Charting Success: Using Practical Measures to Assess Information Literacy Skills in the First-Year Writing Course

Objective – The aim was to measure the impact of a peer-to-peer model on information literacy skill-building among first-year students at a small commuter college in the United States. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is the state’s flagship public university and UNH Manchester is one of its seven colleges. This study contributed to a program evaluation of the Research Mentor Program at UNH Manchester whereby peer writing tutors are trained in basic library research skills to support first-year students throughout the research and writing process. Methods – The methodology employed a locally developed pre-test/post-test instrument with fixed-choice and open-ended questions to measure students’ knowledge of the library research process. Anonymized data was collected using an online survey with SurveyMonkey™ software. A rubric was developed to score the responses to open-ended questions. Results – The study indicated a positive progression toward increased learning for the three information literacy skills targeted: 1) using library resources correctly, 2) building effective search strategies, and 3) evaluating sources appropriately. Students scored higher in the fixed-choice questions than the open-ended ones, demonstrating their ability to more effectively identify the applicable information literacy skill than use the language of information literacy to describe their own research behavior. Conclusions – The assessment methodology used was an assortment of low-key, locally-developed instruments that provided timely data to measure students understanding of concepts taught and to apply those concepts correctly. Although the conclusions are not generalizable to other institutions, the findings were a valuable component of an ongoing program evaluation. Further assessment measuring student performance would strengthen the conclusions attained in this study

A Study of Graduate Students’ Information Literacy Needs in the Electronic Resource Environment

This study examines the information literacy skills of graduate students at the University of Windsor. The study encompassed a quantitative survey questionnaire administered to 137 graduate students and a qualitative component that involved semi-structured, open-ended focus groups with 17 graduate students. The quantitative component was based on the modified Beile O’Neil Test of Information Literacy for Education (B-TILED), an online survey instrument that measured information-literacy related skills. The survey questions were sorted into seven categories: “demographic information”; “knowledge of library services”; “search strategy”; “knowledge of electronic resources”; “information literacy assessment”; “citation”; and “ethical considerations and copyright.” SPSS was used to analyze the online survey data. Statistically significant results were found for B-TILED scores on three independent variables: language spoken at home (for “search strategy,” “knowledge of electronic resources,” “citation,” and “ethical considerations and copyright”); graduate status (for “search strategy” and “citation”); and program of study (for “search strategy” and “citation”). Results for questions related to the library’s training session and library services were very low with respect to use and awareness. Focus group questions focused on information-seeking preference and knowledge of the library’s electronic resources and were based on three key terms: “material’s format preference”; “Google Scholar usage”; and “awareness of the library troubleshooting services.” A text search query through NVivo software generated an overview of graduate students’ perspectives. Focus group results showed that participants (a) preferred to use electronic rather than print resources; (b) came to the library to request assistance from the reference librarian, to attend meetings, and/or to use library facilities; (c) noted problems with the library website’s layout, database function, and bookmarks; and (d) preferred to use Google Scholar and other resources rather than the library’s website. This study demonstrates that participating graduate students had only a basic understanding of information literacy skills—significantly less than the level required by the Association of College & Research Libraries. They need more information literacy training, potentially through an information literacy credit course or through intensive one-on-one instruction. Particularly, increasing the collaboration between libraries and faculties to integrate effective library-led information literacy into graduate course instruction would greatly benefit graduate students’ research and overall academic success

An evaluation of the information literacy education of MBA students at the University of Stellenbosch Business School

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBiblThis study investigates the effectiveness of the information literacy education that Master of Business Administration (MBA) students receive at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). The literature reveals that there is a growing trend worldwide to extend information literacy education to include graduate students. The study uses the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education Competencies as the theoretical framework together with Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process. Both process and formative evaluation was used in the study. A mixed method approach was applied to gather data for the study using a pre- and post-information literacy questionnaire, interviews with the information literacy facilitator and the research methodology lecturer and a rubric assessment of students’ group assignment. The information literacy intervention focuses mainly on ACRL Standard 1, with more emphasis on ACRL Standard 2. ACRL Standards 3, 4 and 5 were briefly mentioned as it was difficult to cover all the ACRL Standards adequately within a once-off information literacy session.The results of the study show that the information literacy intervention was successful in introducing students to some of the electronic resources which is one of the major objectives of the intervention. Students’ scores in the pre- and post-information literacy questionnaire and the group assignment were high. This could be an indication that the information literacy intervention was a success. The interviews with the information literacy facilitator and the research methodology lecturer reveal that little collaboration between the library and business academics is taking place. This lack of collaboration affects the quality of the information literacy education in terms of business academics input in the information literacy intervention and in terms of reinforcing information literacy outcomes in students’ assignments. One of the recommendations is that collaborative relationships should be developed between the library and business academics in order to develop an information literacy plan that will fully integrate information literacy within Masters’ courses

An Investigation of Information Literacy of International Graduate Students: Skills, Challenges, and Needs

