ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE THROUGH INFORMATION LITERACY AS PART OF INNOVATIVE CURRICULUM

A great responsibility facing education today is to develop students with information
literacy while pursuing their education and extend it further in their workplace. In order
for today's students to excel in the 21st century, they must be able to acquire, evaluate,
and use and present information effectively. They must become information literate
workers, teachers, facilitators and coachers. Information literacy skills allow the problem
solving, critical and creative thinking, decision making, and cooperative learning that
prepare students for the challenges in society. Information literacy leads to skilful,
responsible thinking that facilitates good judgement because it relies on criteria, is selfcorrecting
and is sensitive to context. It helps growth of individuals through a number of
methods, programmes and techniques. It would be useful if the educational incorporate
these elements since the elementary stage so that by the time their reach the college and
university level, they have acquired the reading and information skills much required in
the current information and knowledge era.
Keywords: Information skills, information literacy, knowledge, knowledge culture,
curriculum, critical thinking and higher education