Navigating and Using Information

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to

• Analyse an information need using information literacy principles to determine the nature and extent of information needed to accomplish a specific purpose, and identify appropriate formats of information, repositories and collections.
• Construct and apply simple and complex searches for information, evaluate the search, and explain the various search strategies used.
• Evaluate the quality and appropriateness of the information located.
• Apply the outcome of an information search and share it with an intended audience.

Course content

The nature of information and information literacy

• The nature and value of information to people in diverse contexts, including how information searching and use is influenced by cognitive, affective, social and cultural dimensions of the individual
• Information literacy and its relationship to other (multiple) literacies

Navigating information

• Establishing an information need: critically and clearly defining the scope of inquiry
• Understanding how information is created and presented in different formats to convey the intended message, and choosing appropriate types of information sources for a specific information need (including physical, digital, textual and multi-media, published and unpublished, records, archives, non-traditional, and Māori and Pasifika sources)
• Identifying appropriate repositories and collections of information and knowledge.
• Exploring different search tools and how they work (e.g. catalogues, databases, search engines and other finding aids; algorithms, result displays and defaults impact searching)
• Applying search techniques in common search tools (natural language, controlled vocabularies, boolean operators, and subject searching)

Using information

• Critically evaluating the authority and suitability of located information within the context of an information need
• Understanding how to use information in ethical, legal, culturally appropriate and critical ways (including APA referencing, copyright & creative commons licenses, privacy)
• Using the information that is found and sharing it with others, including how to synthesise different perspectives on a topic, and presenting a piece of work to a particular audience in an appropriate format

Assessment

100% internally assessed

Textbooks

No textbooks are required for this course

Computer and internet requirements

This course is delivered online, so you will access the course and do your study online, which generally includes reading and doing activities, watching videos, downloading content, and writing and submitting assessments online.

For online learning you need:

• Access to a laptop or desktop computer
• Reliable broadband internet and a data plan

Find out more about online learning

If you are unsure if your current computer or internet access will allow you to study online please contact us.