information literacy assessment presentation

Assessment of Information Literacy in Freshman English Courses at the University of Connecticut Regional

Campuses

Presented by:

Diane G. MatherUndergraduate Education & Access Services Librarian

UConn Torrington

Phil PoggialiUndergraduate Education Librarian

UConn Stamford

Presentation

● Study of survey

● Development of questions

● Methods of analysis ● Collaboration with faculty

Information Literacy: The ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand. (http://www.infolit.org/)

Why assess?

“ Regularly assess undergraduates’ information literacy skills and adapt library instruction accordingly to address changing needs and expectations. ”

UConn Libraries Strategic Plan 2009-2014. Goal 1: Undergraduate Education. Strategy A (5)

Why assess?

Limited time to cover basic research needs

Limited student-librarian interaction beyond classroom

Helps to tailor session tasks to student needs

Potential for faculty interest and involvement

The information-literate student:

Determines the nature and extent of the information needed

Accesses needed information effectively and efficiently

Evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his/her knowledge base and value system

Uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

Understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and accesses and uses information ethically and legally

From “Faculty Guidelines: Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education”

Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)

Sample question

1. Which of the following is true? A scholarly, peer-reviewed article… (choose one)

Is written for a general

audience Is written and reviewed by

experts in the field Is always available for free on

the Internet using Google or other online search engines

Usually does not contain a bibliography

Standard Threehttp://english.uconn.edu/Information%20Literacy9.29.2011.pdf

"The information-literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his/her knowledge base and value system.“

“… [Students] learn to trace information to its original source, establish which sources are most authoritative and suitable for scholarly discussion.”

• Distributed before and after library sessions

• Post-test time varied

• Testing anonymous

• Survey completed on paper or online: http://classguides.lib.uconn.edu/content.php?pid=92929&sid=2077305

• Answers downloaded from Google Forms Excel File to local Excel Data Analysis file

How was the survey

conducted?

UConn Regional Campuses:Survey Results Analysis

Survey Results Analysis

Point and % Change after Post-Test

Survey ResultsSample Class Analysis

Survey ResultsSample Class Analysis

Collaboration Mutual analysis of survey results

and conclusions

Determining of areas for focus and improvement

Librarian reworks presentation with instructor input

Instructor and librarian develop class assignment(s)

Instructor and librarian collaborate on integration of information literacy in curriculum

Thank you for attending!

Diane G. MatherUndergraduate Education & Access Services LibrarianUConn Torrington860-626-6842diane.mather@uconn.edu

Phil PoggialiUndergraduate Education LibrarianUConn Stamford203-251-0181philip.poggiali@lib.uconn.edu