meet some of the student desired outcomes of information literacy. For instance, I do manage information and use it effectively. Throughout my educational journey, I have learned that information is useful only if one can recall it and use it appropriately. For instance, answering evaluation questions correctly is significantly based on my ability to recall the relevant details of a question. When in an active learning situation, I take written notes or record audios, videos, and photos. This helps because all information is not instantly stored in long-term memory and is susceptible to interference. Using information is not a challenge because once I have filtered it, I can use it precisely where appropriate. For instance, I check the themes in an information source to evaluate whether it fits my contexts.

However, I do not sufficiently meet some student outcomes for information literacy. For instance, I have had a challenge determining the extent of information needed for a particular situation. Sometimes I end up using outdated information, especially now that many things in society are changing fast. Also, technology is a critical component of learning, but I do feel challenged by some of its components. For instance, there are functions of software such as Excel that are critical, yet I cannot execute them effectively. Yet, computer literacy has been mentioned as among the critical literacy outcomes for high education students (“Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education” 3). However, I look forward to improving these two areas.

Overall, my information literacy is above average since I have mastered the majority of the competencies. Precisely, I can effectively evaluate sources of information and critique them; I am proficient in storing and retrieving relevant information; and importantly, I have mastered the skill to use information where appropriate. However, I should improve the ability to access information and use information technology, a skill the authors of Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education have called fluency in information technology.

Works Cited

“Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.” Acrl.org. Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries, 2000. Web. (date)