(24 September 2018, Boston, MA) Credo has created a Learning Tools product family to offer librarians new and updated resources for teaching foundational skills like information literacy (IL), critical thinking, and communication. The highly-acclaimed InfoLit Modules will now be known as InstructTM to best reflect the growing range of possibilities opened up by the revamped platform.
The addition of ViewTM, an instructional video collection, will help librarians kickstart new initiatives or enhance existing lessons. Credo also announced the forthcoming publication of The IL Strategy Handbook, which will provide a blueprint for creating an information literacy program from planning and promoting through assessment.
A recent employer survey conducted by Credo revealed that a large number of post-secondary graduates today lack certain skills – skills Credo believes are foundational – considered highly desirable by employers, information literacy, critical thinking, communication, and other foundational skills. Not only are these applicable to work in the Knowledge Economy, but foundational skills development has also been shown to help improve student persistence, GPA levels, and graduation rates.
With libraries uniquely positioned to provide teaching in these crucial areas, Credo designed the Learning Tools instructional products to expand upon its initial InfoLit Modules offering. These new resources make it easier than ever for librarians to address the skills gap head-on, providing an essential service to the institution and empowering users to capably navigate the world of information.
“We always strive to make librarians’ jobs easier and better-aligned to their institution’s strategic goals,” said Credo General Manager Ian Singer. “With our new Learning Tools suite, we’re giving libraries more choice in tailoring the content and platform exactly to their institutional needs so as to maximize the reach and effectiveness of foundation skill instruction programs.”
All of the materials in Credo’s Learning Tools are standards-aligned and ADA-compliant. The view provides a collection of 60+ concise and helpful videos on information literacy, communication, quantitative literacy, and other critical thinking skills. Librarians will find it easier to flip classes, collaborate with faculty, and provide point-of-need support consistently across their institution using these high-quality, ready-made videos.
Instruct, formerly known as InfoLit Modules, enriches instruction and assessment with a comprehensive platform of videos, tutorials, and quizzes. Libraries are invited to select from included information literacy and/or critical thinking content packages. The robust assessment capabilities offered through the Credo Insights platform allow librarians to play a larger institutional role in measuring and reporting the foundational skills of students campus-wide. With the ability to accurately measure student performance, librarians are able to adjust their strategy based on assessment analytics, and also provide evidence about the value of information literacy and critical thinking at their institution.
To further assist libraries’ advancement of instruction programming, Credo also announced the forthcoming publication of The IL Strategy Handbook, free resource librarians will be able to gain access to later this fall. Whether launching a new initiative or building upon existing programming, this indispensable handbook will include practical tips for successful planning, marketing to students and faculty, and accurately assessing and reporting results. Librarians may sign up here to receive advance chapter releases ahead of publication.
The announcement is here.
