Information Literacy Outcomes and Assessments

INFO LITERACY OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENTS
To summarize, here are the general learning outcomes in relation to information literacy as suggested by the Information Literacy Committee that met Spring 2008.

The Committee recommended that Biology, Sociology, and Psychology courses build these outcomes into the curriculum, and the Library is offering the following tools to support this recommendation.

The KEY indicates how these outcomes are being addressed with our updated instructional and assessment tools.
KEY IG (Info Game) Instructional online tool with assessment
PT (Plagiarism Tutorial) Instructional online tool with assessment
RA (Research Activity /Online Orientation & Worksheet) Instructional online tool with
assessment and student evaluation of instruction
XRA (Extended Activity/Online Orientation & Worksheet) Same as RA and includes 15 questions that assesses general knowledge taken from LIS 2004 coursework)
SM (SurveyMonkey assessment) Assesses general knowledge covered by instructional tools.



1. Evaluate the credibility, quality, and accuracy of Internet resources for specific information needs. [IG] [RA]
2. Demonstrate an understanding of several social, legal and ethical issues, including netiquette, plagiarism and copyright issues. [PT]
3. Use Internet communication tools, web search engines, meta-search engines, specialized search engines, and subject directories to locate and access relevant information resources. [IG] [RA]
4. Demonstrate an understanding of various information resources available via the Internet. [IG]
5. Identify research topics and devise effective search strategies to utilize appropriate Internet resources and Internet-accessible library databases in the research process. [IG]
6. Document resources using MLA or APA style guides. [PT]
7. Demonstrate competence in using keyword and Boolean search techniques as appropriate for Internet search tools. [IG]
Information literacy outcomes and skills, as identified by faculty, in order of importance:
1. Library Databases & Documentation of Internet & Other Online Resources [RA] [PT]
2. Human Evaluated Web Resources [IG]
3. Internet Communications [IG]
4. Evaluation of Internet Resources [IG]
5. Web Search Engines [IG]

EXPLANATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS

• The SurveyMonkey is a foundational 10 question-assessment of students’ general information literacy skills. The content is taken from the Info Game, which is based on the essentials of the LIS 2004 Introduction to Internet Research accredited coursework developed by The Internet Course Task Force consisting of Florida Community College librarians. Some LCCC faculty give extra credit, and require students to print off the work. These stats are also kept by the SurveyMonkey server and managed by the librarian.


• The Research Activity Orientation/Worksheet/Plagiarism Tutorial includes practical exercises using the LCCC Library’s catalogue and five commonly used databases, a thorough plagiarism tutorial created by University of South Florida, and a 3-question evaluation for student feedback about this instructional tool.

• The Extended Activity Orientation and Worksheet is available online, and librarians manage the stats on this tool. The 15-question assessment content comes from the LIS 2004 coursework.

• Information Game is a five-module online instructional tool created by Austin Community College Library. Topics covered are: general internet vocabulary and use, choosing topics for research, search strategies such as Boolean, evaluating internet resources, and using a variety of relevant sources for research. After each module, a student must receive 70% on the assessment before proceeding to the next topic. Students will be able to email their instructor when they complete the entire Info Game. This Game does not allow us to know which questions are not being answered correctly, only that a minimum 70% mastery was accomplished. Although there is a security code required for students to progress from one level to another; these are not real codes, but a measure to discourage students from cheating. These scores are monitored by faculty.

SUGGESTED USE FOR VARYING LEVELS OF LEARNING EXPERIENCE with MEASUREMENT OBJECTIVES

1. Student Success, Speech, and Beginning level composition courses appear to profit by using the Research Activity & Plagiarism Tutorial. This tutorial is best used right before a research assignment. The Librarian will customize this basic activity to direct students to the most relevant databases for their assignment.

2. The stats from the Survey Monkey Assessment Tool will informally measure how aware our students are of basic information literacy skills. This tool is best used at the very beginning of the term, or the very end of the term.


3. The Administration would like to see Psychology, Biology, and Sociology students exposed to more thorough Information Literacy content, so the Information Game was procured and customized for that reason. Best used at the beginning of the term, or right before the first research assignment.

