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In today鈥檚 digital era, information comes at us fast and furious, and we must learn to decipher the correct information. Whether we are looking for the day鈥檚 news headlines, researching data for a college paper, or reading about our favorite movie actor, where we get our information and what we trust as correct is crucial.

Just as imperative is the ability to recognize when more information is needed, find that data, and effectively use it.

鈥淲e live in a world where we鈥檙e constantly bombarded with information. And there鈥檚 so much of it that we need to be able to sift through and find what鈥檚 useful,鈥� says Ben Pearson, department chair of general education and social sciences in 91直播鈥檚 College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 鈥淏ut we also need to sift through it and understand what we can and can鈥檛 trust. 鈥� Information literacy is a multifaceted skill. And that鈥檚 part of what鈥檚 complicated about it. It鈥檚 not just one thing; it also involves the ability to evaluate that information and determine its quality.鈥�

Information literacy is a powerful tool that enables individuals to obtain accurate information and make their own decisions on a variety of topics. What鈥檚 more, the ability to critically evaluate information is essential for effectively engaging in society, which fosters a sense of confidence and capability. Individuals with information literacy can critically evaluate information from leaders, media outlets, and interest groups. The result is the ability to make informed decisions, participate in meaningful public discussions, and hold leaders听accountable.

In an October 2023 LinkedIn post, Wazi Nxumalo, founder and president of the University of Eswatini Information Science Society, wrote that one of the most significant benefits of information literacy is its effectiveness in combating fake news and misinformation. In an era where social media has made it increasingly challenging for people to distinguish fact from fiction, information literacy provides individuals with the necessary skills to evaluate sources, verify information, and make decisions based on reliable data. This focus on fighting misinformation can help people feel more secure and less vulnerable in the digital age.

But information literacy is not just important when reading the news. It鈥檚 also an important competency for students.

Building Firebreaks

In higher education, ideas are conceived, tested, and refined. Within this environment, information literacy is not only a skill but also a fundamental component of the educational process that many colleges and universities have consistently explored. Emphasizing the importance of information literacy in higher education can help students feel more prepared and competent in their academic endeavors.

The term 鈥渋nformation literacy鈥� was first included in the Middle States Commission on Higher Education鈥檚 standards for accreditation in 1989. (91直播 is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. secretary of education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.) In 1998, the Association of College and Research Libraries established the Task Force on Information Literacy Competency Standards for higher education, which were revised in January 2000.

With these standards as a foundation, Project Information Literacy (PIL), a nonprofit research institute, began a comprehensive study in 2008. The aim was to understand why students nationwide chose to use public search engines and internet sites like Google and Wikipedia, respectively, for academic research instead of resources offered by their local campus libraries.

Over the subsequent 14 years, PIL published reports and articles based on 12 studies involving nearly 21,000 students and graduates from 91 institutions across the United States. Their findings reveal the challenges students face when trying to locate and engage with information.

In PIL鈥檚 first report, titled 鈥淔inding Context: What Today鈥檚 College Students Say about Conducting Research in the Digital Age,鈥� published in 2009, studies reveal that participants rely on various sources, including libraries, Google, and Wikipedia. However, they expressed frustration and confusion when trying to find relevant results for their college assignments or everyday questions. This indicates that even at the beginning of the century, students were overwhelmed by confusing, inaccurate, and irrelevant information, highlighting the need for a clearer understanding of information听literacy.

Now, in 2025, students are still struggling with where they get their information. A recent study by the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies of the Universiti Teknologi MARA finds that students are increasingly using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to obtain their news, resulting in consistently receiving misinformation, since these platforms are only lightly moderated. After interviewing and studying 241 students, they find that students with more advanced literacy skills were better enabled to fact-check and analyze the content they consumed from a variety of sources.

The Pew Research Center, based in Washington, D.C., supports these findings. Pew has found that since 2020, a growing number of U.S. adults and young adults have been using TikTok as their information source.

Taming the Conflagration

At 91直播, staff and instructors are helping students ask the right questions and become masters of information literacy.

