Community College STEM Faculty and the ACRL Framework: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This study explores the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) community college faculty’s perspectives on the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Framework). Previous studies of the Framework implementation have primarily focused on the librarians’ perspectives and efforts. This pilot project seeks to bridge the gap in the study of STEM faculty’s views regarding the Framework in a community college setting. STEM faculty were asked to rate the importance of information literacy knowledge practices based on the Framework in the spring semester of 2021. The paper discusses STEM faculty’s ratings of the knowledge practices from each frame. These preliminary findings can be used by STEM librarians and STEM faculty, as well as administrators in charge of STEM programs or curricula at community colleges, for (re)designing information literacy instruction, integrating information literacy in programs, or assessing information literacy learning outcomes that utilize frames from the Framework.