Information skills in Further Education: a business studies perspective

Abstract

Despite the fact that over the past 20 years the importance of information skills tuition has been increasingly recognised, many students are still reaching tertiary education with few, if any, of the skills required to consistently find and use information.

Much work has been done to compensate for this lack of skills in Higher Education, but in Further Education (FE), until recently, little systematic effort has been put into solving the problem.

At the same time, FE colleges are undergoing major changes in adopting a modular approach, and courses are becoming far more student-centred with an increasing emphasis on independent learning and project work. However, library instruction in FE tends to be very basic and few students receive any lessons in information handling.

This paper portrays the results of a survey into the information skills abilities of students in Scottish colleges of Further Education. The focus is on students studying for the National Certificate in Business Studies because of their above average library use.

Results suggest that students have particular problems related to the cognitive skills required to analyse project requirements, even before they enter the library.

These problems are quantified, and the paper concludes that the information skills abilities of students in Scottish Further Education colleges are well below desired standards if students are to be expected to produce independent project work.