The I-SKILLS résumé is designed to prompt student reflection and self-assessment
in information literacy. It has become a useful tool in various aspects of instruction.
I-Skills Résumé
(Information Skills and Knowledge for Lifelong Learning Success)
Personal: (Name, Course, Semester)
I. B. Profen, Chemistry 3351, Winter 2003
Special Expertise: (What kinds of info or topics are you especially
adept at finding/evaluating/using)
•Expert at finding government chemical research information
on the web
Education: (What classes, training, reading, self teaching etc. have
you done in the area of information skills)
• MRC Library sessions for the following courses:
• CHEM 2201 – finding articles, assessing web sites
• CHEM 2203 – using CRC, print sources
• CHEM 3350 – finding environmental data
• CHEM 3351 – finding production info, patents
• ENGL 2201 – using library resources
•In-house workshop, “Finding and using data on hazardous
chemicals” during summer employment at Dupont
•Subscribe to “Researchbuzz”
Experience: (what types of information can you find and what tools
can you use – e.g. article databases, library catalogues, deep web
sites, laws, addresses, etc)
• Experienced with online catalogues for
•MRC
•University of Lethbridge
•Lethbridge Public Library
• Expert user of some article databases
•ProQuest
•Wilson Omnifile
• Familiar with using Interlibrary Loan services
• Expert at retrieving MSDS from the Web
• Familiar with standard print tools for Chemistry including
•CRC Handbook
•Merck Index
• Familiar with (CCOHS) website and resources
• Adept at using search engines on government sites
• Can locate patents related to chemical processes
Other: (Anything else pertaining to your information
finding/evaluating/usage skills you'd like an employer to know, e.g.
citing/analysing/bias checking)
•Familiar with documenting sources in APA and MLA formats
•Adept at evaluating websites for authority and currency

Where it came from

Research Project
Long-term study of Journalism students, 2002-2008. Students submit résumés in first,
second and final year, and are contacted one year after graduation.

Research Questions
Do students understand the tool?
Is it easy for students to use?
Does it prompt reflection on information literacy?
If an I-SKILLS résumé is written at various points in an academic career,
does it show skill development?
Is the résumé and/or the reflection it prompts useful in seeking employment?
Don’t know yet
What information literacy skills and knowledge will students report?
Incredible range!

Student Comments (from emails accompanying second-year submissions)
“What I am most pleased with is
the increase in my knowledge
base. I found it amusing that I
used the word “muddled” in
regards to working on the
internet last year. I feel that I
have grown so much I do not
even remember that person
anymore.”
Jeff Harris

“I would really like a
refresher course on
research now that i
think about it.”
Brad Linn

An interest in finding a better way to assess
information skills.
+
An interest in prompting reflection as a
learning strategy.
+
A Group Résumé icebreaker encountered at a
conference.
=
The I-SKILLS Résumé

How it’s used
•. As part of a research project
• As a way of gathering information before a
class
• As a tool for groups to identify who has
research expertise for projects
• As a source document for student portfolios

Advantages
• Simplicity- - Uses a common résumé format,
easily understood by students
• Students describe skills in their own words
• More positive than a ‘test’ – reinforces selfefficacy
• Provides information the student can use

Margy MacMillan
Coordinator, Information/Instruction Services
Mount Royal College Library
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
http://www2.mtroyal.ca/~mmacmillan/research.htm

Association of College and Research Libraries 12th Annual Conference
Poster Presentation #37
Friday, April 8th, 2005, 3:30-4:30

I-SKILLS Résumé
Margy MacMillan

Instructional Librarian, Mount Royal College,
Calgary, AB, Canada

The I-SKILLS résumé is designed to prompt student reflection and self-assessment
in information literacy. It has become a useful tool in various aspects of instruction.
This poster presentation is intended as an open invitation to use the tool if you think it might work for you.
I'd love to hear from anyone using this or similar means of helping students self-assess their information fluency.

PowerPoint Version of Poster as one large slide * html version of the poster

How it's used
•
•
•
•

As a way of gathering information before a class
As a tool for groups to identify who has research expertise for projects
As a source document for student portfolios
As part of a research project (Long-term study of Journalism students, 2002-2008.
Students submit résumés in first, second and final year, and are contacted one year
after graduation.)

