World War II Poster Project www.paperandpixels.org

David Del Testa, Ph.D. HistoryAbby Clobridge, M.S. Library Science

World War II Poster Project Learning Objectives Mapped to Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

Phases in the Process of Teaching Information Literacy MSCHE Phase

Selected Details of Phase

Integration into WW2 Poster Project

Phase 1: Preparing Students for an Information Literacy Experience

At beginning of class, provide a clear presentation of:

- what students will learn in the course

- how information literacy relates to those learning goals

During Session 2, instructors provide overview of project and intended outcome.

Phase 2: Teaching Students to Find and Evaluate Sources

Address basic principles of finding and evaluating sources. Can be addressed via formal lectures, discussion sections, library visits, writing workshops, computer labs, or classroom management systems.

In-class exercise during Session 2 using personal response systems to discuss basics of finding and evaluating sources. Selected topics included:

- Understanding citations - Finding materials in a

university library - Inter-library loan

Phase 3: Teaching Students to Evaluate and Understand Content

- Framing the research

question - Identify and access

information sources - Evaluate the information - Use the information

affectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

In class during Session 2, students begin to work in pairs to frame their individual research questions and strategies. Throughout project: Students work to identify, access, and evaluation information sources.

Phase 4: Producing New Information

“Students gain critical insights about information literacy through their own production of information which is likely to be the result of some form of active learning opportunities.”

Students write papers to place posters within historical context, make connections between poster and broader World War II experience, and draw connections between posters and current events. In class: students create a digital library with surrogate images of posters and data related to posters.