Information Literacy Commons^™

A Statistical Approach To Assessing Research Guide Use At Central Washington University, Mattias Olshausen

Library Scholarship

Much of the existing literature on library research guides, specifically those created using the ubiquitous LibGuides platform, expresses doubt that guides of a subject or topical variety are being used by students to an extent that justifies their creation and maintenance. Guides designed to be used in the context of particular courses are held to be more worthwhile, as they tend to experience more site traffic. This wisdom is tested using data generated by LibGuides’ internal Statistics tool for the Central Washington University library guides in the 2017 calendar year. The metric of asset clicks to page views is used …

Chapter 12: You Spin Me Right Round (Like A Record) — Or, Does The Assessment Loop Ever Truly “Close”?, Iris Jahng

Joseph P. Healey Library Publications

Chapter 12 from Shaping the Campus Conversation on Student Learning and Experience: Activating the Results of Assessment in Action.

Crossing The Studio Art Threshold: Information Literacy And Creative Populations, Sarah Carter, Heather Koopmans, Alice Whiteside

Communications in Information Literacy

Artists often require visual and inspirational information sources that range outside of library walls and websites, and develop their work within the complex social environment of the studio. Librarians historically engage with studio art and design students using multiple standards documents. This article offers an analytical literature review of the pedagogical approaches librarians have taken toward their work in the art and design studios, specifically identifying library practitioners who have adapted or critiqued standards documents in order to address the unique needs of creative populations. The Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education …

Inciting Action: Assessment Reporting Strategies That Fuel Change And Improve Learning, Kathy E. Clarke, Gretchen A. Hazard

Libraries

All assessment practitioners know the penultimate goal is loop closing. But we also live with the reality that assessment is also beholden to the Gods of Accountability. As assessment professionals, we dutifully attend to the cycle of improving student learning, but at each step in the cycle we must continue to hone our skills. Results reporting may seem like the least sexy of all of the steps in our practice, but we argue that is singularly important and represents a high art of assessment craft. Results must be engaging, actionable, meet accountability mandates, and importantly read by those who can …

The Library Rally, Michelle Gibeault

University Libraries Faculty Publications and Presentations

Course instructors are a teaching librarian’s closest partners. This assessment focuses on gathering their responses to the most critical questions anonymously and offers the opportunity to include additional written feedback. If you’re not doing any assessment presently, this might be a good method to get responses in a quantifiable format, and it creates a medium for fellow educators to offer suggestions for improvement.

Mapping The Association Of College And Research Libraries Information Literacy Framework And Nursing Professional Standards Onto An Assessment Rubric, Gloria Willson, Katelyn Angell

Brooklyn Library Faculty Publications

Objective: The authors developed a rubric for assessing undergraduate nursing research papers for information literacy skills critical to their development as researchers and health professionals.

Methods: We developed a rubric mapping six American Nurses Association professional standards onto six related concepts of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. We used this rubric to evaluate fifty student research papers and assess inter-rater reliability.

Results: Students tended to score highest on the “Information Has Value” dimension and lowest on the “Scholarship as Conversation” dimension. However, we found a discrepancy between the grading patterns …

Going Beyond The One-Shot: Spiraling Information Literacy Across Four Year, Shawna E. Egan, Alan Witt, Shawna M. Chartier

Milne Library

Many institutions overwhelm the first year seminar with “one-shot” library instruction sessions, which are not necessarily linked to any form of assignment or assessment. So how can librarians maintain information literacy instruction throughout a student's academic career? Data collected by the Rivier University librarians showcases the ability to implement information literacy more effectively by streamlining and leveling it out over a four-year period.

