Contributed by EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, Net Generation Learner, and Students

Cosponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), EDUCAUSE, and the University of Central Florida (UCF), the Students, Technology and Learning: Strategies for Success Conference (formerly the Key to Competitiveness) provides AASCU institutions with an opportunity to learn more about the next generation of students—a group with much greater expectations for the use of technology in higher education than previous generations. The event allows teams of presidents and senior institutional leaders to explore new ways of using technology to meet student expectations and more effectively serve the next generation learner.

The Web—and how we interact with it—has become part of our culture. The Internet is now the information universe, and we expect instant access. Content is created and co-created by amateurs as well as experts. More than ever, we choose what, when, and where to use information. What it means to be "net savvy" is changing because the nature of information itself has changed.

Many students may have only limited knowledge about how to effectively evaluate online resources and use them appropriately. This student perspective on information literacy uses anecdotes, personal examples, and statistics on Net Generation Web usage to highlight gaps in students' net savviness. The author also discusses how faculty, librarians, administrators, and students must work together to close those gaps.

Net Gen students may know the Internet, but they are not necessarily "net savvy." Exposed to huge quantities and multiple formats of information online, they are constantly challenged to sort valid from inaccurate information. Moreover, students are creating information, not just consuming it. This paper explores the challenges students face online in effectively finding information, using technology, and thinking critically.