Work in progress — Assessing information literacy in civil engineering

Although information literacy is not specifically mentioned in the ABET outcomes, the development of these skills is essential to the achievement of several outcomes. Civil Engineering faculty at the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) have developed performance indicators and assessment tools under existing ABET outcomes designed to develop and improve student information literacy skills. The link to ABET specific outcomes enables students to see the connection between information literacy and their ability to engage in lifelong learning, to follow contemporary issues, and to use modern information technology tools in their engineering work. The authors discuss steps taken at the USCGA to evaluate aspects of information literacy within the current assessment process in the Department of Civil Engineering.