Sequencing Genetics Information: Integrating Data into Information Literacy for Undergraduate Biology Students.

Abstract

This case study describes an information literacy lab for an undergraduate biology course that leads students through a range of resources to discover aspects of genetic information. The lab provides over 560 students per semester with the opportunity for hands-on exploration of resources in steps that simulate the pathways of higher-level researchers; the structured assignment done in the lab highlights useful aspects of each resource; and a major poster presentation assignment students do after the lab consolidates and reinforces their understanding of the nature of genetic information. Close collaboration with the biology instructor has resulted in a detailed laboratory exercise that supports exploration of advanced information tools through focused questions. The exercise, as befits its subject, is constantly evolving, both in response to changes to the available resources, and to student feedback. The case study presents in detail the step-by-step exercise students work through. The steps are provided as a series of tool-specific modules that other librarians could use individually or as a set. The advantages of using the resources together come from the integration of the resources themselves, and the way they demonstrate the synergies and relationships between data, articles and patents, which are all key sources of information in the sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]