I am frustrated by SDSU’s information literacy program because it fortifies the idea that America is dumbing down its education system. By “teaching” students the difference between valid and invalid information sources, SDSU officials are saying they don’t expect students to know the difference on their own. So, students have an excuse to lack common sense. By the time students reach college, a supposed “higher-learning” institution, they should know how to properly conduct research, especially Internet research. Why waste students’ time with such basic knowledge when they have come to college expecting to be challenged with new ideas and information?

Perhaps the information literacy test should be a requirement for entrance into college, an application test like the SAT or the ACT. It should not be a part of the college sophomore curriculum.

Bethany Galster