Information Literacy in the Accounting Classroom: A Collaborative Effort

Abstract

This article examines the teaching of information literacy skills to accounting students through a case study in which the authors, an accounting professor and a business librarian, collaborated to address students’ lack of knowledge about finding and incorporating credible, valid, and accurate sources of information into their research. Together, the authors developed a class project that required students in a governmental and nonprofit accounting class to identify a critical issue in the field, research the background of the issue, form an opinion, and, ultimately, select information sources that support their findings and arguments. The students then participated in a peer review process where they evaluated the work of their classmates. Using an information literacy score computed based on an analysis of student bibliographies, a statistically significant improvement from students’ first to final drafts was found. In addition, it was found that students became more comfortable evaluating the credibility, accuracy, and validity of sources over the course of the project. Collectively, these results provide support for the use of similar projects in accounting curricula to address deficits in information literacy skills.

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