4. The Library recommends that students have at least two encounters with an information literacy instructional tool and/or assessment. The following descriptions indicate the various levels of learning experience and measurement objectives:

Foundational - Research Skills Activity (70%) & Plagiarism Tutorial (70%)and
Survey Monkey Assessment Tool (70%)
Basic - Extended Research Skills Activity (80%) & Plagiarism Tutorial (80%)
Extended Survey Monkey Assessment Tool (80%)
Psy/Bio/Soc - Information Game (70%)
Extended Survey Monkey Assessment Tool (85%)

Measurement objectives:
• 75% of students will attain the percentages prescribed at the Foundational level
• 75% of students will attain the percentages prescribed a the Basic level
• 75% of students taking Biology, Psychology, and Sociology courses will attain the percentages prescribed.

Action and Implementation

Thank you to those Information Literacy Committee members who attended the April 24th meeting: Dean Dopson, Larry Gunther, Dr. Gillette, Dr. Cross, Robert Yorke, Jim Morris, Patty Anderson, Becky Van Hoek, and Vickie Lepore!

Last week IE Director Logan Cross accepted the Info Lit Committee's recommendations for info lit competencies, created a survey, and this week we received responses from 42 (that's 90% of the full-time Liberal Arts department) faculty who rated their priorities.


We are presently awaiting the Technology Department's okay that the graphics in the Info Game from Austin Community College are compatible with LCCC's system. Library Director Jim Morris has acquired the funds to order the software. Our plans are to adapt the questions to match the top priority competencies, and this online Info Literacy assessment tool will be tested out with at least ten of our distance learning classes this summer; administered once at the beginning of the class, and at the end of the class. The library staff will assemble the stats.

Meanwhile, Reference Librarian Vickie Lepore is creating a similar assessment using Survey Monkey for the fall hybrid classes; the link will be posted in Blackboard for three faculty who have volunteered to participate (thank you John Gillette, Bob Yorke and Larry Gunther...anymore voluteers?)

Our marketing plan is driven by the administration strongly encouraging cooperation because our accreditation visit is fast approaching. We are planning and implementing at the same time. Hardly the ideal approach, but the IL committee is in agreement, the faculty is supportive, and we know our action plan is an improvement over the present IL program.

This plan has a three-pronged purpose:
1) the library will be able to initiate information literacy instruction to distant learners

2) the library is establishing a closer collaboration with faculty to improve and support general educational and information literacy requirements

3) the library is incorporating more interactive assessments, and using software that can be modified according to faculty feedback.

The Library staff is currently creating a web page to serve as a feedback loop to signal the "continuous improvement" evaluation process. We are receiving content suggestions for this web page by faculty who are on the IL committee.

Preparation for April 24th Meeting

1. Committee members will discuss their experiences with the INFO GAME

2. Comments about the survey and results.

3. Key findings /trends from the North American survey of info literacy efforts of 110 U.S. colleges. Primary Research Group Inc. 2007. College Information Literacy Efforts Benchmarks

• Business, psychology, sociology, nursing, education and English are the most common academic depts. requesting library instructional presentations.

• 18% - 32% students knew a little about Boolean searching

• 17% administered a test on their understanding of plagiarism

• Almost 70% used student evaluation forms to assess the info literacy instruction

• 63% colleges offer brief classes to new students during new student orientation

• 5% required 1 or 2 credit info lit course for graduation.

• 23% required info lit training integrated into basic writing or composition courses.

• 48% offered interactive tutorials in info lit topics to students

• 84% reported the library was not involved with computer technology training

• 73% of the libraries had instructional labs

• 50% reported making tutorial links and other resources available thru course management systems

Agenda April 17, 2008

Round Robin -

I. What did you think of the Research Readiness Self-Assessment?


II. Creating a Comprehensive Information Literacy Plan - book and online course


III. Survey Monkey and Hot Potatoes


V. Information Literacy Survey V2


VI. Writing the Plan - subcommittee members?


VI. Next meeting?

Committee's Timeline of Activities for March and April 2008

Committee Members present:
Susan Thrall, Jim Morris, Logan Cross, Patty Anderson, Becky van Hoek, Brian Dopson, Vickie Lepore, Larry Gunter, John Gillette


March 20th - Ask Logan to reformat the list of competencies into a survey form for faculty input

March 26 - Brian will distribute the Info literacy Survey to faculty

April 8th - Deadline for Completed Surveys to be turned into Logan

March 28 - John will report "student input" about competencies to Jim.