Excelsior has offered its Information Literacy course, INL 102, since around 2018. All students who attend Excelsior must complete this required information literacy component within the first 13 University credits they take. It鈥檚 important for students to learn how to research, read and process information, and cite sources while at Excelsior.

Recently the University introduced an updated version of the course that provides more faculty involvement and intriguing discussion topics. 鈥淲e have a little more interaction and engagement with faculty in the class than we had before, 鈥� [and] the students appreciate it a lot more. 鈥� We can have conversations. We can have questions about things, and it鈥檚 not just, you know, 鈥楻ead this chapter and take this test,鈥欌�� Pearson says. As one example of a discussion topic, students talk about how even academic scholars and journalists sometimes get things wrong and how they have processes designed to minimize those problems and help them stay accurate.

Nicole Childrose, an INL 102 instructor, outlines the course: 鈥淔rom the outset, students engage in collaborative discussions to master critical concepts, such as identifying misinformation, navigating library and online databases, detecting cybersecurity threats like phishing, and understanding the nuances of citing sources and paraphrasing. This foundation ensures they grasp the principles of academic honesty and integrity, critical thinking, research skills, and communication.鈥�

INL 102 provides students with foundational skills to use throughout college and life to make sound judgments about credible information. Students learn how to evaluate the quality and credibility of information presented in textual and nontextual sources, which ensures that their research is grounded in factual, well-supported evidence. This skill is necessary for writing research papers, preparing presentations, and participating in academic discussions.

鈥淪tudents are guided through important discussions about scholarly resources and how to move through the world of information gathering, which is foundational to creating research reports and college success in general,鈥� says Adam Rafalovich, another INL 102 instructor.

For some students, the temptation to copy and paste when working on multiple papers can be challenging to ignore. However, understanding the ethical use of information and the importance of original thought is critical to information literacy. Students in INL 102 and courses like it learn that proper citation is an academic requirement and a way to respect intellectual property. Students learn about citing sources, respecting the intellectual contributions of others, and the importance of producing original work. This not only upholds academic integrity but also fosters a culture of respect and honesty.

Additionally, students in INL 102 learn how to identify common cybersecurity threats and strategies to avoid them. This helps students avoid dangerous online behavior and navigate the digital landscape.

Igniting Smarter Info Seekers

Research shows that higher education students significantly improve their overall engagement and study habits when they learn to make information-literate decisions.

At Excelsior, students benefit from learning about information literacy through INL 102. Course outcomes include assessing the quality of information in various sources and evaluating arguments for logical fallacies. Based on course reviews, students are gaining these important skills they can use in academic and nonacademic environments. 鈥淔rom course evaluations and talking to students, I would say the majority of them really find it interesting,鈥� Pearson says. He adds that many students have changed their way of thinking about gathering and interpreting information and that 鈥渢hey dig a little deeper into where [information] comes from and then evaluate the quality based on that.鈥�

Childrose notes that the human element is crucial to effectively understanding all forms of knowledge in a world with increasing use of artificial intelligence. 鈥淟everaging information literacy equips us to question and interpret AI outputs and ensure technology鈥檚 ethical and practical use in academic, real-world, and professional settings,鈥� she says. 鈥淏eyond AI, it encompasses the ability to navigate and manage digital tools, platforms, and new technologies鈥攁n essential baseline skill in the 21st century.鈥�

Building on this idea, Childrose emphasizes that information literacy not only helps individuals engage with AI responsibly but also equips them with the critical skills needed to navigate the broader digital landscape effectively. 鈥淏y understanding ethics, conducting research, and applying these [information literacy] skills across various situations,鈥� she says, 鈥渟tudents are well-prepared to handle the complexities of the digital age with confidence and competence.鈥�

 

At her own Commencement in 1996, Ruth Lown Turman knew she and her fellow graduates had reached a milestone together, but there was something missing: the physical representation that they were now part of the alumni community.

