The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a course of action designed to improve student learning. The QEP affords GCSC an opportunity to focus on one area that will increase institutional quality and effectiveness in teaching and learning.
Critical Academic Literacy
Gulf Coast State College chose Critical Academic Literacy as its QEP topic. Specifically, GCSC's five year plan is
"Enhancing Students’ Critical Academic Literacy (CAL) through enhancements to classroom pedagogy."
The Information Literacy program will prepare your students for library research as they are introduced to the skills necessary to become information literate. The information literate student recognizes their need for information, then accesses, evaluates, and uses information ethically.
Information Literacy instruction is designed to provide your students with the instruction they need to evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information for their research papers and projects. Librarians introduce research steps and students participate in hands on search activities using library databases and other library resources to meet their information need. These research steps help students achieve critical academic literacy.
Students first identify their informational need, likely a research essay. When students know their assignment they are able to select the best source of information for their assignment.
Students evaluate the source of information, including the format and publication information, to determine the best and most relevant to their need.
Students access library resources using their GCSC Student ID number and PIN.
Students analyze the information to determine the accuracy, currency, authority, and relevancy for their need.
Students synthesize the information to incorporate newly acquired knowledge with the background and prior knowledge the student already has concerning their need. They then use the information (prior and acquired) to complete their assignment.
The information literate student adheres to the ethical and legal use of information by correctly citing sources in the appropriate style for the course and does not plagiarize.
