Using ILIAC to Systematically Plan and Implement a Library Information Literacy Assessment Program for Freshman Classes

In order to prepare for the 2013 SACS reaffirmation, the Joyner Library instruction librarians developed a systematic assessment program using Oakleaf's Information Literacy Instruction Assessment Cycle (ILIAC) to plan for instruction, assess student learning and improve future student learning by reviewing data and enacting changes. The paper outlines the systematic development, implementation, assessment, and improvement of an information literacy instruction assessment program for freshman classes over a three-year period from 2008 to 2011. It also analyzes student learning outcomes assessment data from 1,956 freshman students using quizzes and formative assessment during the 2010–11 school year.     

Rights instruction for undergraduate students: Needs,trends, and resources

As librarians are increasingly identified as rights experts on campus, it is essential that they understand rights issues and how best to communicate them to a multitude of users. While scholarly literature contains many examples of librarians working with faculty on copyright issues regarding course materials, reserves, e-reserves, and intellectual property, there is far less documentation of the need for students, especially undergraduates, to understand their rights as creators and consumers of information. This article reviews relevant literature on librarian copyright skills, the need for copyright instruction, and current case studies and examples of copyright instruction for undergraduates.     

From Traditional to Non-Traditional: An Adaptive Procedure for Assessing the Instruction Librarian

Assessment of teaching is an important part of growing as an instruction librarian. The article presents how instruction librarians can apply the small group analysis technique to improve their teaching skills. The benefit of using the small group analysis is its flexibility; it can be customized to meet the needs of the librarian and feedback from students can be collected and used to make changes. Through a case study, the authors demonstrate how the continuous use of this teaching assessment can improve the teaching skills of the librarian and lead to curriculum changes as well.     

Success of reiterative instruction: Looking at faculty-librarian collaboration to improve information literacy in political science education

The purpose of this case study was to ascertain if college students’ information literacy improves through a faculty-librarian collaboration involving a session of library instruction as part of a regular political science course. The authors conducted two surveys to determine if in-person library instruction increases students’ research abilities. The authors surveyed political science faculty to discover their attitudes toward library research instruction. They also surveyed political science students to gauge their opinions on the value of library instruction and to see if there is a connection between their research proficiencies and instruction by a librarian. Through this case study, the authors found that such instruction does improve information literacy. The researchers concluded that for faculty and colleges interested in improving information literacy skills in undergraduate political science students, such library instruction is helpful towards that goal.     

The Application of Reliability and Validity Measures to Assess the Effectiveness of an Undergraduate Citation Rubric

The increasing popularity of rubrics to assess student learning outcomes in the information literacy classroom is evident within library and information science literature. However, there is a lack of research detailing scientific evaluation of these assessment instruments to determine their reliability and validity. The goal of this study was to use two common measurement methods to determine the content validity and internal consistency reliability of a citation rubric developed by the researcher. Results showed the rubric needed modification in order to improve reliability and validity. Changes were made and the updated rubric will be used in the classroom in a future semester.     

Understanding millennial learning in academic libraries: Learning styles,emerging technologies,and the efficacy of information literacy instruction

Abstract

Millennials, or Generation Y learners, are one of the largest constituencies academic libraries serve today. Understanding how and why these technology-savvy students learn increases the efficacy of information literacy instruction and ensures that libraries remain relevant in the digital age. This article addresses the complexity of the millennial learning phenomenon and its implications for instructional design and teaching in physical and virtual library environments. To situate millennial learning in the context of academic library instruction, this paper takes a large-scale, holistic approach that includes consideration of millennials’ learning styles, emerging technologies, and a multitude of other issues affecting Generation Y learning.     