Advantages
•
•
•
•

Simplicity - Uses a common résumé format easily understood by students
Students describe skills in their own words
More positive than a ‘test' - reinforces self-efficacy
Provides information the student can use in a variety of ways

Answers to Frequently asked questions from the poster
session
A lot of people had some very good questions about the I-SKILLS résumé poster
- thought I'd add a little to the handout to explain some things in greater detail.
If other questions arise I'll add them (and the answers) here.
How have you given out the survey?
I've given it out in a class prior to library session with instructions that the
students bring the résumé to the session so I could have a look at it before the
session started, and review only what needed reviewing.

I've had the instructor give it to groups for a class where group meetings took
the place of a whole class session as the projects were different enough to make
that work. Students filled it out as group résumé and I used that to encourage a
person who noted experience with databases to show the rest of the group
database searching with me in the background assisting as necessary, then had
someone else from the group demonstrate catalogue searching, etc.
I've made it available as part of a first-year journalism class Blackboard site,
introduced the assignment in person and had the students complete and return
the résumé electronically. I keep the résumés and send them back in second and
third year for updating as part of my research project.
In each case the students are encouraged to keep their résumés for their own
use - in tracking their own progress, in developing portfolios etc.
Do you give the students examples?
The first time I tried it, I gave journalism students a journalism example - bad
idea - what I got back looked a lot like the sample. The second year, I got
smarter and gave the journalism students a chemistry example and the chemists
a journalism example - that worked. This past year I actually forgot the examples
- usually photocopied on the back of the blank résumés - and it didn't seem to
affect student abilities to complete the task.
What was the Icebreaker that gave you the idea?
In a workshop on PBL delivered by Kathy Enger at LOEX of the West 2002, the
opening icebreaker to introduce us to our group members was a group résumé just a regular résumé but combining the education and experience of the group.
The icebreaker required very little time to set up and was immediately
understandable. I thought it was such an elegantly simple way of prompting
reflection that it might work well for information skills - and it has.

For more information
o
o
o

o
o

Visit the library site and check out our worksheets - http://library.mtroyal.ca
Visit my site - http://www2.mtroyal.ca/~mmacmillan
Visit the site for the research project
- http://www2.mtroyal.ca/~mmacmillan/research.htm - you'll find links to
other presentations, an ongoing literature review, and various other
documents
Read the article "'Open Résumé': Magic Words for Assessment" in a
forthcoming issue of College & Research Libraries News
Email me - mmacmillan@mtroyal.ca

ACRL Poster Presentation- Handout
Page Address: http://www2.mtroyal.ab.ca/~mmacmillan/research/acrlhandout.htm
Maintained by Margy MacMillan - mmacmillan@mtroyal.ca - Last Updated 2005-04-11

I-Skills Résumé
(Information Skills and Knowledge for Lifelong Learning Success)
Personal: (Name, Course, Semester)
I. B. Profen, Chemistry 3351, Winter 2003
Special Expertise: (What kinds of info or topics are you especially adept at
finding/evaluating/using)
•

Expert at finding government chemical research information on the web

Education: (What classes, training reading, self teaching etc. have you done in the area of
information skills)
•

•
•

MRC Library sessions for the following courses:
o CHEM 2201 – finding articles, assessing web sites
o CHEM 2203 – using CRC, print sources
o CHEM 3350 – finding environmental data
o CHEM 3351 – finding production info, patents
o ENGL 2201 – using library resources
In-house workshop, “Finding and using data on hazardous chemicals” during summer
employment at Dupont
Subscribe to “Researchbuzz”

Experience: (what types of information can you find and what tools can you use – e.g. article
databases, library catalogues, deep web sites, laws, addresses, etc)
•

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Experienced with online catalogues for:
o MRC
o University of Lethbridge
o Lethbridge Public Library
Expert user of some article databases
o ProQuest
o Wilson Omnifile
Familiar with using Interlibrary Loan services
Expert at retrieving MSDS from the Web
Familiar with standard print tools for Chemistry including
o CRC Handbook
o Merck Index
Familiar with (CCOHS) website and resources
Adept at using search engines on government sites
Can locate patents related to chemical processes

Other: (Anything else pertaining to your information finding/evaluating/usage skills you'd like an
employer to know, e.g. citing/analysing/bias checking)
•
•

Familiar with documenting sources in APA and MLA formats
Adept at evaluating websites for authority and currency