Ashford 2: – Week 1 – Discussion

Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning

In the 21st Century, it is     important to be able to research and make wise decisions based on reliable     information. In fact, employers have high expectations regarding their     employees’ abilities to research. As discussed in the Post Your     Introduction forum, due to the overwhelming amount of information available     researching and locating reliable sources to guide decision-making can be     very challenging. Let’s examine in this discussion the challenges of     research and how developing information literacy skills can help.

Prepare: Read Chapter 1 of your textbook to learn more about     information literacy. Next, read the article At Sea in a Deluge of Data from the Chronicle of Higher Education. Finally,     read the article, How College Students     Find and Use Information     to access an infographic detailing some statistics about the experience of     researching. Having trouble accessing and reading the infographic above?     You may alternatively explore the article that served as a reference for     the infographic, Truth Be Told: How College Students Evaluate and Use     Information in the Digital Age.

Reflect: Consider your reaction to the information in the     infographic and identify areas that you connected with the most. Based on     the article and Chapter 1 of your text, consider how information literacy     skills can impact being a critical consumer of information.

Write: With Chapter 1 of the textbook, the article, and the     infographic you explored in mind, answer the following questions in the     discussion:  Which statistics from the          infographic did you identify with most? Why? Based on the information          you read in Chapter 1 of your textbook and the article, At Sea in a Deluge of Data, how would you define          information literacy? How can improving your          information literacy skills help you in being a critical consumer of          information and in the ongoing pursuit of knowledge throughout your          life? 

To maximize the opportunity for     vigorous discussion, you must post to this discussion on at least three     separate days of the week, and your posts must total at least 600 words as     you address the questions noted above. Your first post must be completed by     Day 3 (Thursday), and the remainder of your posts must be completed by Day     7 (Monday). You must answer all aspects of the prompt at some point during     the week.

Respond to Peers: As your reply to your classmates, attempt to extend     the conversation by examining their claims or arguments in more depth or by     responding to the posts that they make to you. Keep the discussion on     target and try to analyze things in as much detail as you can. For     instance, you might consider sharing additional ways that information     literacy skills can help them be critical consumers of information. Discuss     similarities in how you and your classmates connected with the infographic     or article.

In this class, you have three     tutoring services available: Paper Review, Live Chat, and Tutor E-mail. Click on the Ashford Writing Center (AWC) tab in the     left-navigation menu to learn more about these tutoring options and how to     get help with your writing.