WASHBURNWASHBURN Friends of Mabee Library October 28, 2004 Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills Presented by Judy Druse Martha Imparato

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Purpose is to develop a standardized instrument to measure college students’ information literacy competencies based on the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Information Competency Standards for Higher Education

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Libraries Can document information literacy skill levels Establish internal and peer benchmarks of performance Pinpoint areas for improvement Identify and justify resource needs Assess and demonstrate the effect of changes in their instructional programs

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Description 200 undergraduates Web-based test 45 multiple choice questions randomly selected Questions address information literacy “skill sets” Item response theory (IRT)

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Participating Classes AC 330 Accounting Systems CN 101 Principles and Practices of Human Communication EN 101 Freshman Composition IS 170 Library Research Strategies Greek organizations

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Results Compares WU with average results from 38 institutions who have participated since Phase I 111 useable responses 4 standards and 9 skill sets Sex, ethnicity, class standing, and major field of study Average student performance Trends in performance Validity of instrument is still being tested Instruction librarians can use results in goal setting for Instruction program

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Average Student Response

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Demographics Sex 57 females57 females 54 males54 malesEthnicity 4 African-American 1 American Indian 4 Hispanic 1 Pacific Islander/Asian 80 White 21 not reported

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Demographics Class standing 31 freshmen31 freshmen 22 sophomores22 sophomores 20 juniors20 juniors 24 seniors24 seniors 14 others14 othersGPA 3 <= – – – – – not reported

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Demographics Major 29 Business, Management, Marketing29 Business, Management, Marketing

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library 4 ACRL Standards Standard I Standard II Standard III Standard V The average student at Washburn University performed on all standards at or slightly above the average student from all institutions combined.

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Student Performance by Standard Figure 1

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Standard 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Standard 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Standard 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Standard 5 The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library 9 Skill Sets Developing a topic Scholarly communication/ structure of disciplines Identifying and distinguishing among types of sources Selecting finding tools Selecting search terms Constructing the search Database mechanics Evaluating and revising search results Retrieving sources Evaluating and selecting sources Documenting sources Economic, legal, and social issues

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library 9 Skill Sets The average student at Washburn University performed on 6 skill sets at or slightly above the average student from all institutions combined. The average student at Washburn University performed on 3 skill sets slightly below the average student from all institutions combined.

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Student Performance by Skill Sets Scholarly Communication Figure 2

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Identifying and Distinguishing among Types of Sources Figure 3

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Selecting Finding Tools Figure 4

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Constructing the Search Figure 5

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Database Mechanics Figure 6

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Database Mechanics

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Retrieving Sources Figure 7

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Evaluating and Selecting Sources Figure 8

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Evaluating and Selecting Sources

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Documenting Sources Figure 9

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Documenting Sources

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Economic, Legal, and Social Issues Figure 10

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Trends in Performance the ability to demonstrate when it is appropriate to use a general and subject-specific information source (e.g., to provide an overview, to give ideas on terminology) the ability to use help screens and other user aids to understand the particular search structures and commands of an information retrieval system the ability to distinguish characteristics of information provided for different audiences the ability to identify keywords that describe an information source (e.g., book, journal article, magazine article, Web site) the ability to use effectively the organizational structure of a typical book (e.g., indexes, tables of contents, user’s instructions, legends, cross-references) in order to locate pertinent information in it the ability to demonstrate an understanding that some information and information sources may present a one-sided view and may express opinions rather than facts the ability to recognize that consistency of citation format is important, especially if a course instructor has not required a particular style the ability to demonstrate an understanding of institutional policies related to human subjects research

WASHBURNWASHBURN October 28, 2004 Friends of Mabee Library Next Steps Participate in the 2004/05 SAILS administration Administer the instrument to more studentsAdminister the instrument to more students Investigate solutions to improve areas where Washburn students were slightly below average Compare SAILS data with LibQUAL+™ and focus group results