acrl framework

Submitted by Lauren deLaubell on January 17th, 2025
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Short Description: 

The most powerful wizards have gathered to battle one another.  Only one will win.  Wizards must use reliable sources to research incantations for the battle, or their spells will fizzle.  Truly wise wizards must learn to tell the difference. 

Research Wizards is an information literacy card game designed to teach students ages 12+ about source evaluation.  Research Wizards corresponds to the Frame Authority Is Constructed and Contextual, from the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.  Players will discuss and challenge the relative value of various sources, each representing a different suit in the game.  The game includes four major actions/phases:  Parley, when players discuss and decide for themselves the relative value of each suit; Battle, which includes competition, player actions, and Challenges; Vengeance, for eliminated players to impact and speed up the remainder of the game; and Victory.

The Research Wizards website contains free game files, player directions, and printing tips for librarians and teachers who wish to use the game in their classrooms.  The website includes an editable, Microsoft Publisher version of the game.  Noncommercial use of the game is free for educational purposes with attribution to the author.  Librarians and teachers are encouraged to adapt the game as needed for their subject areas, student needs, and as the sources in the game evolve over time.  Adaptations must be shared under the same terms.

Players:  3-5 per deck

Play Time:  20-30 minutes, plus discussion

Research Wizards by Lauren deLaubell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0  To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Player directionsdisplayed 1592 times1.02 MB
Printing tipsdisplayed 1509 times26.71 KB
Card deckdisplayed 1550 times2.51 MB
Learning Outcomes: 
    • Wizards will define a variety of traditional and emerging information formats.
    • Wizards will compare a variety of information formats and discuss their relative reliability.
    • Wizards will explore the variation in quality found within specific categories of information (e.g., the wildcard of using resources located by or generated with artificial intelligence).

Individual or Group:

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

It is recommended to review directions out loud with students, with pauses for students to sort their decks and conduct the Parley phase of play.  To contextualize and reinforce learning, it is recommended to conclude the game with discussion questions; sample questions are provided at the bottom of the player directions file but may be adjusted as needed.

Suggested Citation: 
deLaubell, Lauren. "Research Wizards." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2025. https://projectcora.org/assignment/research-wizards.
Submitted by Megan Pitz on February 15th, 2024
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Short Description: 

This learning session, led by a librarian, is for first-year community college students in an academic library setting. The intention of this session is to scaffold onto existing research writing skills acquired in previous education, as well as use of popular video sharing platforms to obtain information, like TikTok. Informative videos produced by everyday people are a growing form of intellectual connection between all audiences and scholarly sources based on relatability, as well as visibility of marginalized issues larger news organizations do not address. When the information messenger is familiar yet dynamic in their presentation and provides information that the public is not informed on, viewers are more inclined to listen than if it were just a research paper or a scholarly representative of a research community. There are, however, citation issues and basic research principles missing in several of these videos, based solely on most video sharing platform’s intention to obtain engagement, not to responsibly inform/educate its users. As researchers, it is crucial to discern engagement-intended, incendiary content with informative, well-researched content that our neighbors are making, even if their intentions are good.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
TikTok Lesson Plan.docxdisplayed 1232 times17.53 KB
AttachmentSize
lesson plan project slides.pdfdisplayed 1238 times304.28 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

By the end of this session, students will be able to:

  • Identify research as an ongoing conversation between several scaffolding and outside research and popular community voices.
  • Recognize the importance and necessity of crediting other voices inside and outside of the research and popular communities you are entering.
  • Respect your own contributions to scholarship by following citation guidelines in your own information creation.
Discipline: 
Education

