On the Issue of Developing Students’ Information Culture

The article analyzes issues of developing information culture of university students. The main approaches to the concept of “information culture” are presented. One of the approaches highlights the ideological component of information culture and defines it as a part of a general personality culture. Another one combines infor-mation culture with information literacy, understood from the point of view of abilities and skills to use infor-mation resources in education. Basic components of personality information culture are cited: ideological, edu-cational, and user-based. Based on viewing information literacy as a component of university students’ infor-mation culture, the results of author’s sociological research are cited. Conclusions are made about students’ self-estimation of their information literacy, and about general directions and types of using modern infor-mation technologies in education. Based on author’s sociological research, conclusions were made about stu-dents’ self-rating of their own information literacy, as well as main directions and types of using modern tech-nology in education. As was established during the research, the usage of computer technology is not only fa-miliar and convenient for students, it also increases motivation for studying new topics. Learning critical think-ing is a very important element in increasing information literacy. The role of professor is irreplaceable in this process, because, along with the knowledge component of education, he should not lose sight of a classic ed-ucational problem, that is now present in a new way because of a transition to information society: how to teach the new generation to pick information with reflection and critical thinking.