Information Literacy Supporting Student Motivation And Performance: Course-Level Analyses, Michael Flierl, Emily Bonem, Clarence Maybee, Rachel Fundator

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This study examines the effects of information literacy (IL) on student learning and motivation in university courses. We investigated student course-level learning gains and student perceptions of their learning environments by examining data from over 3,000 students in 102 course sections across seven colleges. Results provide evidence of the following: 1) students who synthesize information and communicate the results tend to perceive higher levels of motivation than students who do so less often; 2) there is a significant positive relationship between synthesizing information and communicating the results and course level learning gains. Our results point to the efficacy of IL …

Integrating An Information Literacy Course And Assessment In The Information Systems Curriculum: A Successful Collaboration Of The Library And Faculty From Singapore Management University, Wei Xia

Research Collection Library

Thispresentation will showcase recent collaborative efforts by faculty and thelibrarian to develop an effective information literacy (IL) course and anassessment plan to measure the learning outcomes. The author collaborated withthe School of Information Systems (SIS) to design a hands-on IL course todevelop research skills in first-year students taking the IS101 (InformationSystems Management) course. Some questions surfaced during the program review.What is the impact and value? Are the students really learning? Answers tothose questions led to transformations of the IL course and assessment.CourseDesignEmbedding IL skills in the schoolcurriculum is the most effective way to deliver just-in-time courses. Beforedesigning the course the …

Informed Learning, Information Literacy, And Scholarly Communication: Library Pedagogy As A Bridge To The Disciplines, Kim L. Ranger

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

This paper explores collaboration between librarians and faculty in higher education to construct connections between informed learning theory, information literacy practice, and disciplinary scholarly products to foster reflective and deep engagement with information.

Increasing digital innovations in communication and pedagogy, the need for various literacy capabilities, and the potential wisdom gained from considering diverse methodological perspectives have driven the need for interdisciplinary collaboration (Witt, 2012). There have also been several calls for a relational approach to teaching and learning, changing the roles of librarians (Farrell and Badke, 2015; Gunton et al, 2014; Jaguszewski and Williams, 2013), and scholarship which examines …

Re-Engage Your Instruction Team Today, Jolene Cole

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

Being an academic librarian comes with many challenges. Very few of us are privileged enough to come into the profession with a background in education and knowledge in assessment practices. For those of us running instruction programs it is our duty to prepare librarians to not only teach but also assess their own work.

Over the last year, Georgia College has implemented a new training and assessment program for the library staff. This program is grounded in reflection practices and encourages self-improvement. The reflection program includes but is not limited to departmental/personal teaching philosophies, peer-review of instruction, reflection journals and …

Meeting Outcomes Assessment: An Opportunity For Partnership, Sheri A. Brown, Susan Slavicz

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

English faculty at Florida State College at Jacksonville were facing increasing frustration in the fight against student plagiarism. The Letters Council began to explore ways to assess student learning outcomes across the college on the topic of plagiarism. It was imperative to reach not only face-to-face students, but also online, and hybrid classes.

In the fall of 2015 the library subscribed to the ProQuest Research Companion database which is a one-stop resource for guiding students through the research process. Through short videos organized into nine learning modules covering finding information, evaluating information, and using information, students complete pre and post …

Crowdsourcing Management Education Assessment, Owen P. Hall Jr, Charla Griffy-Brown

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Assessment is now at the center of the new business education zeitgeist. This focus is the direct result of feedback from the business community regarding the growing gap between their needs and graduates from many business schools. Recently this divide has fallen under even closer scrutiny because of increasing student debt and the growing controversy over return-on- investment. Today business leaders are looking for web-savvy, problem-solving graduates. To this end, AACSB and regional accrediting bodies are calling for the adoption of comprehensive collaborative learning strategies to better align graduates’ skill sets with the real needs of business. Crowdsourcing, which is …

Mapping Of Digital Literacy Skills, Allison Kavanagh

Support services (Former ITT) - Other Resources

In 2013 DIT developed a set of graduate attributes known as the “Five E’s”: Engaged, Enterprising, Enquiry based, Effective and Expert in chosen subject discipline. Each of these five attributes is comprised of several additional attributes, one of which is digital literacy.

This presentation explains what digital literacy is, why it is an important attribute for our students and graduates to develop, and discusses practical ways of creating a mapping between a programme’s assessment methods and the digital literacy graduate attribute.

Adapting The Amazing Library Race: Using Problem-Based Learning In Library Orientations, Katelyn Angell, Katherine Boss

Brooklyn Library Faculty Publications

This paper describes a pilot adaptation of the Amazing Library Race (ALR), an academic library orientation designed to introduce new users to library resources and services. A total of 185 students in twelve classes participated in the pilot project, which the authors co-taught. Pedagogically, the ALR combines guided, problem-based learning concepts with key elements of gamification, including competition and reward motivation. It also addresses the learning outcomes of reducing library anxiety and providing general information about collections and services. A review of the literature used in the design of the race is included, as well as a description of the …

Use It Or Lose It? A Longitudinal Performance Assessment Of Undergraduate Business Students' Information Literacy, Ilana Stonebraker, Rachel Fundator

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

No abstract provided.