Maximizing and assessing a one-shot information literacy session: A case study

This case study describes collaboration between an instructor and business librarian to maximize a one-shot information literacy session for a required marketing class for business majors. It includes an active-learning exercise where groups use three key business databases to conduct a company and industry analysis and an environmental scan for a company. The instructor then guides them in developing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) analysis. This session prepares students for the SWOT analysis they will have to submit for their actual projects. This article includes assessment of groups' in-class exercises as well as citation analysis of the assignments they turned in for their actual projects.     

Flipping the Business Information Literacy Classroom: Redesign,Implementation, and Assessment of a Case Study

A team of librarians at Purdue University transformed a business information literacy course from a traditional lecture, 40-student class into multiple sections of a flipped, 70-student classroom to meet the request that the successful course be required for all 500 undergraduate students. Scaling up required the adoption of flipped learning techniques for better utilization of library teaching resources. This case study provides key insights for others implementing credit classes or integrating similar content into one-shots or embedded work. It also describes the assessed results determined through student feedback (focus groups) and student performance (pre/post-tests).     

Learning to Love Your Discovery Tool: Strategies for Integrating a Discovery Tool in Face-To-Face,Synchronous, and Asynchronous Instruction

Some librarians embrace discovery tools while others refuse to use them. This lack of consensus can have consequences for student learning when there is inconsistent use, especially in large-scale instruction programs. The authors surveyed academic librarians whose institutions have a discovery tool and who teach information literacy classes in order to identify barriers to using them and to develop strategies to effectively integrate them into instruction. The authors used the survey results and recent studies on the research habits of undergraduates to propose strategies for integrating the discovery tool at the programmatic level in a more meaningful and sustainable way.     

Tailoring Library Instruction for Non-Science Majors Taking Hybrid and Online Science Classes: Student Perceptions of Information Literacy in the Virtual Environment

An instruction librarian and a biology professor at a small, urban commuter college campus worked together to provide research instruction to non-science majors in selected hybrid and online biological sciences classes. They collaboratively designed in-class and online learning tools, as well as homework assignments aimed at developing non-science majors’ information literacy skills. Through an array of innovative technologies and pedagogical models (including online screencasts, Twitter conversations, and embedded librarianship), they sought to engage non-science majors in the scientific discourse and to encourage them to access and assess reputable online science materials. This study explores the efficacy of their pedagogical partnership.     

Delivering Information Literacy Instruction for a Joint International Program: An Innovative Collaboration Between Two Libraries

This article focuses on a collaborative project between Mount Saint Vincent University Library and Bermuda College Library to introduce students to services and resources at the libraries of the partner institutions. Using Web conferencing software that allowed for voice, instant messaging chat, and live Web demonstration, a series of workshops was developed to introduce students to the concepts of information and literacy and reinforce for the students that they were able to access librarians and library services at both institutions. Issues relating to both the students’ home library at Bermuda College in Hamilton, Bermuda and their remote library at Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia, Canada are examined, including the obstacles that have been surmounted as well as recommendations for other libraries considering this type of partnership. Strategies, activities, and tools used to implement the initiative are discussed.     

Hands-On Learning in Special Collections: A Pilot Assessment Project

This study examined how hands-on work with original primary materials affects students' information literacy and critical thinking skills. The project team developed rubrics to evaluate document analyses from before and after student time in special collections. Most scores did not vary significantly between the pre- and posttests, although students' ability to analyze the materiality of documents did improve. They also examined papers from classes that had and had not used special collections against the Association of American Colleges and Universities' information literacy rubric and found no significant differences. The authors hope this project will serve as a pilot for future assessment of student learning in special collections.     

Building a Case for the Teaching Library

SUMMARY

The use of rigorous assessment in an Information Literacy program can be used to persuade reluctant faculty and administrators to buy into a program. A “culture of assessment” also assures quality control for internal and external audiences. Information Literacy at Wartburg College is unique in that it is a required component of five core courses in the general education program. This article describes Information Literacy Across the Curriculum (ILAC) at the Vogel Library and how the program has created a culture of assessment at the library and college. The article also discusses how the program is assessed at multiple times and in multiple ways through the use of direct and indirect assessment. This “culture of assessment” has been instrumental in Wartburg's acceptance of ILAC while assuring that the program thrives.     

