4: Managing Information
Introduction
In 2004 the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) defined information literacy as, "knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner" (CILIP 2009).
In relation to higher education, an advanced level of information literacy, which includes managing information, is regarded by many HE commentators as essential to student success (see the literature review: LearnHigher, 2009).
This section covers three key skills for HE students in relation to information management.
Contents of this section
Unit 1: Selecting Information
There are two exercises in unit 1: the first concerned with identification of primary and secondary sources; the second concerned with ways of evaluating sources.
Unit 2: Managing Information
Making notes is one of the most important skills for managing information in HE. Unit 2 examines the purpose of writing notes and at the differences between taking notes and making notes. It also presents a range of note making and taking techniques.
Unit 3: Critical Thinking
You may recall from Unit 2, and probably from your own experience, the importance that HE tutors attach to critical thinking when marking assignments (see Greasley and Cassidy 2009; Norton 1990).
In this unit, to encourage students to begin to question ideas, they were presented with an extract from a student essay on the topic of managing change. The student in question had accurately summarised William Bridge's four-stage idea relating to transition and change, but had not moved beyond uncritically describing it, albeit in a concise way.
The exercise was designed to encourage students to begin to look at - and question - the origins of ideas. The exercise has been used successfully with groups of new undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Bradford to demonstrate critical analysis in action.
In Unit 3, Trans:it students were invited to imagine William Bridges was in the room with them and what questions they would want to ask him about his four stage idea, to probe the origins, validity and credibility of it.
The following comments are not exhaustive on the subject and students may present additional and relevant ideas to the discussion.
Guidance Notes for Tutors
