Teaching information literacy in an undergraduate class on the geography of the Middle East

Abstract

ABSTRACT Geography instructors have a role to play in helping their students to become more information literate. This is especially important today, given the complex and dynamic nature of our informational landscape, and given the evidence that young people lack much of the knowledge that is needed to engage with information critically. This paper reports on the effectiveness of an information literacy module that was included as part of a course on the Geography of the Middle East. It describes the design and rollout of the module, and the results of a study designed to assess the effectiveness of the module and the class on students’ information literacy, and to better understand students’ existing relationship to information about the Middle East. The findings of the study suggest several ways that future iterations of the module might be improved.