- Series: Maastricht University Papers
- Institution: Maastricht University Library | Maastricht University
DOI:
The content of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 International License.
© 2019 The authors & Maastricht University
Description
Introduction
In the digital age, a significant key for students is being information literate, enabling them to become independent learners and adaptive workers of tomorrow.
Today’s immense load of information, in various forms, asks students to acquire and apply a broad set of 21st-century skills (such as critical thinking, metacognitive skills, problem-solving, and digital skills) to steer their way through this “information jungle”. In general, information literacy is indicated as “the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning”. In other words, students’ competencies in accessing, processing, and assessing information are essential to learning in a changing information landscape.
In recent years, students have assumed a more significant role in actively constructing knowledge and utilising information, digital tools, and data both ethically and critically. To prepare students for these new conditions, higher education institutes must adapt their information literacy concepts and teach according to the changing nature of information use. In most universities, however, information literacy education remains a separate component of students’ subject content and learning process.
Aim of the publication
This publication aims to identify, conceptualise, and outline effective measures to align information literacy with students’ learning and academic success. The publication includes three research papers, all of which approach information literacy in the context of the PBL-based Maastricht University (UM).
Three papers
The first paper (by Lea Ferguson) describes a quick scan to investigate, using a survey, the ability of UM students to access and critically assess academic information effectively. The output yields several recommendations, including integrating information literacy skills courses into students’ ongoing courses at UM and conducting more in-depth, qualitative, and quantitative research.
The second paper (by Jaro Pichel, Stefan Jongen, and Harm Hospers) was to perform a literature review of articles that address the recent developments of information literacy, focusing in particular on research in a PBL setting. This literature review drew on the integration of information literacy skills into the curriculum, with a specific focus on constructive alignment.
The third paper (by Stefan Jongen, Jaro Pichel, Frederike Vernimmen-de Jong, and Harm Hospers) reviewed several studies which described how to analyse the information as part of the learning process. Based on the informed learning theory, this narrative review discusses possibilities for collecting and assessing data on the link between knowledge and the learning process to provide insights for teachers and students at UM.
Publication details and metadata
Title
Information skills and learning at Maastricht University
Series
Maastricht University Library Papers
Institution
Maastricht University Library | Maastricht University
Editors
Jaro Pichel (ORCID), Stefan Jongen (ORCID) – Maastricht University (ROR)
Contributors
Lea Maria Ferguson (ORCID), Jaro Pichel (ORCID), Stefan Jongen (ORCID), Harm Hospers, Frederike Vernimmen-de Jong
DOI (digital version)
https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.rep.
Copyright and licensing
© 2025 the authors & Maastricht University – CC BY
The content of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY 4.0 International License.
Access to this publication
- PDFs (download the separate papers via the table of contents)
Publication Type and Language
Report – English
Publication date
15 April 2019
Subject
teaching & learning, information literacy
Keywords
learning analytics, informed learning, narrative review,
Citation for this work
S. Jongen & J. Pichel (Eds.), Information skills and learning at Maastricht University. Maastricht University Press. https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.rep.
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Table of contents
1. How do students access and assess academic information?
A quick scan into information literacy at Maastricht University.
The author is an academic tutor and writing coach at University College Maastricht; Henrietta Hazen, coordinator of scientific information and skills support and Frederike Vernimmen, head of education and research support, both at Maastricht University Library, guided the project.
- Author: Lea Maria Ferguson (ORCID)
- Copyright: the author and Maastricht University
- License: CC BY 4.0 International
Ferguson, L. (2017). How do students access and assess academic information?. In Jongen, S., Pichel, J. (Eds.), Information skills and learning at Maastricht University. Maastricht University Press. URL
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2. The changing role of information literacy skills in higher education
Trends of information literacy education and its integration into problem-based learning at Maastricht University.
Paper in the context of the Library-EDLAB project “Learning in a changing information landscape”, which contributes to vision, policy and projects in this rapidly changing learning environment. It entails a narrative literature review, discussion points and recommendations as a foundation for further projects related to teaching and learning at UM. An essential element in the assignment was to identify, assess and select a suitable framework that defines relevant 21st-century information literacy skills for students and teachers in a PBL setting and aligns with the UM CORE Strategy.
Authors are Jaro Pichel, Library-EDLAB project leader, “Learning in a changing information landscape”, and Stefan Jongen, Library information specialist for FPN. UM Vice-Dean and EDLAB director Harm Hospers has supervised the review. Discussion points and recommendations have been formulated in close cooperation with the Library, Frederike Vernimmen, Manager of Education & Support, Henrietta Hazen, Coordinator of Skills & Academic Support, and Gaby Lutgens, Coordinator of Blended PBL Support.
- Authors: Jaro Pichel (ORCID), Stefan Jongen (ORCID), Harm Hospers
- Copyright: the authors and Maastricht University
- License: CC BY 4.0 International
Pichel, J., Jongen, S., & Hospers, H. (2019). The changing role of information literacy skills in higher education. In S. Jongen & J. Pichel (Eds.), Information skills and learning at Maastricht University. Maastricht University Press.
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3. Analysing informed learning at Maastricht University: A narrative review
Paper in the context of the endeavour to focus on learning analytics at Maastricht University (UM). It entails a narrative literature review, discussion points and recommendations as a foundation for further projects related to teaching and learning at UM. This paper provides explicit information for the university-wide project ‘Information-Wise’, which aims to assess the current state of information literacy skills at UM and develop an information literacy programme for students, with online modules that are both generic and discipline-specific.
- Authors: Stefan Jongen (ORCID), Jaro Pichel (ORCID), Frederike Vernimmen-de Jong, Harm Hospers
- Copyright: the author and Maastricht University
- License: CC BY 4.0 International
Jongen, S., Pichel, J., Vernimmen-de Jong, F., & Hospers, H. (2019). Analysing informed learning at Maastricht University: A narrative review. Information skills & learning in higher education. In S. Jongen & J. Pichel (Eds.), Information skills and learning at Maastricht University. Maastricht University Press.
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