As new students arrive at Stony Brook University, they engage with a dynamic and expanding information landscape that offers more ways to discover and create knowledge, alongside an essential need to critically evaluate what they find. Between navigating digital paywalls, finding peer-reviewed research, and discerning the accuracy of search engine AI summaries, building strong foundational research habits from day one is essential.
To address this need, SBU University Libraries’ Jennifer DeVito and Christine Fena worked with Rachel Sullivan and Nicole Murray, Program Managers for Leadership & Learning in Academic Advising, to integrate information literacy and critical AI instruction directly into SBU 101 and ADV 101 syllabi. The lessons ensure that all first-year students and new transfer students are exposed to the fundamentals of library databases, scholarly sources, and evaluation of Google AI Overviews. The lesson plan on scholarly sources was piloted in Fall 2025, and revised for Fall 2026, and a new lesson plan on Google AI Overviews is being introduced in Fall 2026. Christine and Jennifer presented and demoed both lesson plans for SBU 101 instructors at the SBU 101 Conference on August 11, 2026.
By embedding these skills into the first-year experience curriculum, we ensure that every incoming student, regardless of their academic background or intended major, gets early, hands-on experience navigating academic resources and evaluating AI outputs.
Faculty interested in embedding librarian-designed curriculum into their courses can learn more about library instruction here, reach out to the library instruction program via email: librarysessions@stonybrook.edu, or request in-person or virtual library instruction through this form.