Information Competency Graduation Requirement at CCSF

Effective Fall 2006 all CCSF students completing a degree (e.g. AA/AS or transfer degree) will: satisfy the Information Competency requirement by successfully completing the Area B: Written Composition requirement, specifically English 1A. The ENG 1A official course outlines has been revised to include the teaching and assessment of at least six of the seven information competency skill areas and to require a minimum of 5 hours of library research skills workshops.
Students who transfer in with a course approved as equivalent to English 1A have met this requirement.

Information Competency Student Learning Outcomes, as approved by Academic Policies and Bipartite Graduation Requirements Committee, are:

• 1. Recognize when information is needed by identifying and narrowing a topic;
• 2. Develop effective research strategies by selecting appropriate search tools (e.g., catalogs, databases, indexes, search engines, human experts) and using effective search techniques to obtain desired information;
• 3. Locate and retreive information in a variety of formats, such as online full-text, paper-copy, microfilm, audio-visual;
• 4. Critically evaluate the quality and appropriateness of the information, using such factors as currency, reliability, accuracy, point of view/bias, credibiltiy of author/sponsoring organization, and relevancy for the assignment;
• 5. Effectively communicate and document information by synthesizing information obtained, developing outlines and drafts in a format suitable for the audience and purpose of assignment, and documenting sources using a standard citation format;
• 6. Competently use computers and other information technology tools to search and retrieve information as well as use application software to communicate;
• 7. Understand some of the legal and ethical issues relating to information and its use by properly attributing information used in assignments/projects and by complying with institutional policies on access and use of computer equipment and software.