Welcome to the Digital Information Literacy Home Page
The DIL exam is now CLOSED. If you did not pass the exam, you will need to add INTR 160 course to your Spring 2010 schedule.
All incoming freshmen, regardless of incoming credit hours, as well as newly admitted transfer students with fewer than 39 credit hours earned since graduation from high school, must take and pass the DIL exam. Readmitted students that did not satisfy the digital information literacy requirement during previous terms attended will also need to take the exam.
If you are required to pass this exam, but do not by the exam's close date, then you will be required to sign up for the next Spring course - INTR 160, Digital Information Literacy.
The Digital Information Literacy proficiency has been designed by members
of the William and Mary faculty to help provide a baseline of knowledge
for all entering William and Mary students. This requirement emphasizes
critical thinking skills in the context of finding, evaluating, and using
digital information to pursue course work and independent research at the
university level. Much of the information in these modules may be familiar
to you from your high school studies, but researching and sharing
information will be at the heart of your academic life at William and Mary.
We encourage you to take enough time with these modules to be sure this
introductory information is clear.
The Digital Information Literacy proficiency consists of mastering
the information in the following modules:
The advent of computers and associated equipment and software has revolutionized
the way in which we interact with information.
This module will help you determine the most appropriate ways to use digital
sources to find the information you need for your academic projects. Topics
include understanding the distinction between scholarly and popular literature,
selecting appropriate databases, identifying concepts and generating search
terms.
There is a great deal of wonderful information available on the World Wide
Web, but there is also quite a bit of garbage. This module is designed
to help you evaluate web information based on characteristics such as currency,
coverage, authority, objectivity and accuracy.
This module will help ensure that you understand some of the ethical issues
that arise as you use technology and digital information in your academic
work. Topics include citing sources, avoiding plagiarism, copyright and
fair use.
This module is designed to introduce you to a broad spectrum of digital
communication methods and to help you select the most efficient method
for a variety of tasks you may face in your academic work.
This module is designed to introduce you to the types of attacks that may compromise your security and privacy, focusing on the two network services which are most useful and most dangerous: electronic mail and the World Wide Web.
Completing the Proficiency Test
After you have reviewed the above modules, you must complete the Digital Information
Literacy proficiency test. You can read these modules and complete the test from
any computer on the Internet, whether at home or on the William and Mary network,
including in your residence hall or in one of the public access labs.
You may take the test at any time by going
to the evaluation page. You'll need to log in
using your William and Mary userid and password. You can
take as much time as you need on the test. If you do not achieve a passing
score of 70% or higher, you will have multiple opportunities to take the test
after reviewing the information in the modules again.
You must complete and pass the proficiency test by the posted deadline.
Checking your Score
To review your highest score and see whether or not you have successfully completed the proficiency, click here.
Getting Help with the Proficiency Test
For help with technical problems or questions about the DIL proficiency
exam, contact the Dean for Educational Policy, Silvia R. Tandeciarz, by email at
srtand@wm.edu.
For help with searching databases and other information about Digital
Information Literacy, contact the Reference Department on the first floor
of Swem Library (221-3067 or sweref@wm.edu).