Beyond the one-shot: Intensive workshops as a platform for engaging the library in digital humanities

ABSTRACT

This article explores how librarian participation as instructors in week-long intensive classes—a common workshop format in digital humanities (DH)—can advance a variety of library objectives, while also uniquely supporting the DH community. Intensive workshops fall between the one-shot session and credit course formats more commonly found in library instruction. Drawing on case studies from Geographic Information Systems (GIS) instruction at DH institutes at the University of California Berkeley and Purdue University, the authors explore the origins of librarian involvement, course topics, pedagogy, and library services. Based on their instruction experiences in the DH summer institutes and student surveys, the authors argue that intensive instruction workshops provide a good potential platform for library involvement in DH.     

Fostering Student Engagement and Collaboration with the Library: Student Creation of LibGuides as a Research Assignment

This article describes a project using a student-created LibGuide in conjunction with a literature review assignment for a research course. This collaborative project between a librarian and a professor of International Education was designed and implemented as an avenue for teaching information literacy and to encourage use of library resources. The methodology for the assignment is presented, and the results of the project are discussed in terms of the final products and student reviews. Implications for the use of student-created LibGuides in academic institutions and future directions for this project are presented.     

Using ACRL's framework to support the evolving needs of today's college students

The threshold concepts of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ new framework dovetail with rapidly evolving trends in higher education. Adapting our library instruction classes for the new framework will require greater partnership with the teaching faculty and information technologists, as well as incorporating resources beyond our tried-and-true periodical databases. Having ready access to large sets of data, online primary resources, and multimedia files will be excellent tools for librarians to use both in teaching the threshold concepts and in preparing our students for research in a postacademic career.     

Part 1. If We Frame It,They Will Respond: Undergraduate Student Responses to the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

There remains significant confusion surrounding the purpose, audience, and proposed application of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. This exploratory study addresses the question of whether undergraduate students can understand the language and concepts in this document. By presenting student responses to pretest questions recorded at the beginning of a semester-long research methods course, this article shows that students can, even on first impression, begin to make sense of the complexity and richness found in the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.     

Culture shock in the library: Implications for information literacy instruction

A tremendous amount has been written on culture shock experienced by people who leave their own cultures for another. This essay defines and describes culture shock and clash in general, discusses the literature related to different aspects of culture shock as it relates to international students, describes other related library literature, describes the research of several experts in other fields, and discusses some implications, applications, and solutions.     

Looking for the library: Using an undergraduate business syllabi analysis to inform an instruction program

This study analyzed 260 syllabi representing a year of the undergraduate curriculum from a business school. The syllabi were examined based on the mentions of the library from across three categories: spaces, resources, and services, as well as possible opportunities for engagement that librarians could target for collaboration. In this study, the library was mentioned 79 times, mostly in relation to library resources. There were also 479 opportunities for engagement coded. This study found that the majority of undergraduate syllabi do not mention the library, but that there are considerable opportunities that librarians can target for future engagement.     

改变思维:《高等教育信息素养框架》解读的阈限视角

[目的/意义]美国ACRL颁布《高等教育信息素养框架》,采用来自教育学的阈限概念理论与方法,构建新媒体环境下的信息素养教育。由于对阈限概念思维模式和教学方式的陌生感,阻碍了信息素养教育者对《框架》的深度认知。[方法/过程]针对上述问题,应开展以下工作：①阐述阈限概念的本意;②阐明阈限概念方法的操作原理;③勾稽信息素养教育引入阈限概念的背景;④分析《框架》阈限概念的实质含义和具体运用。[结果/结论]掌握《框架》阈限概念可以改变学习者的思维境界,对《框架》阈限概念思维的理解可以改变传统信息素养教育的教学模式。