Competency-Based Education in Information Literacy

Competency-based education is a learner-centered approach to curriculum and instruction where students are measured solely on their ability to demonstrate mastery of competencies. Learning environments are created to be as close to real-world situations as possible. Students are often on their own learning paths and working at their own paces. Teachers or instructors are guides rather than deliverers of facts and knowledge. This pedagogical choice makes an effective option for information literacy instruction as the students learn information seeking and critiquing in a setting much like they would experience when seeking information outside of educational settings.