Center for Academic Programs Assessment Dr. Becky Verzinski, CAPA, Office of the Provost and Ms. Monica Luciano, Thurgood Marshall Library, Bowie State University Null Hypothesis: The Research 101 Learning Module will have no significant effect on student performance on the iSkills assessment. RESULTS: iSkills and Research 101 Pilot Study INTRODUCTION All students must complete the required courses within the general education program as part of their undergraduate degree. The core competencies of the GEP include: written & oral communication scientific & quantitative reasoning critical thinking information literacy technological skills The iSkills assessment measures critical thinking, information literacy and technological skills. The iSkills assessment tool was administered to incoming students during Fall 2012 and Fall 2013 semesters. Table 1: Median Scores for Incoming Freshmen iSkills Assessment   Category Define Access Evaluate Manage Integrate Create Communicate 2012 BSU 55 56 62 57 50 49 44 National 70 78 64 Median Score Difference -15 -22 +12 -12 -13 -7 -20 2013 +8 Table 2: Research 101 Pilot Study and iSkills Mean Scores for 2013 Freshmen   Research 101 (N=113) Control Group (N=119) All Students (N=232) Mean Score 185 169 177 RESEARCH METHODS Instrument: iSkills Assessment (ETS on-line tool) The skill areas assessed with the iSkills instrument are directly aligned with the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Standards and three of the GEP competencies Fall 2012 iSkills results were below the national median An intervention, Research 101 Learning Modules, was developed for use in selected FRSE 101 courses in fall 2013 R101LM was conducted in five sections through Blackboard Comparative data examined BSU student cohorts, both control and experimental groups, with national cohort Table 3: Research 101 Pilot Study and iSkills Mean Scores for 2013 Freshmen by Completed Modules   7 Lessons (N=28) 6 Lessons (N=30) 4-5 Lessons (N=18) 2-3 Lessons (N=17) >2 Lessons (N=40) Mean Score 201 187 180 181 179 DISCUSSION and NEXT STEPS The null hypothesis is rejected because the treatment, or Research 101 learning module for those students who completed all seven lessons, positively impacted the overall mean for the completion cohort. With the initial positive results from the pilot study, a full implementation of all learning modules is planned for inclusion in the summer 2014 Bulldog Academy for incoming freshmen. By fall 2014, testing and analysis will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the complete learning module.