‘Making Information Literacy legitimate’ – Summary of responses to request for information from CAUL members.

1. Australian Universities

University / Information Literacy stated as generic attribute
Yes/no / Documents / Comments
Charles Darwin University / Yes / Policy of University Teaching / Policy of University Teaching states “to facilitate lifelong learning teachers should enable students to develop their information skills, that is, the ability to access, evaluate and effectively use information which incorporates information technology skills”.
Charles Sturt University / Implied / http://www.csu.edu.au/division/plandev/strategic/Strategic_plan_2003.pdf / Graduate attributes listed in the Strategic Plan. Graduates are expected to have the ability to “use appropriate information and communication technologies effectively’. Revision of document is planned and this statement will be broadened to ‘information literacy’.
Curtin University / Yes / Information Literacy Policy / University-wide Information Literacy Policy since 1999: ‘All staff and students shall develop information literacy skills that are appropriate to equip graduates of a world-class university of technology for careers in their chosen fields and for lifelong learning”
Deakin University / Yes / http://www.deakin.edu.au/courses/advantage.php / Deakin Advantage lists Graduate Attributes that include: ‘the ability to identify, gather, retrieve and operate on textual, graphical and numerical information at a standard appropriate to the discipline area and level of award’. The ‘demonstration of information literacy skills’ is identified as an exemplary characteristic of this graduate attribute.
Griffith University / Yes / http://www.griffith.edu.au/griffithgraduate / The Griffith Graduate Project commenced in 1999 with the aim of promoting generic skills across the university. Information literacy is specifically listed as one of those generic skills.
Macquarie University / Implied / Macquarie University 2001 Academic Strategic Directions Document / Lists as a generic skill for students: “Foundation skills of literacy, numeracy and information technology” and “critical analysis skills to evaluate, synthesise and judge”
Monash University / Yes / www.adm.monash.edu.au/unisec/academicpolicies/policy/gradattributes.html / University’ Academic Policy website has a policy on Monash Graduate Attributes with the following statement: “The Learning and Teaching Plan 1999 added information literacy to this list”. Work is currently underway to update, expand and implement Monash Graduate Attributes; the working party has included information literacy in the revised list of graduate outcomes.
Murdoch University / Implied / Graduate Attributes:
http://www.tlc.murdoch.edu.au/gradatt/ / Information literacy was not included separately but placed under the communication attribute and described as ‘the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in a range of contexts using communication, literacy, numeracy and information technology skills’
Queensland University of Technology / Yes / QUT Graduate Capabilities
Teaching and Learning Plan 2003-2007
QUT Student Portfolio
http://www.appu.qut.edu.au/resources/genericcapab.jsp / QUT Graduate Capabilities includes: “the capacity for lifelong learning including: searching and critically evaluating information from a variety of sources using effective strategies and appropriate technologies”
Teaching and Learning Plan includes: “The use of technology will be not only to improve educational quality and flexibility, but also to reflect QUT’s ‘real world’ orientation and to support QUT’s aim of developing information literacy skills in its graduates’.
QUT Student Portfolio includes: allow students to record their life and learning experiences against 10 skill areas, of which Lifelong Learning (information literacy and computer literacy) is one.
Swinburne University of Technology / No / www.swin.edu.au/lib/infoskills/grad_attributes.htm / Not specifically mentioned in graduate outcomes document but separate information literacy document is linked to each of the University graduate outcomes
University of Canberra / Yes / http://www.canberra.edu.au/secretariat/council/generic.html
http://www.canberra.edu.au/secretariat/council/generic_HDR.html / Generic Skills and Attributes for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Coursework includes: “Information Literacy and Numeracy: Graduates are expected to be able to select and use appropriate information and communication technology to retrieve, manipulate and present information”.
Generic Skills and Attributes for Higher degree by research includes: “Communication:to be able to identify, analyse, evaluate and communicate information and knowledge”
University of Melbourne / Yes / http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/pdfs/9principles.pdf / The University document ‘Nine principles guiding Teaching and learning in the University of Melbourne; the framework for a first class teaching and learning environment’ the eighth of nine principles notes that “it is essential for Melbourne graduates to develop the skills of independent information searching, evaluation, and utilization using all available sources of information”.
The specific ‘Attributes of the University of Melbourne Graduates’ does not use the term information literacy but includes a range of statements relating to the concept eg: “an ability to evaluate and synthesise the research and professional literature in the
Discipline”.
University of New England / Yes / http://une.edu.au/offsect/une_grad_attributes.htm
http://www.une.edu.au/library/about/infolit.htm / Graduate Attributes include: “Information Literacy: Graduates will have developed competencies in information literacy”
University of NSW / Yes / http://www.secretariat.unsw.edu.au/acboard/approved_policy/graduate_attributes.pdf / Graduate Attributes include: “Information Literacy – the skills to locate, evaluate and use relevant information”
University of Queensland / Implied / Graduate Attributes:
http://www.uq.edu.au/hupp/contents/view.asp?s1=3&s2=20&s3=5 / Graduate Attributes document includes:
‘The ability to collect, analyse and organise information and ideas…’
‘The ability to engage effectively and appropriately with information and communication technologies’
University of South Australia / Yes / http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/gradquals.staff/default.asp
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/staff/tchlrn/life.asp / Indicators of Graduate Qualities include:“A graduate will: locate, evaluate, manage and use information in a range of contexts – ie. be information literate”
University of the Sunshine Coast / Yes / Statement of Graduate Attributes / Statement of Graduate Attributes includes: “to be able to collect, organise, analyse, evaluate and use information in a range of contexts”
University of Sydney / Yes / http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/graduateattributes/policy.htm / Graduate Attributes include: “Information Literacy: Graduates of the University will be able to use information effectively in a range of contexts’”
University of Tasmania / Implied / http:www.utas.edu.au/tl/policies/index.htm / Generic Attributes of Graduates includes: ‘Knowledge:Apply technical and information skills appropriate to their discipline or professional area’
‘Problem Solving Skills: find, acquire, evaluate, manage and use relevant information in a range of media’
University of Technology Sydney / Implied / http://www.iml.uts.edu.au/learnteach/enhance/design/gradatt.pdf
http://www.lib.uts.edu.au/information/training / Statement of Graduate attributes includes: “Knowledge literacies domain: academic literacies and practices that encompass the learning of disciplinary, cross-disciplinary and trans disciplinary knowledge, and the ability to gain, access to, utilise and critically assess knowledge from a range of sources”.
University of Wollongong / Yes / http://www.uow.edu.au/about/teaching/attributes.html
http://www.uow.edu.au/research/current/resgradattrib.html / Attributes of a Wollongong Graduate lists: “A basic understanding of information literacy and specific skills in acquiring, organising and presenting information, particularly through computer based activity”
Victoria University / Yes / Core Graduate Attributes at Victoria University / Contains five attributes. Number 2: “can locate, evaluate, manage and use information effectively”.
Core Graduate Attributes working party will be looking at ways of embedding Information Literacy in assessment tasks. Regular course review process now includes the Core Graduate Outcomes.

2. New Zealand Universities

University of Auckland / Implied / / Graduate profile includes: “An ability to recognise when information is needed and a capacity to locate, evaluate and use this information effectively.
University of Otago University / Yes / / Teaching and Learning Plan 2002 – identifies information literacy as an attribute of a University of Otago Graduate: “INFORMATION LITERACY: a basic understanding of information literacy and specific skills in acquiring, organising and presenting information, in particular through computer-based activity”

Lbuls/CAUL/CAULinfoliteracydoc9 April 2019