Program Level Assessment In The Library: Impact Of Information Literacy Instruction On English Composition And Speech Communications Courses At College Of Dupage, Jennifer Kelley

Library Scholarship

This presentation introduces an ongoing study evaluating how the College of DuPage Library’s Information Literacy Instruction Program contributes to students meeting institutional General Education Information Literacy outcomes. Via a cross-sectional exploratory survey, faculty teaching English Composition II and Fundamentals of Speech Communications will provide subjective understanding of information literacy and fact-reporting on use of information literacy services provided by the library. Results will impact the direction of the library’s information literacy instruction program and shape assessment of student learning.

Imls Sparks Ignite Il Framework Cooperative Project Grant Proposal, Jessame Ferguson

IMLS SPARKS Ignite IL Framework Cooperative Project for At-Risk Student Success in Smaller Colleges

This is the narrative written for the IMLS Sparks IL Framework Cooperative Project grant proposal. Through a partnership of five institutions led by McDaniel College, including Goucher College, Ursinus College, Washington College, and Washington & Jefferson College, we propose to develop best practices for ensuring information literacy education programs at smaller institutions support success and persistence of at-risk students in their critical first-year. We will use the newly adopted Association of College & Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education to develop and test new assessment methodologies and engaging educational experiences for first-year students. The project will take …

Rethinking Assessment: Information Literacy Instruction And The Acrl Framework, Melissa J. Anderson

School of Information Student Research Journal

Most information literacy instruction (ILI) done in academic libraries today is based on the ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, but with the replacement of these standards by the new Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, there is a need to re-evaluate current teaching strategies and instructional techniques so that they can better serve the Framework’s goals. This paper explores current trends in ILI instruction and in the area of assessment in particular, since ILI assessment provides an opportunity not only to evaluate teaching effectiveness but also to reinforce the learning goals of the new Framework …

Trails: Tool For Real-Time Assessment Of Information Literacy Skills, Christina Miller

Publications and Research

TRAILS: Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills, a product of Kent State University Libraries, free and online, aims to evaluate information literacy skills of elementary and high school students. Launched in 2006, the tool was initially funded by the Institute for Library and Information Literacy Education (ILILE), an initiative of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the U.S. Department of Education. The multiple-choice, standards-based, knowledge assessment measures competencies in five information categories—topic development, identification of sources, development of search strategies, evaluation of information, and ethical uses of information—at the third-, sixth-, ninth-, and twelfth-grade benchmark …

Research Practices Survey 2015-16, Gould Library Reference And Instruction Department

Staff and Faculty Work

2015 marks the first year of Carleton's participation in the Research Practices Survey sponsored by the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). The HEDS Consortium is comprised of a nationwide group of private colleges and universities, who collaboratively collect and share data institutional data.

The HEDS Research Practices Survey is uses the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) competency standards in information literacy to assess student information literacy as well as student research experience. The five-section survey takes roughly fifteen minutes to complete.

Entering first year students were asked to take this survey at the beginning of fall term, …

Sailing Through Law School: Assessing Legal Research Skills Within The Information Literacy Framework, David H. Michels

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

In this study I ask the question: Can standardized information literacy tests help assess and benchmark the learning of information skills by Canadian law students? This study replicates an earlier study that found that a standardized test of information literacy competencies, SAILS, was not an effective measure of law student information literacy levels. By applying the same test under similar conditions to another group of law students, I found that while the test did not measure legal research competencies, it was effective in measuring basic information literacy skills in law students with often surprising results. I argue that legal research …

Informed Learning, Information Literacy, And Scholarly Communication: Library Pedagogy As A Bridge To The Disciplines, Kim L. Ranger

Presentations

The focus of this presentation is to report findings from growing partnerships between faculty whose primary focus is classroom teaching and faculty librarians, revealing connections between our disciplines and co-designing curricula that recognize the commonalities in pedagogy, theories, and professional practice. Information literacy and scholarly communication are combined in teaching and learning lessons, materials, and shared terminology. The presenter will encourage participants to reflect on why and how librarians invite students into the disciplines and to investigate ways of assessing student learning.

