UWired is working to highlight and support efforts such as these through the newly launched Catalyst initiative. Catalyst is the premier resource UWired provides to campus educators to support their teaching of information technology literacy. Catalyst is an integrated Web-based collection of resources, training, tools, templates, and support to help UW educators make effective use of technology in teaching. UWired worked with faculty and other educators through much of 1998 to create it. Catalyst Web was launched last week and is accessible through the UWired home page.
Much good work is underway.
But something is missing. We know from the surveys of graduating seniors and alumni that being able to locate information needed to make decisions or solve problems, and being able to work effectively with information technology, are ranked at the top of their list of necessary lifelong skills. We learned from library surveys that undergraduates place a high priority on instruction in the use of information and technology resources. We also know that students are looking to the faculty, to librarians, to their departments, and to UWired for more and better-integrated instruction. Not only do our students value information literacy, but also they come prepared to take advantage of the instruction we can provide.