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 
Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 
Assessment or Criteria for Success
(e.g. rubric, guidelines, exemplary sample paper, etc.): 
AttachmentSize
lesson plan worksheet.pdfdisplayed 954 times108.36 KB
Assessment Short Description: 
X number of groups (based on class size, max 5 members per group) will be assigned one TikTok with a relevant, polarizing topic (i.e., Israel-Hamas conflict, self-diagnosing psychological disorders, anti-feminist podcasts, Dating Do's and Don'ts, AI/ChatGPT, school shootings, etc.) per group to watch, will answer questions together, and will ultimately decide if the creator of the TikTok is engaging in scholarly conversation or popular conversation (relevant topics to the zeitgeist at that moment in time). Groups will all come together and review their findings with the class, having designated one representative to speak for the group. Instructor will monitor discussion appropriately, with an overall time frame of 1 hour in mind.
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 
  • This session includes both passive and active activities. The librarian begins the session by priming students in standard lecture format with what scholarly conversation is, what it looks like, and how to participate in it responsibly and respectfully. The students then engage in verbal and written group analysis of a TikTok and determine if it is a scholarly or popular information source. The students produce their learning onto the worksheet, which the librarian will collect at the end of the session to assess learning. 
  • The librarian builds on prior knowledge of students’ engagement with TikTok (as viewers and creators) or other video sharing platforms of the same format, as well as student learning of proper citation use from previous education, no matter how long ago. 
  • Popular conversation should not be taught as “lesser” than scholarly conversation, but as diversified intellectual support to scholarly conversation when used properly. The crucial factor in discerning the two is that the information provided is factually correct, well-researched, and most importantly, addresses other voices in the ongoing conversation that the creator is entering instead of operating within a vacuum.
Suggested Citation: 
Pitz, Megan. "“According to the CDC…” vs. “Someone just said…”: Identifying Scholarly and Popular Conversations on TikTok." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2024. https://projectcora.org/assignment/%E2%80%9Caccording-cdc%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D-vs-%E2%80%9Csomeone-just-said%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D-identifying-scholarly-and-popular-conversations.
Submitted by Ellen Carey on April 14th, 2023
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Short Description: 

The SIFT* & PICK approach to evaluating sources adapts and builds on Mike Caulfield's SIFT method to help students select quality sources by practicing:

  • Lateral Reading (SIFT): fact-checking by examining other sources and internet fact-checking tools; and
  • Vertical Reading (PICK): examining the source itself to decide whether it is the best choice for their needs.

*The SIFT method was created by Mike Caulfield under a CC BY 4.0 International License.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation.pdfdisplayed 3097 times566.56 KB
SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation without Luria Library branding.pdfdisplayed 2029 times375.72 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

After learning the SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation process, students will be better able to:

  • Distinguish between lateral and vertical reading strategies for source evaluation
  • Use lateral reading strategies to fact-check information
  • Use vertical reading strategies to select the most appropriate sources for their particular needs
  • Consider how a particular source relates to a body of knowledge on a topic
Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

At Santa Barbara City College, we use SIFT & PICK in many instructional materials (e.g. research guides and Canvas modules) and guide students through this fact checking and source evaluation process in instruction interactions (research workshops, at the reference desk, in our Library 101 course, etc.).

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

The SIFT & PICK pdf and LibGuide include links to other fact fact checking and source evaluation resources.

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

When teaching the SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation process, we emphasize the need for both fact checking (SIFT) and critical thinking in regard to selecting which source(s) to use (PICK). When we use SIFT & PICK in research workshops, we choose which concepts and/or ACRL Frames to emphasize based on the course assignment and/or goals of the workshop.

Suggested Citation: 
Carey, Ellen. "SIFT & PICK Fact Checking & Source Evaluation." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2023. https://projectcora.org/assignment/sift-pick-fact-checking-source-evaluation.
Submitted by Yvonne Mery on October 6th, 2020
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Short Description: 

Developed in order to move students away from an outdated checklist approach to evaluating online content, we developed this tutorial to teach students how to read laterally and think critically. This tutorial consists of several small chunks of microlearning activities including an assignment. Students can complete as much or as little as they feel they need.

