Global projects preparation: Infusing information literacy into project-based curricula

Abstract

This paper describes how librarians at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) work with administrators and faculty of the Interdisciplinary & Global Studies Division (IGSD) to ensure that students are prepared for real-world off-site projects. Information literacy (IL) skills carry over from the academic setting to professional and personal life. According to a recent report by American Association of Colleges and Universities information literacy is listed as an essential learning outcome in the area of Intellectual and Practical Skills.1 At WPI these skills become practice with the real-world projects undergraduate students perform as part of their degree requirements. Librarians partner with faculty to infuse these important skills for future engineers and scientists into the curriculum through a project experience completed during their junior year. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2008.