• Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Hartness Home For Faculty Teaching Resources TILT (Information Literacy Tutorial)
E-mail Print

TILT (The Information Literacy Tutorial)

TILT is a tutorial designed to help students become familiar with concepts and terminology related to library and Web research, evaluating and citing sources, and understanding how to use information for academic work.

TILT is divided into four modules covering different aspects of the research process:

  1. Sources of Information
  2. Finding Information
  3. Evaluating Sources of Information
  4. Using Information from your Sources

A printable version of the tutorial is also available (PDF) (1 MB, 35 pages).

TILT and TILT Quizzes in Moodle

Faculty, particularly those who teach Dimensions of Work or Dimensions of Freedom are encouraged to incorporate the TILT modules, TILT-based assignments, activities, and TILT quizzes into their course curriculum and Moodle course site. (Each of the the TILT modules has an associated 10 question Moodle Quiz addressing the concepts in the module.)

For information on adding the TILT modules and quizzes to your course see Adding TILT Modules and Quizzes to Moodle Courses. A printable version of the quizzes is also available (PDF) (23 KB, 4 pages).

TILT Assignment Ideas

If you choose to incorporate the TILT Tutorial into your course, you can use these assignments which correspond with the information literacy skills in each module.

Module 1 - Types of Sources

  • Select an author to research:
    1. Start by using a reference book (literature dictionary or encyclopedia). You’ll find several to choose from on the Hartness Library website under Find Books & Reference > Search Reference. What reference book did you use? What type of information does the reference book tell you about your author?
    2. Next find a magazine or journal article (magazine feature article, book review, literary criticism) about your author. You can search any of the Library’s English, Humanities & Communication databases through the Library website (Find Articles > Search Databases by Subject). What type of article did you find? What information does that article give you about your author?
    3. Finally, find a credible website about your author. You can find some examples of credible websites about authors on the Library website under Guides & Help > Recommended Websites. How did you determine if the website you found was credible? Where is the website coming from (who is responsible for the information)? What does the information on the website tell you about your author?

  • After selecting your topic, name three different sources of information that you plan to use to find background information for your paper. Describe how you can tell if those sources have reliable information.

  • Find an article from a newspaper or popular magazine, such as Newsweek, Time, or People. Then locate a peer-reviewed article on that topic from the Academic OneFile database. Describe the difference between popular and peer-reviewed articles.

  • Investigate a current issue or problem in your community. Propose ideas for addressing this issue and a plan of action to resolve the current conflict or injustice. Select three sources which provide information about the issue.

  • Review a pro/con argument on your topic using the Opposing Viewpoints database. How does a viewpoint article compare to an academic journal article? A primary source?

Module 2 - Finding Information

  • This week, we will research the topic of work ethics; pick a career field that interests you and find one newspaper, magazine, or journal article about an issue related to ethics in that field. Use the Hartness Library’s article databases in your field (Library website > Find Articles > Search Databases by Subject) to find an article. Which search words were the most effective to find articles? What was name of the periodical your article was published in? Briefly summarize the article and comment on the ethical issue you learned about.

  • Is your topic too broad? Use several different resources (e.g. magazines, websites, newspaper or journal articles) to narrow the focus of your topic.

  • (Provide students with a popular or magazine article which refers to original research in an academic journal article - contact a librarian for assistance locating examples of such articles.) Locate the original research findings on which this article is based. Describe the difference between the popular article and the original research. How accurate is the popular article? Does it summarize the research correctly or is it biased?

  • Locate all of the material, including books, magazine and journal articles, and websites, which one author or scholar has published. Create a bibliography of their complete list of works.

Module 3 - Evaluating Sources of Information

  • The diary of Anne Frank is an example of a primary source, written during the time of the Holocaust in Europe. Using the Web, locate one other example of a primary source you could use to research the Holocaust. Describe the source you find and the website you found it on. Is this website a credible source of information? Why or why not? What makes the information you found a primary source?

  • Complete the Evaluating Sources of Information section in Module 3. Locate a website on your topic and evaluate it based on the five ways of evaluating information in the tutorial.

  • Use the historical New York Times database to research your topic. Find one article on your topic from the present (2000-2008) and one from the past. How do they differ? What is the earliest date for a New York Times article on your topic? Why?

  • Information on the Web can come from individuals, organizations, companies, governments or institutions (such as universities or libraries). Conduct a Web search on your topic using an Internet search engine (e.g. Google, Bing, Yahoo). Locate examples of information from three different information sources (e.g. one .com, one .edu, and one .gov).

Module 4 - Using Information from your Sources

  • Locate three sources on a topic of your choice related to slavery and racial segregation in the U.S. (e.g. the abolitionist movement, the Underground Railroad, Jim Crow laws). Two sources should be from academic journals and one source may be a book, eBook, or credible website. Search for articles in the Library’s History databases through the Library website (Find Articles > Search Databases by Subject) or eBook databases (Find Books & Videos> Search eBooks). If you use websites, you’ll need to evaluate the website to make sure it’s coming from an academic/credible source. Cite your sources in MLA format and annotate each source (briefly summarize the source and describe how it is relevant to the topic you pick).

  • Create a research log! Document where you found information for your assignment, describe the resources you find (content, author, scope, date of publication) and why you chose to include them. Plan to share your research log in class.

  • Create an annotated bibliography of works on your topic. Use one of the Library's citation resources to format your citations in MLA or APA style.