Overview
Information Studies
Subject Area Overview
Information Studies
As a college student, you need to know how to find, identify, apply, and store information of all kinds. Our Information Literacy and Research Skills course provides the knowledge and tools that will prove invaluable as you navigate the information superhighway at the collegiate level. You'll develop essential academic and work skills as well as powerful research strategies.
Why enhance your information processing ability at Inver Hills?
Deciphering the big data explosion.
According to The Conversation, “Digital information has become so entrenched in all aspects of our lives and society that the recent growth in information production appears unstoppable. Each day on Earth we generate 500 million tweets, 294 billion emails, 4 million gigabytes of Facebook data, 65 billion WhatsApp messages, and 720,000 hours of new content added daily on YouTube.”
Meet and greet the zettabyte.
The Conversation goes on to say, “In 2018, the total amount of data created, captured, copied, and consumed in the world was 33 zettabytes (ZB)—the equivalent of 33 trillion gigabytes. This grew to 59 ZB in 2020 and is predicted to reach a mind-boggling 175 ZB by 2025. One zettabyte is 8,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bits.”
Things weren’t always this way.
Cave paintings were the information storage devices preferred by Homo sapiens 40,000 years ago. Paper appeared in China during the first century CE. China produced the first books between 500 and 800 years later. Human civilization has piled up more technological advancements over the last 150 years than during the previous two millennia.
What can you as an Inver Hills student do about it?
Dive into the college’s Information Literacy and Research Skills course. You’ll learn how information and knowledge are produced. You’ll also develop effective research strategies for locating, using, and evaluating information from print and electronic sources. Issues related to intellectual freedom and copyright are also explained. This 2-credit course pairs well with English, Public Speaking, or any research-based course.
Information Studies
Handle masses of info in smart, practical ways.
Discover how to locate, value, arrange, employ, and share information across multiple formats with a focus on making decisions, solving problems, and acquiring constructive knowledge.
