By Michelle Kowalsky and Andrea Baer

Michelle Kowalsky and Andrea Baer (Campbell Library, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ) have created the teaching resource “Information Literacy Through Entrepreneurial Thinking: Activities for Teaching Across the Disciplines.” 

The activities in “Information Literacy Through Entrepreneurial Thinking” are intended to support students in developing their information literacy and research skills through entrepreneurial thinking, as well as to support the university in integrating information literacy, critical thinking, and principles of innovation and entrepreneurship across the Rowan curriculum. Entrepreneurial thinking draws on divergent thinking, as individuals explore, experiment, and consider problems and possible solutions from many angles, including those of individuals and groups that are likely to be invested in the problem or question at hand. An entrepreneurial mindset can help students embrace a creative, goal-driven approach to problem solving and find new and better solutions to global, local, and personal challenges.

The activities in “Information Literacy Through Entrepreneurial Thinking” illustrate how entrepreneurial thinking and information literacy share many of the same metacognitive, critical thinking, and behavioral skills that students need to be successful in school and in life. The sample activities include discussion prompts and activities that are relevant across academic disciplines and programs, and that also apply to everyday experiences. For example, students can generate keywords and subject terms as they brainstorm different words for sneakers;  take on the role of people talking at a party, as they identify the arguments made in sources and explore how those arguments reflect a larger “conversation”;  create maps or diagrams that reflect the different “information neighborhoods” where students find sources; or  draw cartoons that reflect students’ understandings of the research process. The activities are designed to draw out and build on students' previous experiences and knowledge; to introduce new ways of approaching inquiry and source-based research; and to encourage engagement and shared skill development, ideally making research fun, interesting, and meaningful.

This project was created with fellowship support from the Rowan Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE), a campus-wide initiative which promotes entrepreneurship across the curriculum. The RCIE offers resources and support to Rowan faculty looking to integrate elements of entrepreneurship and innovation into their courses. Prior to applying for the RCIE fellowship, Michelle and Andrea each participated in their campus’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, which was offered to faculty from all subject areas. The bootcamp series, which is offered each academic year, involves approximately six two-hour training sessions led by faculty members of the RCIE, whose goal is to promote entrepreneurship across the curriculum. The RCIE Center then provides resources and support to Rowan faculty who have completed the series, encouraging them to integrate elements of entrepreneurship and innovation into their teaching. The Rowan Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE) is part of the Rohrer College of Business, which already promotes library research to its business majors as an essential component of courses in entrepreneurship, management, marketing, and other topics.

Michelle and Andrea invite everyone to try out the activities (for yourself, your students, or your colleagues), and to share your feedback! The activity directions included throughout the guide were meant for instructors of college level students, but many of the activities can be used with older adults, high school students, or even middle school students, with just a few adjustments to the directions or activity length. 

The activities in Information Literacy Through Entrepreneurial Thinking: Activities for Teaching Across the Disciplines have been published freely online, with a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike License, so please share them with others who may be interested. Instructors and students do not need prior knowledge of entrepreneurial concepts in order to make use of these activities. 

Michelle Kowalsky is the Business Librarian at Rowan University. She can be reached at kowalsky@rowan.edu.

Andrea Baer is a Public Services Librarian at Rowan University. She can be contacted at baera@rowan.edu.