Developing a collaborative faculty‐librarian information literacy assessment project

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the process of developing an information literacy assessment project, and to discuss key findings from the project.Design/methodology/approachA variety of assessment tools were used to gather information about student learning and information literacy instruction: pre‐ and post‐surveys, student feedback surveys, faculty feedback to librarians, librarian self‐reflection, library worksheets, student research journals, and citation analysis of students' final research paper bibliographies.FindingsIt was found that the authors' initial suite of assessment tools did not provide the information wanted about students' research processes, so the authors' “assessment toolkit” was modified. It was found that more meaningful information could be gathered about students' research processes when the authors worked closely with faculty to embed information literacy assessments into course assignments. From the authors' analysis of student work, it was discovered that, for many students, library instruction was most valuable in helping them refine and explore research topics.Originality/valueThis paper will be useful to librarians and faculty seeking to implement an information literacy assessment project. The authors provide ideas for ways for faculty and librarians to collaborate on information literacy assessment, as well as on assignment and course design.

Foregrounding the Research Log in Information Literacy Instruction

“…43). That diversity of nomenclature persists in the literature to date; indeed, a few additional permutations have surfaced: "group process journals" (Toedter & Glew, 2007); "i-Map … short for information handling map" (Walden & Peacock, 2006, cited in Accardi, 2013; "information literacy narratives" (Detmering & Johnson, 2012;Mackey, 2013); "metalearning essay" (Harris, 2013); "research process assignments" (Vecchiola, 2011); and "research writer's journal" (Belanger, Bliquez, & Mondal, 2012).…”

“…Kaplowitz (2012) uses the same expression-"double duty"-to discuss using instructional activities such as research logs for assessment of IL instruction (p. 119). Other examples of dual-use assignments include "research writer's journals," described by Belanger et al (2012); "learner logs" (Bent & Stockdale, 2009); brainstorming worksheets (Carter, 2013); "research process notes" (Corbett, 2010); and electronic portfolios (Jefferson & Long, 2008).…”

Designing for Engagement: Using the ADDIE Model to Integrate High-Impact Practices into an Online Information Literacy Course

“…As the modes, formats, and depth of academic librarians' instruction change (Shank, 2006), the design and development process they work through extends beyond the library instruction of the past. For instance, an instruction librarian may teach several sessions for the same course in a single semester (see, for instance, Loo et al, 2016); they may create and assess an assignment in partnership with subject-area faculty (see, for instance, Belanger, Bliquez, & Mondal, 2012); or they may teach or co-teach a credit-bearing course (see, for instance, Mery, Newby, & Peng, 2012). In addressing the myriad issues that arise in these kinds of learning scenarios, librarians may find ID processes and principles to be especially useful.…”

Developing a Comprehensive, Assessment-based Continuous Improvement Process for a Library Instruction Program

“…Continuous improvement plans can take a range of forms in library instruction, including preand post-tests or evaluations, student surveys, evaluation of student work, self reflection, peer or supervisor evaluation, and pedagogical workshops 2,3,4,5,6 . Libraries that have implemented continuous improvement plans have found that librarians become more engaged with their work as they share knowledge gained with each other 7 , students find library instruction sessions more useful 8 , and both the quality of librarian teaching and the depth of student research skills increases 9 .…”

“…Topics that librarians may want to solicit feedback on include: the content and activities in the session, the relevance of the session to the class and assignments, student learning from the session, the pedagogical skills of the librarian, or suggestions for improving the session 15 . Faculty-librarian communication can result in the design of more relevant activities and lessons from the librarians 6 . It can also result in faculty gaining a better understanding of what information literacy is and what library instruction sessions entail, while librarians can get a sense of faculty attitudes towards library instruction sessions.…”