Learning Outcomes: 
  • Students will explain why online information needs to be evaluated for trustworthiness
  • Students will describe the strategy of lateral reading that fact checkers employ to verify trustworthiness
  • Students will describe the criteria of process, expertise, and aim
  • Students will apply the skill of lateral reading related to societal and political issues 
  • Students will evaluate different online articles for trustworthiness using the three criteria of process, expertise, and aim

 

 

 

 

 

Information Literacy concepts:

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

This tutorial and optional assignment can serve as a stand alone tutorial or can be used in the flipped classroom. 

Suggested Citation: 
Mery, Yvonne . "How Do I Evaluate Online Information by Reading Laterally?." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2020. https://projectcora.org/assignment/how-do-i-evaluate-online-information-reading-laterally.
Submitted by Elizabeth Dobbins on May 15th, 2020
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Short Description: 

How can we facilitate first-year student engagement with critical Framework concepts, especially in a one-shot class? This active learning activity is designed to teach source evaluation in a 50-minute class. The activity, which incorporates elements of problem-based learning and uses a flipped classroom approach, was added to our institution’s first-year experience course. Prompting students to consider a local issue, the activity requires students to evaluate sources represented as “source cards,” choose sources they would use in the context of the assignment, and justify their decisions. Motivated by the challenge and relevance of the activity, students work cooperatively to consider questions at the heart of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy. 

Learning Outcomes: 

Students will be able to:

  • Distinguish between various types of sources for a research assignment (book, blog post,
  • newspaper, journal article, etc.)
  • Evaluate the academic value of various types of sources by considering its currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.
Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 

At our institution, this lesson plan is integrated into the First-Year Experience course. Students complete pre-work before class, watching three instructional videos and responding to short-answer questions. This prepares them to participate fully in the in-class activity. 

Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 

If interested in more background information on this activity, view the slides from a recent presentation on the lesson plan: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uOFVP2NAYzOc9eyRj6EzPv8WUx55F-nTpY_tppNqkko/edit?usp=sharing

Assessment or Criteria for Success
Assessment Short Description: 
Students watch three instructional videos (available at http://guides.lib.campbell.edu/cufs100) and answer short-answer questions before class. Instructors and/or librarians can review these for student comprehension. Instructors/librarians can gain informal assessment during the in-class activity through the debriefing discussion and group "presentation."
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 
  • This activity may work best in smaller classes sizes (approx. 20 students), as it is easy to break into groups of 2-3 students. This also allows for more discussion after the activity.
  • This activity requires minimal 'maintenance' by instructional librarians. The source cards should be updated periodically to remain relevant. 
Collaborators: 
Suggested Citation: 
Dobbins, Elizabeth. "Evaluating Sources through Problem-Based Learning." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2020. https://projectcora.org/assignment/evaluating-sources-through-problem-based-learning.
Submitted by Duke University Libraries RIS Team on December 4th, 2019
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Short Description: 

This lesson on journal prestige could be taught by itself, as part of a series on scholarly communication, or as a small part of a larger lesson on information prestige.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Citations for Info Privilege Lessons Mediadisplayed 906 times10.84 KB
Lesson Plandisplayed 1054 times377.57 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

Students will recognize the practices of scholarly publishers

Students will evaluate whether citation count is a good indicator of authority

Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

This topic could fit well into instruction sessions that include significant treatment of source evaluation and is one potential approach as you move beyond simple categorization of sources as scholarly/non-scholarly or primary/secondary. It stops short of a critical examination of construction of authority but could be used to hint at greater subtlety and complexity. This topic has particular relevance for upper level undergraduates engaged in research, who may be starting to think about publication from an author’s perspective.

