Supporting information literacy development of engineering students in research-based composition courses

Abstract

The importance of developing critical information literacy skills in higher education is now well recognized. The ability to locate and evaluate needed information in a timely manner, now commonly done through the Internet, is increasingly viewed as one of the most important 21st century skills. Therefore, universities worldwide are developing curriculum which integrates information literacy development into the coursework. Many universities are developing the skills based on the standards set forth in Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). Information literacy development is also recognized as one of the key means to fulfill ABET's ‘lifelong learning’ criterion for Engineering programs accredited by this body. University students in engineering and sciences fields need to acquire comprehensive information literacy skills for their future employment practices. This paper will describe a set of tasks that have been developed to help undergraduate Engineering students build critical web-based engineering and technology-related information gathering skills within research-based English composition courses at Khalifa University, an English-medium university in the United Arab Emirates.