Challenge Three: Information Literacy

What is it? 

The Information Literacy competency involves using critical thinking skills to assess the reliability of information from online sources. This includes evaluating the information to judge its accuracy and to determine whether the information comes from a reliable and trusted source (Critical Digital Literacy, University of Edinburgh). This is very important in our digital world, where anyone can publish any content online, making information so widespread and readily available.

Why is it important?

Since anyone can publish content online, we need to be critical of the information we interact with. The algorithms that are so deeply embedded in our online technologies compound the problem since they influence how the information we interact with is produced, prioritized, and presented. This can lead to the information being inaccurate, limited, untrustworthy, or containing inherent biases because it is presented through a particular worldview and may not reflect other interpretations. So, it’s crucial that we critically evaluate online information to assess its authority before interacting with it. Failing to do so runs the risk of spreading misinformation.

Learn it: Algorithms and your data

As mentioned in the Digital Tattoo Project’s Algorithms and Your Data tutorial, terms like “algorithm,” “machine learning,” and “artificial intelligence” may sound intimidating and complicated. But, at their core, algorithms are simply sets of rules that machines follow to achieve a specific goal. These rules are used in technology we use every day- from populating your social media feed with posts to unlocking your phone with facial recognition. While algorithms may improve efficiency and convenience, keep in mind their rules are still created by humans and can therefore reflect human biases. This becomes especially concerning when algorithms are used to make complicated decisions that affect humans since they can potentially perpetuate existing inequalities. In the following video (3 minutes), Joy Buolamwini illustrates the unmasking of algorithmic bias:

This video, The Coded Gaze: Unmasking Algorithmic Bias, was posted by Joy Buolamwini on YouTube

Complete the following quiz from the Digital Tattoo Project’s tutorial to test your knowledge of algorithms:

Learn it: SIFT & CRAAP

Hopefully you’re now more familiar with what algorithms are, how they affect the information we interact with, and how they can be biased. They are an “integral part of our socio-digital eco-system” and strongly influence how online information is produced, prioritized, and presented to us (Marta Samokishyn, Educational Technology Users Group). So, as consumers of this information, how are you and your students vetting the online information you interact with? Concrete strategies are needed to help identify reputable sources and analyze the credibility and reliability of those sources.

Read and familiarize yourself with the following two models for evaluating the suitability of content that both you and your students can use:

Practice it: Apply the CRAAP model

Let’s put the CRAAP model to the test! Choose a new or existing resource that you want to include in your course for students to learn from. Apply the CRAAP model to the resource by considering the questions in the CRAAP H5P activity (embedded again below). This will help you evaluate the suitability of the resource. Then, after applying the CRAAP test to the resource, ponder the “reflection questions” below:

Reflection Questions:

• Would you deem the resource suitable to use in your course?
• Why or why not?
• What factors stood out that made the resource reliable or unreliable?
• What did you learn overall?

How could this competency be applied in the classroom?

Ideas for next steps

• Share information about the following TRU services that are available to support students with their research and information literacy efforts. This information could be included in your course syllabus, a “Student Supports” section in your course, and/or right in an assignment description when students may be looking for support when completing their assignment:
  • Library
  • Undergraduate Research
  • Writing centre
• Connect with your Subject Librarian for assistance with in-depth research or to book a library instruction session for your class
• Think about how you can integrate the practice of evaluating content, using models like SIFT and CRAAP explored above, into one of your course activities or assessments for your students to use. Here are some examples to consider:
  • If students are using the internet to find information or perform research in your course, you may consider an annotated bibliography assignment component. Annotated bibliographies can help students methodically engage in the practice of evaluating resources and can be part of a larger research activity in your course. To model this for students, you might complete an annotated bibliography yourself. Then, when sharing it with students, walk them through your approach and thought process.
  • If students are reading articles in your course, introducing them to the process of annotating resources may be beneficial. An example of a free technology that can support this is Hypothes.is, which can be used both individually and collaboratively.

Share what you learned!

In the comments below, share your key takeaway from this challenge (i.e. one new thing you learned, something that resonated with you, how the challenge “practice it” activity went for you, etc.)