Developing A Practical Framework For Information Literacy Program Evaluation, Paul Bracke, Clarence Maybee, Sharon Weiner

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation was given at the Library Assessment Conference held from October 31–November 2, 2016 in Arlington, VA. The Purdue University Libraries, like many academic libraries, face increased expectations for demonstrating their value and impact. The Libraries launched a project to advance an outcomes-based, mission-centric framework for evaluating its information literacy programing. The methods for developing this framework consist of four steps: 1) focus groups with librarians to gain a more comprehensive understanding of existing assessment practices, 2) analysis of focus group findings, characterizing current assessment practices, 3) a gap analysis, comparing focus group findings to the information literacy mission …

Reap What You Sow: Connecting Library Service Data To University Learning Outcomes, Mandy Shannon, Sue Polanka, Jason Lipiec

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Discover an innovative homegrown product for recording all reference, instruction, and collegial activities. This tool maps activities to university learning outcomes and generates reports to communicate the library’s value to campus stakeholders. Learn about how this product was developed, its use, and how one department has responded to it.

Driving The Bus: Building Use Study And Space Assessment At Wright State University Libraries, Mandy Shannon, Sue Polanka, Bette S. Sydelko

University Libraries' Staff Publications

In response to the library’s strategic plan, the Wright State University Dunbar Library is in the midst of a long-term, multi-modal building use study. In the spring of 2015, the library’s assessment team used a combination of an open-source tablet-based software program, photographs, questionnaires, and preference-based voting to capture information about physical space use, building user perceptions, and user needs.

In the second phase of this building use study, librarians are working in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Research to develop two needs-assessment surveys based on the responses in the first phase. One survey will be distributed to students; …

The Application Of Reliability And Validity Measures To Assess The Effectiveness Of An Undergraduate Citation Rubric, Katelyn Angell

Brooklyn Library Faculty Publications

The increasing popularity of rubrics to assess student learning outcomes in the information literacy classroom is evident within Library and Information Science literature. However, there is a lack of research detailing scientific evaluation of these assessment instruments to determine their reliability and validity. The goal of this study was to use two common measurement methods to determine the content validity and internal consistency reliability of a citation rubric developed by the researcher. Results showed the rubric needed modification in order to improve reliability and validity. Changes were made and the updated rubric will be used in the classroom in a …

Library Awareness And Use Among Graduate Social Work Students: An Assessment And Action Research Project, Margaret Bausman, Sarah Laleman Ward

Publications and Research

This article details the evolution of an action research project over the fall of 2011 through the spring of 2014. The project investigates the engagement of social work students at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College with library resources and services. In addition to a review of the literature and a contextualizing discussion around the status of information literacy instruction in social work, the article describes the development and use of an online assessment tool, the introduction of new information literacy instruction strategies and materials including online research guides, and a discussion of the descriptive and inferential …

Teaching Information Literacy To Undergraduate Students: Reflecting On The Past, Present And Future Of Library Instruction, Scott Juskiewicz, Conor Cote

Library

The need to teach information literacy skills to undergraduate students is often framed as a 21^st century concern, but debate over the value and practice of teaching this set of skills can be found as far back as the early 1900’s. This article reviews the history of information literacy instruction in academic libraries from its origins to the present, examines the current state of information literacy instruction in academic libraries, and explores possible future directions that this instruction may take. Looking to the past, present and future shows that while library instruction has evolved, many central concerns remain unanswered.

Google Vs. The Library (Part Iii): Assessing The Quality Of Sources Found By Undergraduates, Helen Georgas

Publications and Research

This study assesses and compares the quality of sources found by undergraduate students when doing research using both Google and a library (federated) search tool. Thirty undergraduates were asked to find four sources (one book, two articles, and one additional source of their choosing) related to a selected research topic. Students used both Google and a federated search (resource discovery) tool to find material they believed to be relevant. Each source was evaluated for topic relevance, authority, appropriateness, and date, and assigned a total quality score. Results showed that the books found via Google were slightly higher quality than those …