Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing An Assessment: The New Nsse Il Module, Debbie Morrow

Debbie Morrow

Developing Professional Skills In Stem Students: Data Information Literacy, Lisa Zilinski, Megan R. Sapp Nelson, Amy S. Van Epps

Lisa Zilinski

Undergraduate STEM students are increasingly expected to have some data use skills upon graduation, whether they pursue post-graduate education or move into industry. This project was an initial foray into the application of data information literacy competencies to training undergraduate students to identify markers of data and information quality. The data consumer training appeared within two courses to help students evaluate data objects, including databases and datasets available on the Internet. The application of the Data Credibility Checklist provides a foundation for developing data reuse competencies. Based upon the initial presentation of the content, it became obvious that students need …

Assessing Engineering Students' Information Literacy Skills: An Alpha Version Of A Multiple-Choice Instrument, Ruth Eh Wertz, Meagan Ross, Senay Purzer, Michael Fosmire, Monica Cardella

Michael Fosmire

Information literacy is crucial component of developing life-long learning skills. However, few standard and easily gradable assessment tools exist to assess the information literacy competencies of learners. In this paper, we discuss the development of a multiple choice instrument designed to measure these competencies in an efficient and expedient manner, and we present results of data collected from 366 first-year engineering students. The instrument requires students to first read a technical memo and, based on the memo‟s arguments, answer eight multiple choice and two open-ended response questions. The mean score on the multiple choice portion was only 3.46 out of …

Lifelong Learning And Information Literacy Skills And The First Year Engineering Undergraduate: Report Of A Self-Assessment, Meagan Ross, Michael Fosmire, Ruth Eh Wertz, Monica Cardella, Senay Purzer

Michael Fosmire

ABET accreditation requires engineering students to attain ‘a recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in lifelong learning.” (Outcome 3.i) However, there are few standard tools that attempt to assess the skills and techniques students need in order to achieve those outcomes. Focusing on the problem articulation and information literacy skills embedded in lifelong learning competencies, the authors constructed a standardized assessment to measure student self-perceptions of how often they employ those skills. The criteria for these competencies were based on the Information Search Process of Carol Kuhlthau, engineering design process characteristics, and the authors’ own analysis …

Anatomy Of An “Instruction Plan”: Information Literacy, Abet Lifelong Learning, And The Engineering Curriculum, Debbie Morrow

Debbie Morrow

Planning library instruction to help disciplinary departments meet accreditation is a strong way for academic libraries to demonstrate value. During 2012 the Liaison Librarians at Grand Valley State University undertook a new initiative to develop “instruction plans” for each of our liaison departments. The goal of a departmental instruction plan is to profile the curriculum in a discipline and strategically identify prospective courses for offering library instructional support where the greatest number of students can experience the most benefit, relevant to specific assignments and discipline-specific skill areas. The plan also captures specific information literacy core competencies that the librarian plans …

Embedding Lifelong Learning Skills Into A First-Year Engineering Course Through Introduction Of An Independent Research Project And Information Literacy Skills, Chris Plouff, Debbie Morrow

Chris Plouff

This paper reports on a work in progress to address ABET program outcome ‘i’ (“graduates have a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, lifelong learning”) in the Bachelor of Science in Engineering programs (mid-size, undergraduate engineering program) at a large Master’s-granting university in the mid-western United States. One performance criterion used by the programs to assess program outcome ‘i’ is the ability to find, evaluate, and effectively use information independently. This concept is introduced in the first-year of the programs, and is reinforced in an intentional thread throughout the curriculum, culminating with the senior capstone …

Addressing Abet Program Outcome 'I': #11;A First-Year Engineering Program And Library Instruction Initiative Collaboration, Debbie Morrow

Debbie Morrow

Grand Valley's School of Engineering recently invited the University Libraries to collaborate in an effort to address ABET outcome ‘i’, engaging in lifelong learning, in one of their first year core courses. The Libraries have recently developed an "Information Literacy Core Competencies" document, evolving out of the ACRL IL competencies standard adopted in 2000. Our collaboration has so far been a great exercise in exploring the effective intersection of ABET ‘i’ and information literacy competencies, in the context of incorporation into an existing course in GVSU's first-year engineering curriculum.

Engineering Communication - Proper Use Of References, Jan Comfort

Jan Comfort

No abstract provided.