Closing the Loop: Engaging in a Sustainable and Continuous Cycle of Authentic Assessment to Improve Library Instruction

Abstract

This study demonstrates how a team of librarians sustained authentic assessment across multiple studies in order to inform changes to an information literacy curriculum. It demonstrates the cyclical and action-based nature of assessment, including closing one loop only to reopen another and begin the assessment process again, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and making changes that increase student learning. Researchers analyzed 79 English composition papers for evidence of information literacy skills, expanding upon a previous study which established information literacy skill benchmarks. Findings from the previous study led to the development of new library instruction lessons, which targeted skills students struggled with-mainly topic refinement and information synthesis. To measure the impact of the modifications, the authors used two rubrics as well as a citation analysis to identify shifts in student learning. Findings indicate that the new lessons contribute to student improvements in synthesis, topic refinement, and source variety. This study illustrates the importance of engaging in an ongoing cycle of assessment and continually making improvements to instruction practices while implementing evidencebased decisions.

Fostering UDL-informed library instruction practices developed from the COVID-19 pandemic

“…One-shots have shown to be a valuable tool in increasing students' library use and learning (Spievak and Hayes-Bohanan, 2013). However, there have been historical problems with IL instruction in academic libraries, specifically when it comes to one-shots and the one-shot's ability to effectively translate IL skills (Bowles-Terry and Donovan, 2016; Belzowski and Robison, 2019; Cook, 2022; Eastman et al ., 2018; Rinto and Cogbill-Seiders, 2015). The vast majority of library sessions are formatted as a one-shot session (Nicholson, 2016), the practice of a librarian providing a single one-hour library instruction session to a class.…”

“…The majority of ENGL 2010 students work toward their final project, a personal research essay; however, instructors are able to decide what their final research projects' mediums will be. Over the last decade, the library's integration with ENGL 2010 has been meaningfully assessed and revised (Eastman et al ., 2018; Holliday et al ., 2017; Wishkoski et al ., 2021). These assessments have been used to improve our instruction practices, identify gaps in student learning and to advocate for librarian expertise and involvement.…”

“…Prior to 2020, the USU libraries had modules available for all three of our ENGL 2010 lessons as over 5,000 students attend courses at one of our statewide campuses (Utah State University, 2023a, b). The Evaluating Sources module was developed in 2019 and was the only module developed from a 2017 assessment (Eastman et al ., 2018). The other two modules, Investigating a Topic and Synthesis , were not equitable to the in-person instruction provided on campus.…”

Alfabetización Informacional: enseñanza y desarrollo de su competencia en la educación básica

“…En esta vertiente se muestra que normalmente los instrumentos de evaluación contienen un nivel de confianza aceptable, ya que su aplicación tiene fines diagnósticos de entrada y salida sobre niveles de ALFIN. También, se observan investigaciones que logran implementar instrumentos para evaluar y desarrollar ALFIN en estudiantes (Eastman et al, 2018;Markowski, McCartin, y Evers, 2018;Pieterse, Greenberg, y Santo, 2018; Tong y Moran, 2017; Tecce, Grant, Lee y Neuman, 2018; Toledo y Maldonado-Radillo, 2015; Yeager y Pemberton, 2017). Esta vertiente se inspira en los principios del modelo Big6 para la enseñanza de ALFIN, que implica seis etapas para la resolución de problemas de información: i) definición de la tarea, ii) estrategias de búsqueda de información, iii) localización y acceso, iv) uso de la información, v) síntesis y vi) evaluación (Baji, Bigdeli, Parsa, y Haeusler, 2018), y para el diseño de instrumentos para evaluar de ALFIN (Foo et al, 2014;Foo, Majid y Chang, 2017), donde se muestra la importancia de elaborar un programa a implementar en la educación básica para atender la problemática de infantes con exposición a la Internet mucho antes de la educación formal y donde se pretende que, a través de acciones de ALFIN, cambien el rumbo de la construcción de conocimientos para su propio bien.…”