Assessment of a Web-based Information Literacy Program for Industrial Engineers Beth A. Smith, Asst. Prof., Engineering Librarian & Larry Whitman, Asst. Prof., Industrial Engineering Wichita State University ASEE, Nashville, TN June 22, 2003
Three “Types” of Information Subject Knowledge—lecture & text Use of software tools— MS Excel, Cortona, etc. Locate & analyze engineering literature: Library instruction
ACRL Information Literacy for Higher Education Competencies Determine the extent of information needed Access the needed information effectively & efficiently Evaluate information & its sources critically Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, & access and use information ethically & legally[1]
MS Excel: Objectives Enter data Use multiple worksheets Create graphs Compare project alternatives
Virtual instruction via Tegrity?
Library Component: Engineering Research Writing Class 1. Getting Started 2. Keyword searching 3. Database searching—Compendex 4. Evaluating sources: periodicals 5. Evaluating sources: Web 6. Assignment
MS Excel: Engineering Economy Basic data entry & absolute/relative cell references Basic charting Specific economic functions native to MS Excel Linear programming: part 1 (optional) Linear programming: part 2 (optional)
Assessment Tools: Engineering Research Writing Class—Library Pre-test for basic library and information literacy concepts Post-test Library Assignment Survey
Assessment: Engineering Economy--Excel Pre-test:Asked students to self-rate their Excel knowledge Post-test Homework
Results: Library
Student feedback: Library
Results: Excel
Conclusions Tegrity lectures are an effective mode of instruction. Web learning takes more time Web instruction takes more time
Future of Tegrity Instruction… Faculty increasingly using Tegrity for supplementary instruction Library instruction modules to be offered Fall 2003 Assess retention of skills learned Continued assessment of instruction
Notes 1 Association of College and Research Libraries. “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.” 18 January
Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge the Engineering Information Foundation who partially funded this project. We also wish to thank Hem Patil for all of his work on the many phases of this project, Elizabeth Alexander, instructor of CESP750d, and Mehmet Bayram Yildirim, Ph.D., Assistant Professor.