Beyond the Library: Using Multiple, Mixed Measures Simultaneously in a College-Wide Assessment of Information Literacy

Abstract

To get the best sense of how graduating students demonstrate information literacy skills and how the institution can improve student learning, the Assessment in Action (AiA) project at Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) deployed a combination of indirect measures and authentic assessment of student work, utilizing assessment tools flexible enough to be deployed across the college. The results of AACC's AiA project have provided college practitioners and stakeholders with evidence of the extent to which graduating students demonstrate crucial information literacy skills and with data that can inform decisions about how to foster more effective teaching and learning.

Index System Construction and Model Analysis of University Teachers’ Data Literacy Ability

“…The index system of data literacy competency mainly concentrates on the refinement of its core skills. The index system for data literacy merging and integration is rather limited (Wilkins, 2016;Whitlock & Ebrahimi, 2016). The improvement and perfection of the index system of teacher's data literacy need to go from top to bottom.…”

Adaptation, translation, and validation of information literacy assessment instrument

“…The use of qualitative assessment tools developed by Whitlock and Ebrahimi () is designed for project‐based or activity‐based IL instructions, which is normally carried out in university libraries for the purpose of addressing higher‐level skills. These types of assessment tools are difficult to be adapted to a wider audience because they are highly dependent on the task at hand, such as the project topic, the available resources, and the time constraints.…”

The content aspect of validity in a rubric-based assessment system for course syllabuses

“…Second, studies have checked whether students have attained the competencies set out in curricula; this focus has proved fertile ground for the use of rubrics. Prominent examples include analyses of core competencies, primarily the competencies of information literacy (e.g., Whitlock & Ebrahimi, 2016) and oral or written communication (e.g., García-Ros, 2011;Good, Osborne, & Birchfield, 2012), but also including studies on specific competencies (e.g., Romkey, Chong, & El Gammal, 2015;Tractenberg, Umans, & McCarter, 2010). Third, studies have verified whether the learning environments set out in course syllabuses are consistent with the pedagogical principles of a competency-based higher education.…”