Mission & Program Objectives

Vision

The Department of Information Science will expand its leadership role in preparing data and information professionals to meet the needs of the global information society. The graduates will serve as intermediaries between information and information users, as well as play crucial roles in a wide variety of settings with increasingly sophisticated technological tools. The diverse faculty will contribute individual strengths to increase the quality of teaching, research, and service that will maintain the Department as a center of excellence.

Mission

The Department of Information Science provides and supports resources, research, and service for education and leadership to the information science, library science, and data science communities and prepares information professionals of the highest quality to serve dynamic roles in the state, the nation, and the world.

Goals

The goals of the department are to:

  • Prepare information professionals who demonstrate excellence in leadership, service, research and education in a service-oriented and technology-driven environment;

  • Advance and contribute to leading-edge research, scholarship, and advancement activities toward the University's Tier One status;

  • Maintain a healthy enrollment, student retention, and a supportive and flexible learning environment to accommodate students' individual backgrounds, needs, and aspirations;

  • Contribute to professional, academic, and public interests through alumni engagement, faculty and staff development, continuing education, and disciplinary leadership

Program Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes

1. Bachelor of Science in Information Science

Program Objectives:

The program goals for the Bachelor of Science in Information Science:

  • To prepare learners with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to construct and deliver solutions, services, and processes at the intersection of people, information, and technology.

  • To develop in learners their capabilities to analyze, design, implement, evaluate, manage, and lead to address and meet social, organizational, and individual information needs.

  • To provide learners with rigorous courses, experiential learning, and real-world opportunities leading to successful and worthwhile careers in the information field.

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

Program Student Learning Outcomes for the Bachelor of Science in Information Science indicate specific, demonstrable (measurable), and learner-centered statements of the knowledge and skills graduates of the program will be able to demonstrate:

  • Collect, analyze, and interpret data related to understanding users information needs and behaviors.

  • Design, implement, and evaluate user-centered technical systems and applications to meet users information needs and behaviors.

  • Use and/or construct processes and procedures to solve problems related to organizing, managing, and preserving data, information, and knowledge for diverse user groups.

  • Discuss and explain professional, social, policy, ethical, legal, and security issues and responsibilities of information professionals and researchers.

  • Demonstrate excellent written and spoken communication as well as effective interpersonal skills by working in teams and collaborate on projects

  • Recognize and demonstrate independent and responsible learning abilities by engaging in life-long learner activities.

2. Master of Science with Majors in Library Science or Information Science

Program Objectives:

The program goal for the Master of Science with majors in Library Science or Information Science is to prepare students for careers as information professionals in a variety of roles and settings. The master's program objectives are for students to demonstrate knowledge and skills related to:

  • The roles and impact of information policies, practices, and information itself on diverse populations, including underserved groups, in a rapidly changing technological and global information society.

  • The design and implementation of conceptual and technological systems and services to facilitate the discovery, identification, selection, acquisition, organization and description, storage and retrieval, preservation, dissemination, management, and use of recordable information and knowledge in any format for effective access.

  • Human information behavior in order to develop and implement information systems and services that meet user needs related to information and knowledge creation, communication, discovery, identification, selection, retrieval, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, synthesis, management, and use.

  • Communication and networking for personal and professional growth, leadership, collaboration, policy development, and change management.

  • Teaching, research, and service, including interdisciplinary activities, that contribute to the advancement of the field.

  • The philosophy, principles, and legal and ethical responsibilities of the field.

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Management/Leadership - Students will be able to describe and/or propose valid solutions to typical organizational problems in their professional areas by demonstrating skills in management and leadership.

  • Information Organization/Systems - Students demonstrate knowledge in information organization and presentation as well as systems for organizing information and facilitating information access by describing and/or proposing valid solutions to typical professional problems in these areas.

  • Information Access/Resources - Students demonstrate knowledge in information access and information resources by describing and/or proposing valid solutions to typical professional problems in these areas.

  • ePortfolio Blogs/Reflections - Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze, and synthesize key issues of the information/library profession through reflection.

3. Information Science Doctoral Program

Program Objectives:

The doctoral program's goal is to prepare students to contribute to the advancement and evolution of the information society in a variety of roles and settings as researchers, educators and administrators. The doctoral program seeks to:

  • Develop scholars passionate about the role of information in human affairs.

  • Nurture critical and reflective thinking on fundamental issues and problems related to information.

  • Promote cross-disciplinary thinking and research that expands expertise in cutting-edge areas of information science.

  • Instill a commitment to the philosophy, principles, and legal and ethical responsibilities of scholarly and applied research.

  • Foster an environment of substantive and productive mentoring and apprenticeship that integrates resources, courses, and faculty from related disciplines within other academic units.

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Subject Core - Students will demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze, and synthesize core scholarly knowledge about the information science.

  • Research Methods Core - Students demonstrate the ability to understand, explain, propose, and justify the appropriate application of specific research approaches and methods to address typical information research problems.

  • Specialization - Students demonstrate the ability to understand, analyze, and synthesize scholarly knowledge about the history, philosophy, theories, and/or research problems of their specialization areas such as information systems, human information behavior, information policy and management, etc.