Assessment Articles
Fall 2011 English I Information Literacy Assessment Findings
Before information literacy sessions for English I,
40% of students cannot distinguish between a keyword search and subject or other types of searches.
About 35% of students are not clear why they should consider using library databases for academic research.
More than half of students surveyed did not where to locate scholarly material.
About 1 in 3 students were incorrect in identifying the traits of a trustworthy website.
Less than half of students surveyed knew that library databases contain full text articles.
After our information literacy sessions:
75% of students understood how keyword searching and subject searching were different.
7 of 10 students identified that database sources contained unique content that was not available on the free web.
Three quarters of students knew that journals are where they can find scholarly research articles.
After our sessions,
26% of students indicated that they ‘feel differently about research’
64% of students feel ‘better prepared’ to write papers
2/3rds are convinced that ‘librarians are here to help’.
ACRL on Assessment of Information Literacy Instruction
In addition to assessing all students’ basic information literacy skills, faculty and librarians should also work together to develop assessment instruments and strategies in the context of particular disciplines, as information literacy manifests itself in the specific understanding of the knowledge creation, scholarly activity, and publication processes found in those disciplines.
In implementing these standards, institutions need to recognize that different levels of thinking skills are associated with various learning outcomes--and therefore different instruments or methods are essential to assess those outcomes. For example, both "higher order" and "lower order" thinking skills, based on Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, are evident throughout the outcomes detailed in this document. It is strongly suggested that assessment methods appropriate to the thinking skills associated with each outcome be identified as an integral part of the institution’s implementation plan.
ACRL, 2004