Developing Data Literacy Programs: Working with Faculty, Graduate Students and Undergraduates

Building data information literacy among faculty, graduate students and undergrads was the focus of a 2015 RDAP Summit panel, with panelists describing programs at different institutions geared to each of these target groups. The Data Information Literacy project identified 12 key competencies for graduate students and how librarians could help build those skills. The Data Management Strategies Self-Assessment encourages junior faculty members to objectively consider their research data management practices and to prioritize issues and tasks. Identifying and addressing the data information literacy competencies of undergraduate students is challenging, with their widely diverse backgrounds and needs. Varied creative approaches, such as embedding lessons within a class, presenting workshops and developing partnerships and research mentorships, have been successful. Data Information Literacy project teams have developed educational programs, compared and integrated their experiences and offer guidelines, available online, for developing digital literacy programs at other institutions.