What does the Net Generation think about ICT and Information Literacy in a Language Learning Context in Higher Education?

Today’s university students are exposed to a vast amount of Information and Communication Technologies, both professionally and privately. The Internet and various technological devices have changed study habits of students across the globe. Much research has focused on students’ information literacy, that means the lifelong need to be able to recognize when information is needed, to locate and to evaluate it and to use the electronically retrieved information correctly and effectively. This paper discusses a small-scale study based on questionnaires that was conducted in summer term 2017 at the Department of Translation Studies at the University of Graz, Austria. The data were collected within the course German Language and Culture, frequented by learners with German as L1. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it provides initial insights into first-year university students’ perceptions of their own information literacy competence. Second, it offers a better understanding of students’ perspective on the supply, the requirements and the usefulness concerning the use of ICT when studying languages in higher education.