Teaching Information Literacy Certificate (Non-Ohio State Participants)

Are you interested in learning more about information literacy and identifying strategies for teaching information literacy concepts? The Ohio State University Libraries Teaching & Learning Department is now offering a Teaching Information Literacy Certificate to non-Ohio State affiliated individuals who participate in at least 8 information literacy-focused virtual workshops.  

Who May Participate? 

This certificate is available to course instructors, graduate teaching assistants/associates, instructional designers or instructional support professionals, high school teachers, and librarians and library workers (academic, public, and school) that are not affiliated with Ohio State. Participants from all disciplinary backgrounds and teaching contexts are welcome.

Please note: If you are affiliated with Ohio State, please enroll in the Teaching Information Literacy endorsement program offered through the Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For more information on the program, see: Teaching Information Literacy at Ohio State.   

What Will I Learn?

All participants should:  

  • Develop an enhanced understanding of information literacy, including core information literacy concepts from the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education 
  • Identify outdated approaches or notions related to teaching research practices
  • Identify misunderstandings or misconceptions that students often have related to research or inquiry-based assignments  
  • Recognize the ways in which tacit disciplinary or academic knowledge about research can contribute to learning challenges for students on research or inquiry-based assignments  
  • Develop new strategies, approaches, and activities for teaching information literacy and research-related concepts and skills 
  • Critically consider their role and responsibilities related to the teaching of information literacy and research practices

In addition, librarians should also:

  • Explore how librarians can support the teaching of research practices and the integration of information literacy into the curriculum beyond teaching in the one-shot context

What Do I Need to Do? 

To apply for the certificate, you will need to: 

Attend at least 8 online workshops. A list of available workshops is here: Teaching Information Literacy Workshops. As part of the 8 workshops, there are three required workshops:

In addition to the three required workshops, participants should attend at least five additional elective workshops

After completing at least 8 workshops, submit an application to: https://go.osu.edu/tilcertificateapplication. As part of the application, you will be required to provide a list of the workshops you attended and provide responses to four reflection questions. For additional information on completing the application, see: Applying for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate.

You can use the following form to keep track of the workshops attended: TIL Certificate Workshop Tracking.

How Much Will This Cost? 

The certificate program is completely free.  

Why Should I Participate?

For course instructors, teachers, graduate teaching assistants/associates, and instructional support professionals: Students frequently struggle to meet instructor expectations for research and inquiry-based assignments. Information literacy is a set of core competencies and dispositions that are crucial to students’ ability to complete such assignments. However, many college students are provided with limited opportunities to learn the skills and habits associated with information literacy. Information literacy cannot be taught in a single session, but must be continually integrated and reinforced across a student’s entire academic experience. In addition, information literacy practices are often closely intertwined with disciplinary practice.

Course instructors (and designers) have a key role to place in teaching disciplinary research practices and information literacy. By learning more about information literacy, and strategies that you can use to incorporate information literacy concepts into courses, you can therefore contribute to increased student learning and success.   

For librarians: Librarians often face significant expectations to teach information literacy, and to collaborate with faculty in teaching information literacy, but research shows that many librarians feel that they do not receive adequate support for doing so in their LIS programs. Completing this program will allow you to enhance your knowledge of information literacy, develop strategies for teaching information literacy yourself, and explore how you can collaborate with course instructors to support the integration of information literacy into the curriculum.   

For academic librarians that are interested in participating, please note that while much of the content from the workshops may be applicable to teaching in the one-shot format, the focus of this program is not primarily to provide strategies or resources for teaching only within the one-shot context. Instead, one of the goals of the program is to encourage librarian participants to (re)consider additional ways in which librarians can support students’ information literacy development beyond the one-shot. 

How Do I Enroll? 

If you are interested in earning the certificate, complete the following form: Teaching Information Literacy Certificate. You will receive an email with additional information about what you need to do. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I am not able to attend all workshops synchronously?

While we encourage synchronous attendance, we will allow participants to complete up to 3 of the 8 workshops asynchronously. For this, you should register for the workshops that you would like to receive a recording of, as registration will ensure that you get the follow-up email with a link to the recording. You may also view recordings of past workshops and count these viewings toward the 3 allowed asynchronous workshops.

What if I cannot complete all the required workshops in one semester?

While the program may be completed in one semester, it is not required that you complete the certificate program in a single semester. Additional workshops will continue to be offered throughout the year.

How long after I submit my application until I receive my certificate?

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and you should expect a decision within 3-4 weeks of application submission. If your application is approved, you will receive a certificate of completion. If your application is not approved, you will have the chance to revise it and resubmit.

Questions? 

If you have any questions about the certificate program, email LIB-Teach@osu.edu or contact Jane Hammons (hammons.73@osu.edu) or Amanda Folk (folk.68@osu.edu).