Assignment Templates

The following sample assignments are provided to give some practical suggestions for how information literacy might be incorporated into your Inquiry Seminar. Please feel free to

  • use the assignments as they are presented,
  • make them your own by modifying topics or specific resources, or
  • take general ideas from these and create your own assignments.
Foundational Information Literacy Learning Outcome Related Assignment Template

Select, locate, and evaluate a reference source (e.g., electronic encyclopedia, specialized print encyclopedia, CQ Researcher, etc.) related to their general topic area.

 Evaluate a Source

Summarize a Source
Identify the purpose and audience of potential resources (e.g., popular vs. scholarly, current vs. historical, etc.). Identify Periodical Characteristics
Differentiate between the library’s online catalog (MnPALS), the Academic Search Premier database, and the ProQuest Newspapers database, initiating appropriate searches in each. Subject Searching (MnPALS)

Locate an Article (Academic Search Premier)
Examine and compare information from various sources in order to evaluate reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point of view or bias. Comparing Online Reference Sources

Evaluate Internet Sites
Choose information that meets a particular need; interpret and combine information from a variety of sources to resolve a particular problem or question. Trace a Study
Adjust and modify research topics, according to the interplay of newly discovered information with pre-existing knowledge and experience. Explore a Research Topic

Generate Topic Ideas (Group Activity)
Apply knowledge and skills from prior library experiences to effectively plan and create a product or performance (debate / panel discussion, paper, annotated bibliography, group presentation, etc.). Annotated bibliography grading rubric

Additional Ideas

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