College students preparing to enter the workplace face a widening information landscape. Margaret Phillips, associate professor and engineering information specialist in the Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies, served as principal investigator for an initiative to improve information literacy skills in undergraduate students.

The completed project, “Preparing students for today’s informed workplace: a transdisciplinary information literacy badging approach,” resulted in a Brightspace course available for anyone affiliated with Purdue to self-enroll. Industry leaders, entrepreneurs and Purdue faculty influenced the course, named “University to Workplace Information Strategies.”

“It’s an opportunity for students to get some education in an area that wouldn't naturally fit into their program,” Phillips explained.

The following individuals joined Phillips’ team: 

• Dave Zwicky, associate professor and chemical information specialist (Libraries faculty)
• Heather Howard, associate professor, Barkley Business Librarian and director of undergraduate education (Libraries faculty)
• Fred Berry, professor in the School of Engineering Technology

The Brightspace course includes five modules: Information Gathering, Competitive Intelligence, Patents, Industry Standards and Informed Communication.

“It’s set up using a micro-learning and micro-credentialing approach,” Phillips said. “The different short videos are very targeted toward an aspect of content.”

The modules, each containing six to 10 short videos, can be integrated into coursework or taken independently. Phillips said the goal is to provide a foundation for instructors to build upon in their specific discipline rather than to take a deep dive into each topic.

After watching the videos and completing short assessments, students can earn digital badges for each module. These badges, indicative of 45 to 60 minutes of learning, can be added to a digital resume or exported to sites like LinkedIn. Over 2,500 badges have been awarded to successful students since the course launched in August 2022.

One student noted in a feedback survey that they planned to use their badge to help stand out from other applicants on LinkedIn.

Phillips said the videos don’t incorporate a purely academic view of what’s deemed valuable information. Feedback from industry leaders and local entrepreneurs  enhanced the course, reinforcing topics students often struggle with when entering the workplace.

“The information I learned in this module will help me apply basic skills such as analyzing internal and external factors when running an organization,” one student wrote in a survey after completing the Competitive Intelligence module.

Phillips said information overload is a major issue; that’s why she thinks it’s important for professionals to quickly determine relevant information for their needs, as this affects how they fill their roles and connect with people. Each workplace has different needs for information circles, said Phillips, and the information landscape in these settings can differ significantly from that found in academia.

The Purdue Innovation Hub, as well as the Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies, supported Phillips and her team. The project received funding during the first call for Innovation Hub grants in 2022.

For more information, visit the Workplace Information Literacy website. Purdue faculty and staff interested in funding opportunities through the Innovation Hub are encouraged to connect with Beth Fines, Innovation Hub managing director.