Gaps in Information Literacy Knowledge and Skills Among First-Year Postsecondary Students in Minnesota - Executive Summary and Recommendations

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang

Minnesota first-year postsecondary students are entering college without essential information literacy skills needed to navigate education, careers, and civic life. Faculty interviews across two- and four-year institutions describe major gaps in accessing diverse sources, evaluating credibility and accuracy, and synthesizing and sharing findings ethically, increasingly challenged by misinformation and generative AI. These gaps divert instructional time to remediation and reduce confidence and deep learning while widening inequities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Executive summary

Key findings

Identifying and accessing diverse sources

Evaluating sources for credibility and accuracy

Synthesizing and sharing findings ethically

Recommendations

For K–12 educators and administrators

For policymakers

Methods

Gaps in Information Literacy Knowledge and Skills Among First-Year Postsecondary Students in Minnesota Key Findings and Recommendations from Interviews with Faculty Authors: Anna Granias & Stephanie Nelson-Dusek Executive summary Minnesota students are entering college without the essential information literacy skills needed to navigate their education, careers, and civic life. As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how information is produced and misinformation spreads rapidly across digital platforms, faculty report growing concern about students’ability to find, evaluate, synthesize, and responsibly share information. These gaps are not marginal; they are reshaping teaching, constraining learning, and compounding inequities across disciplines and institutions. This study draws on faculty perspectives from across Minnesota’s two-and four-year colleges and universities to examine where first-year students struggle most and what changes are needed to better prepare students for postsecondary success. KEY FINDINGS Faculty reported the largest and most consequential skill gaps in three interconnected areas: 􀂄 Identifying and accessing diverse sources Students rely heavily on narrow, familiar tools (e.g. , Google or a single database), struggle to use search strategies effectively, and have limited understanding of source types or how information systems are structured. They struggle to seek out multiple perspectives or intentionally consider who produces information and why. 􀂄 Evaluating sources for credibility and accuracy Students tend to rely on surface indicators of credibility (appearance, familiarity, ranking) rather than contextual judgment. Verification and corroboration practices are weak, and students struggle to distinguish fact from opinion or identify misinformation—challenges amplified by increasing use of generative AI tools. 􀂄 Synthesizing and sharing findings ethically Rather than integrating ideas to develop new understanding, students often compile sources without meaning making. Conclusions are frequently underdeveloped, and ethical responsibilities related to audience, framing, and interpretation receive limited attention. Reflection on the research process is typically procedural rather than analytical, and research is rarely approached as iterative inquiry. 􀂄 These gaps negatively affect instruction and student outcomes at the college level. Faculty reported spending substantial instructional time remediating foundational skills , which meant that class time was diverted away from in-depth content, applied learning, and higher-order thinking. Courses are increasingly structured around scaffolding and process management rather than exploration and depth. For students, information literacy gaps compound over time, contributing to shallow engagement, reduced confidence, overreliance on AI, and difficulty navigating uncertainty. Faculty emphasized that these challenges likely extend beyond coursework, affecting students’readiness for professional work, civic participation, and lifelong learning. 􀂄 Evidence supports an investment in licensed library professionals in K-12 schools. In the 2024-25 school year, 250,375 Minnesota students across 521 schools had no access to a licensed school library media specialist and only 19% of school libraries met the full statutory definition of a school library. This is despite more than 50 years of research illustrating the correlation between having licensed professionals in schools and increased student proficiency in subjects like reading and math (Burress et al. , 2023; Otero Martinez, 2024; Wine et al. , 2023) . RECOMMENDATIONS Faculty shared several clear and actionable recommendations for the K-12 education system and policymakers: FOR K–12 EDUCATORS AND ADMINISTRATORS 􀀹 Make information literacy explicit and foundational. Integrate it intentionally across disciplinesand support it with trained librarians and media specialis

FAQs

What are the three largest information literacy gaps identified by faculty?

Faculty reported the biggest gaps in identifying and accessing diverse sources, evaluating credibility and accuracy, and synthesizing and sharing findings ethically.

How do these gaps affect instruction and student outcomes at the college level?

Faculty reported spending substantial time remediating foundational skills, which reduces time for in-depth content and higher-order thinking. Students then show shallow engagement, reduced confidence, overreliance on AI, and difficulty navigating uncertainty.

What recommendations are made for K–12 educators and administrators?

Recommendations include making information literacy explicit and foundational across disciplines, prioritizing inquiry as a process, sustaining reading and synthesis beyond early grades, teaching ethical and transparent AI use, and encouraging collaboration with librarians.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Bintang