Suggested Citation: 
RIS Team, Duke University Libraries. "Journal Prestige." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2019. https://projectcora.org/assignment/journal-prestige.
Submitted by Duke University Libraries RIS Team on November 26th, 2019
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Short Description: 

This is an activity to get students to think critically about the sources and information presented in a Wikipedia article. Students are asked to look up an article on their own topic, or a topic related to the course, and examine the content and the “Talk” page to see what issues the article has related to Wikipedia’s 3 guiding principles for content: point of view (objectivity/bias), verifiability (quality of sources cited), and evidence of original researchNOTE: This activity works best for topics (people, events) that are current public debates and/or controversial.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Directions for Instructordisplayed 941 times13.54 KB
Evaluating a Controversial Topic Activitydisplayed 1019 times1.01 MB
Learning Outcomes: 

Students will define Wikipedia’s guiding content principles

Students will evaluate a topic by investigating Wikipedia talk pages related to it

Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 
Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 
Suggested Citation: 
RIS Team, Duke University Libraries. "Researching a Controversy." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2019. https://projectcora.org/assignment/researching-controversy.
Submitted by Duke University Libraries RIS Team on November 20th, 2019
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Short Description: 

This lesson on the nature and cost of scholarly publishing could be taught by
itself, or as part of a series on scholarly communication, or as a small part of a larger lesson on
information privilege.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Lesson Plandisplayed 854 times269.69 KB
Citations for Info Privilege Lessons Mediadisplayed 931 times10.84 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

Students will recognize the practices of scholarly publishers

Students will understand the cost of accessing scholarly research

Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

Introducing this topic could be as simple as indicating the impressive number of scholarly articles published each year or size of library collections budgets or be part of a lengthier lesson on how academic publishing works. It could be included in searching or source evaluation exercises and may set the stage for understanding the fundamentals of scholarly communication.

Suggested Citation: 
RIS Team, Duke University Libraries. "Scale of Scholarly Publishing." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2019. https://projectcora.org/assignment/scale-scholarly-publishing.
Submitted by Duke University Libraries RIS Team on November 6th, 2019
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Short Description: 

In post-session feedback, first-year students frequently express anxiety over how to physically navigate the library to find a book on the shelf. This is a simple, pre-session activity to help students try this out before class, so that they can discuss with their librarian any challenges they faced in attempting to complete the task. With the help of the course instructor, students are asked to find a book on their research topic (or course topic) and bring it to class.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Finding a Book Instructions.docxdisplayed 720 times13.61 KB
Finding-a-Book-example.pdfdisplayed 854 times340.67 KB
Finding-a-Book-template.pdf.docxdisplayed 731 times93.98 KB
Learning Outcomes: 
  • Utilize the libraries online catalog to find a book suitable to chosen topic
  • Locate the specific book identified in the search in the stacks
Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated): 
Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.): 
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 
  • Librarian will need to coordinate with instructor to ensure that the assignment is clearly communicated to students before class;
  • Participation, or assignment, credit helps as an incentive.
Suggested Citation: 
RIS Team, Duke University Libraries. "Finding a Book." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2019. https://projectcora.org/assignment/finding-book.
Submitted by Duke University Libraries RIS Team on October 23rd, 2019
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Short Description: 

This is an activity that helps students develop an interdisciplinary search strategy in stages. Students define their topic, brainstorm questions related to their topic area, and connect these questions to the disciplines and experts where they might find more research and information. Students learn how to identify search tools & information sources based on their questions using the library’s website.

Attachments: 
AttachmentSize
Directions for Instructordisplayed 898 times13.8 KB
Blank Template for Use by Students or Instructordisplayed 1055 times324.05 KB
Completed Exampledisplayed 1039 times494.5 KB
Learning Outcomes: 

Breakdown topic by brainstorming relevant ideas and questions

Analyze these ideas to identify subject areas, this will help inform later searches on topic (ie what databases to consult)

Identifies key concepts and terms that describe the information need

Recognizes that knowledge can be organized into disciplines that influence the way information is accessed

Discipline: 
Multidisciplinary

Individual or Group:

Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips: 

·         Students don’t necessarily know a lot about different academic ‘disciplines’ and may need some help making meaningful connections between their topics and particular disciplines.

·         Students may need help and/or to do some background research to think about interesting questions/issues related to their topics.

Suggested Citation: 
RIS Team, Duke University Libraries. "Developing an Interdisciplinary Search Strategy." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2019. https://projectcora.org/assignment/developing-interdisciplinary-search-strategy.

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