April 10 - (AM) Vickie will acquire survey data from Logan and initiate the development of an assessment.

April 10 - 2:30 Info Literacy Committee will review survey data, decide on the final core competencies, and how to best develop the assessment.

April 24 - Vickie will give Larry the assessment questions so he can generate this into his final exam for his students.

April 30 - data from Larry will be routed to Logan.

May 8th - Offsite Committee meeting at Foundation 2:30 - 4:30

Agenda March 20, 2008 2:30 - 3:10 P.M.

This meeting influenced by the book Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni

(5 min) Lightening Round -
Identify issues that require immediate attention (avoid too much detail, please)

(10 min.)Progress Review - Becky, Vickie, Faculty

(20 min)Agenda - influenced by issues and progress reports

(5 min) Proposal: an off-site review meeting in May to re-assess our strategic direction and team review. May 8th, 2:30-4:30 P.M. at the Foundation site.

March 13, 2008 2:30 - 3:10

Present:
Faculty: Keith Rupert, Dr. Gillette, Larry Gunter; Library: Jim Morris, Vickie Lepore; I.E.: Becky van Hoek; Administration: Dean Dopson (face-to-face update after meeting was adjourned)

Dr. Gillette and Larry Gunter contributed issues and ideas that will be addressed in next week's meeting. (Gunter: Let's ask other faculty to attend these meetings. Gillette: Can we adapt these competencies to Blackboard?)



Library Director Jim Morris and Reference Librarian Vickie Lepore explain how the LIS 2004 credit course could one day be offered when the library has additional staff. Meanwhile, the 2004 coursework can be adapted for our present needs since it is based on ACRL's Information Literacy Guidelines.


Vickie points out just how "comprehensive" an informational literacy program looks by using UNESCO's approach to education reform that includes: policy,
curriculum and assessment, pedagogy, the use of technology, school organization and administration, and teacher professional development.




Vickie showed the committee what FCCJ's online assessment looks like online, and suggested this is what we can adapt and implement in 2009.
Vickie shared an idea (adapted from another community college) that she and Dr. Boice have agreed upon that includes documents posted on the library's website that identifies:
1. Information literacy competencies needed for Biology
2. a FAQ document that explains the competencies to the student
3. an evaluation of the students' understanding, perhaps posted via online survey instrument like SurveyMonkey.

The committee approved the ideas, and suggested the following action:
1. Work with a Psychology instructor, as well as Biology.(Vickie & Bob Yorke)
2. Meet with Becky van Hoek to determine the kinds of stats needed, and a suggested timeline for creating a more comprehensive instrument. (Vickie)
3. Register for ACRL's online course: "Developing a Comprehensive Information Literacy Program. (Vickie and part-time UF Librarian Paul Victor)
4. Check with other CC librarians if there is a cheating issue for LIS 2004 credit course.
5. Is anyone familiar with "Hot Potatoes" software that developed the FCCJ instrument? (Keith Rupert, Patty Anderson) Are there other suggestions for software to use?


Next two meetings are scheduled as follows:
Thursday March 20, 2008 from 2:30 - 3:10 P.M.
Thursday April 17, 2008 from 2:30 - 3:10 P.M.

Committee Agenda March 13, 2008 2:30 - 3:10 PM

1. Schema (on white board) for keeping the discussion aligned with agenda

2. Demonstrated instrument from FCCJ (Vickie)
QUIZ

3. Info Literacy Curriculum based on what? (Vickie)
Showed notebook of hardcopy of LIS 2004 credit course based on ACRL's Info Literacy Guidelines. The entire course has been downloaded, and we have permission to adopt the material for the development of our info literacy project.

4. Knowledge, Application, & Measurement techniques (Vickie)
Which competencies can be accomplished through library research skills?
Which competencies can be accomplished through classroom measurement activities?
Demonstrated the collaboration done to create documents for Dr. Boice's Biology class.

5. Topics for next meeting?
Timeline for creating a comprehensive instrument.
Is there a cheating issue for LIS 2004?