What UCF Students need to know about Information Fluency

 

What is Information Fluency?

UCF defined information fluency as “the ability to perform effectively in an

information-rich and technology-intensive environment.” Simply put, information fluency is the ability to

gather, evaluate, and use information in ethical and legal ways. Information fluency encompasses and

integrates three important skills: information literacy, technology literacy, and critical thinking. These three

skills are not mutually exclusive but overlap in nature.  The ability to communicate information in appropriate and effective ways is another crucial part of Information Fluency.

 

 

Fluency means not just accessing information on the Web, but creating your own Web pages. Not just downloading MP3 music files, but creating your own digital-music compositions. Not just playing SimCity, but creating your own simulated worlds. (Resnick 2001)

Why do I need to be information fluent?

Information fluency is vital to university students'

academic achievements and professional successes

and will contribute to their lifelong learning

processes. Information fluent students are valuable to

employers and corporations as they move beyond the

university environment into the workplace. The

ability to extrapolate useful concepts and ideas from

existing information into new applications continues

to be a crucial skill in the 21st century work place.

 

  

What will I be able to do when I learn these skills?

UCF concluded that an information-fluent graduate of UCF will be able to

• articulate the problem in a selected context

• recognize the need for information to address the problem

• identify the available information sources (domain)

• iteratively collect, analyze, and assess (evaluate critically) the relevant information

• integrate new information with pre-existing knowledge and context

• draw conclusions

• effectively communicate results and decisions

• follow up on actions

 

 

All of these abilities are integral to your life as a 21st century professional and citizen

 

 

Thank you for your support!