鈥淎lthough we had gotten to Commencement through varying paths, we were leaving with a common identity and a common mission as alumni,鈥� recalls Turman. From that moment forward, the Class of 1996 represented Excelsior (then Regents College) and would be bringing their knowledge into their communities and workplaces. She thought it was important that this was represented in some way, but how?

That鈥檚 when Turman landed on the idea of an alumni torch. It was an idea she held on to for the next 27 years.

A Proud Graduate

After graduating in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems, Turman quickly moved from a career in banking to working as a quality assurance analyst for an IT services company whose customers were some of the largest financial institutions in the United States. Careers in project management, business process engineering, and proposal management followed. 鈥淢y Excelsior education provided the perfect foundation to allow my professional career to grow and evolve organically,鈥� says Turman.

But the impact of her Excelsior experience wasn鈥檛 just professional. Within a year of graduating, Turman became a member of Excelsior鈥檚 (then Regents College) alumni council. She says the true measure of the impact of the Alumni Association came during the first year she served on the council when she was diagnosed with cancer. 鈥淚 tendered my resignation, but instead the council rearranged its schedule and events so that I was able to continue to participate throughout my treatments; the council became an extended family during those difficult days,鈥� says Turman.

Being an Excelsior graduate has always meant something to Turman, so much so that one way Turman has personally given back is when, as a member of the alumni council, she made sure graduates weren鈥檛 alone during their Commencement. She says, 鈥淥ver the years, I have attempted to adopt graduates who are at Commencement without family or friends so that they have someone who鈥檚 there to help them with their regalia and someone who encourages them as they walk across the stage and to applaud them.鈥�

A Fortuitous Conversation

In late spring 2022, Turman made a connection that kick-started making her vision of an alumni torch a reality.

While she was making a scholarship donation to Excelsior, Turman had the opportunity to speak with Jamie Hicks-Furgang, assistant vice president of development and alumni engagement. Turman shared her idea of an alumni torch with Hicks-Furgang, and they discussed the torch becoming a Commencement alumni tradition. Excelsior鈥檚 Alumni Engagement and Marketing teams immediately began preparations to produce an alumni torch based on Turman鈥檚 vision.

The Alumni Leadership Council also recognized the torch鈥檚 potential to become 91直播鈥檚 first alumni tradition. Even more exciting was that the institution could start the tradition in July 2023 at the 51st Commencement, Excelsior鈥檚 first Commencement as a university.

To Turman, the torch represents three important principles: scholarship, leadership, and service: scholarship because graduates chose Excelsior to continue their education; leadership because in earning their degrees, they have proven their ability to set and achieve goals; and service because it is a graduate鈥檚 responsibility to serve their community and give back to the University. Turman believes the torch symbolizes an opportunity for graduates to feel part of the University community and lets them know that their engagement with Excelsior doesn鈥檛 end once they graduate. 鈥淭hey are part of a community both at the University and within the alumni community that will support them and help them achieve their goals in life,鈥� she says.

From Turman鈥檚 perspective, it is important for alumni to remember they belong to something larger than themselves 鈥斺�塧 growing community dedicated to helping each other and supporting Excelsior鈥檚 mission. 鈥淎s alumni, we will always be a part of 91直播; it鈥檚 important to remember that connection and to carry it with us forward,鈥� Turman says. 鈥淭he torch gives us an opportunity to physically demonstrate that we are carrying that light out into the community.鈥�

On July 14, 2023, Turman shared that light with more than 446 graduates and their families at Excelsior鈥檚 Commencement in Albany, New York. Draped in her regalia, Turman led the procession of the Alumni Leadership Council, proudly carrying the new torch for all to see. After degrees were awarded, Turman鈥攚ith eyes shining and grin beaming鈥攅xcitedly passed the torch to graduate speaker Jason DeLonais, a 2022 Master of Science in Criminal Justice and 2009 Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts graduate. For a moment the two stood, hands of each on the handle of the alumni torch, and held the new symbol high for all to see Excelsior鈥檚 first alumni听tradition.