LibGuides: Library Instruction Program: Curriculum Mapping

Coordinator of Library Instructional Services

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Curriculum Mapping at WSU

Curriculum maps are grids for subject-specific research and information literacy skills. They include a sequence of competencies that are meant to be developed at different levels of a student's academic career. One of the major benefits of a curriculum map is that it introduces students to new concepts and skills over time, beginning at the freshmen level and progressing through their senior year. Library instruction in upper level courses builds on previous instruction, ensuring that students are developing transferable skills that can be used beyond graduation.

While a concept may be introduced at the Beginning or Intermediate level, it may also be reinforced in higher level courses. Likewise, some higher level concepts may be introduced earlier, depending on the research requirements of specific disciplines. Information about subject-specific curriculum maps, developed at the department or program level, can be found in the box below.

Examples of Competencies Addressed at Different Levels

This table is by no means comprehensive with respect to teaching information literacy and library research. These competencies are informed by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, the core concepts of which are the following:

Authority is constructed and contextual
Information creation as a process
Information has value
Research as Inquiry
Scholarship as conversation
Searching as strategic exploration.

For more information about the ACRL Framework, see http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework.

Competency	Beginning	Intermediate	Advanced
Navigation of library resources and services	Becoming familiar with the University Libraries’ facilities and website as a way to learn about and use library resources and services	Using library tools to find information on subjects/topics in library resources like books/ebooks, databases, and journals/ejournals	Using Interlibrary loan (ILL) to obtain items the library does not have.
Understanding the research process	Identifying an information need and developing a research question	Reviewing search results and synthesizing those most relevant to the research question	Sharing the results of your research via posters, presentations, publications, etc.
Identification of types of sources	Being able to distinguish among different types of sources like books, journals, and articles as well as websites, primary and secondary sources, patents, etc.	Being aware that different types of sources are useful for different types of research needs and recognizing how their importance and use can vary by discipline	Applying different types of sources to various research needs appropriately.
Construction of search strategies	Constructing search strategies by identifying concepts and keywords, then connecting them with Boolean operators, and refining strategies based on search results	Employing advanced search techniques like using subject headings (controlled vocabulary) and field codes	Performing cited reference searching to further research
Evaluation of Sources	Being aware of different types of authority such as subject expertise and societal position	Using critical thinking to determine the quality of sources based on criteria such as currency, authority, accuracy, relevance, and purpose	Developing and applying appropriate evaluation criteria to sources for your research
Avoidance of Plagiarism	Identifying and avoiding different types of plagiarism	Citing sources in accordance with style guides	Using citation management techniques to organize research and generate citations and bibliographies

Subject-Specific Information Literacy Curriculum Maps

Information literacy curriculum maps are flexible, and can be customized to the needs of a particular department or major. The map will focus on the courses required for degree programs, mapping information literacy skills to the outcomes of the course and skills students need to be successful consumers and creators of information. While all students need to become critical thinkers and problem solvers, some skills (such as researching clinical trials or finding financial statements) are particular to their future profession.

Below you will find curriculum maps the University Libraries created in collaboration with WSU departments. Librarians are available to collaborate with faculty members to create customized curriculum maps. To discuss the creation of an information literacy curriculum map for your area, please contact your liaison librarian.