Background: The Internet has changed contemporary workplace skills, resulting in a need for
proficiency with specific digital, online and web-based technologies within the fields of medicine,
dentistry and public health. Although younger students, generally under 30 years of age, may appear
inherently comfortable with the use of technology-intensive environments and digital or online
search methods, competence in information literacy among these students may be lacking.
Methods: This project involved the design and assessment of a research-based assignment to help
first-year, graduate-level health science students to develop and integrate information literacy skills
with clinical relevance.
Results: One cohort of dental students (n = 78) was evaluated for this project and the results
demonstrate that although all students were able to provide the correct response from the
content-specific, or technology-independent, portion of the assignment, more than half (54%) were
unable to demonstrate competence with a web-based, technology-dependent section of this
assignment. No correlation was found between any demographic variable measured (gender, age,
or race).
Conclusion: More evidence is emerging that demonstrates the need for developing curricula that
integrates new knowledge and current evidence-based practices and technologies, traditionally
isolated from graduate and health-care curricula, that can enhance biomedical and clinical training
for students. This study provides evidence, critical for the evaluation of new practices, which can
promote and facilitate the integration of information literacy into the curriculum.