Information literacy at higher education institutions is an important issue at the local and national levels. In 2000, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) created a set of information literacy standards and asked academic institutions to incorporate them into their college curricula (ACRL, 2000). The ACRL states that, to be considered information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and be able to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information (ACRL, 2000). Academic institutions follow these standards to teach their students information literacy skills and assist them to become lifelong learners. Library literature indicates that international students face some linguistic, cultural, and technological challenges in using the library and learning information literacy skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the information literacy of international graduate students. It assessed their current skills and investigated their challenges and needs. Understanding the challenges international students face and exploring the factors associated with these challenges can be helpful to understand the academic needs of this group of students. The study was conducted on international graduate students at the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) at University of Central Florida (UCF). The study used a mixed methods design. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey that was sent to all U.S. and international graduate students at CECS. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with a selected number of international graduate students at CECS. The findings of the study indicated clearly that international graduate students have a relatively low level of information literacy skills. The study also showed that U.S. graduate students have a better information literacy level than the information literacy level of international graduate students. The study presented some implications and provided recommendations for future planning and programming of outreach programs and library services for international students on campus

An evaluation of the information literacy education of MBA students at the University of Stellenbosch Business School

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBiblThis study investigates the effectiveness of the information literacy education that Master of Business Administration (MBA) students receive at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB). The literature reveals that there is a growing trend worldwide to extend information literacy education to include graduate students. The study uses the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education Competencies as the theoretical framework together with Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process. Both process and formative evaluation was used in the study. A mixed method approach was applied to gather data for the study using a pre- and post-information literacy questionnaire, interviews with the information literacy facilitator and the research methodology lecturer and a rubric assessment of students’ group assignment. The information literacy intervention focuses mainly on ACRL Standard 1, with more emphasis on ACRL Standard 2. ACRL Standards 3, 4 and 5 were briefly mentioned as it was difficult to cover all the ACRL Standards adequately within a once-off information literacy session.The results of the study show that the information literacy intervention was successful in introducing students to some of the electronic resources which is one of the major objectives of the intervention. Students’ scores in the pre- and post-information literacy questionnaire and the group assignment were high. This could be an indication that the information literacy intervention was a success. The interviews with the information literacy facilitator and the research methodology lecturer reveal that little collaboration between the library and business academics is taking place. This lack of collaboration affects the quality of the information literacy education in terms of business academics input in the information literacy intervention and in terms of reinforcing information literacy outcomes in students’ assignments. One of the recommendations is that collaborative relationships should be developed between the library and business academics in order to develop an information literacy plan that will fully integrate information literacy within Masters’ courses

Implementing ACRL’s Assessment in Action Program at UNCG Libraries to Meet the Information Literacy Needs of Incoming Transfer Students

In the fall of 2014, a team of librarians at University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Libraries surveyed incoming transfer students to determine their information literacy skills and needs. Based on demographic questions as well as questions designed to gauge information literacy skills, initial results indicated that older transfer students and students transferring from community colleges were least knowledgeable about basic information literacy concepts, and that students from all educational backgrounds who had attended library instruction sessions were more knowledgeable. Based on the results of this study, members of the UNCG Transfer Student Research Project submitted a proposal for further research on incoming transfer students to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)’s Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success program. The team for this project included stakeholders from the libraries and other campus units. Two research studies were implemented in order to study the research skills and needs of incoming transfer students: a pre-test, intervention, and post-test assessment in a course designed for transfer and adult students and a follow-up survey of second year transfer students that assessed information literacy skills. The follow-up study compares students who had librarian interventions during their first year at UNCG with those who did not, and also compares the skills of students from a variety of transfer institutions, majors, age ranges, and time lapse between educational experiences. In the two Assessment in Action studies, there were fewer significant links between library instruction and information literacy skills, but both studies indicated a significant gain in comfort with library research and with contacting subject librarians for consultations

Information Seeking Behavior of Under Graduate Students of English Discipline: A Comparative Study of Miranda House College and Vivekananda College, University of Delhi

The paper overtly attempts to investigate the information seeking behavior of UG students of English discipline from library for their different academic purposes. The scope of the study is limited to UG students of Department of English of two colleges of University of Delhi, i.e., Vivekananda College and Miranda House College. The study is based on Survey method of research and used questionnaire and interview methods for collection of data. The study revealed that both libraries are well equipped with quality sources, services and modern technology which reflects their strong potential to provide good environment for quenching the quest of students. But usage is not up to the mark because of various reasons which include unawareness about different sources related to their field (35%),lack of ICT skills among students(96% students are unaware of metasearch engines), lack of interaction between students and library staff (only 26% students approach library staff for help), visiting library occasionally (36%) etc. Major problems faced by English discipline UG students are:- insufficient time to visit library because of lectures(43%), information overload on Internet (35%) etc. LIS professionals have to come forward with different strategies to attract UG students to the library. Information literacy programmes, ICT skills training programmes must be organized in order to spread awareness and usage of library among undergraduate students

First-Year Composition and the Writing-Research Gap

Annmarie Singh’s 2005 article “A Report on Faculty Perceptions of Students’ Information Literacy Competencies in Journalism and Mass Communication Programs: The ACEJMC Survey” showed that faculty in her sample believed many of their undergraduate students did not meet ACRL’s information literacy standards. However, most of these faculty members reported improvement in their students’ research competencies following instruction. We present the results of a study that extends Singh’s work in two useful ways: 1) it isolates teacher perceptions of first-year student skills; and 2) it describes the effectiveness of employing a variety of pedagogical strategies to teach students about the research process. This project surveyed English teachers at three institutions, a private liberal arts college, a public liberal arts college, and a land grant university, concerning their perceptions of their students’ information literacy skills. While Singh’s survey focused exclusively on teacher perceptions of student skills, we also asked teachers about the variety of strategies they used to introduce and reinforce information literacy competency in their classrooms. These strategies ranged from assigning a research project with little classroom or library support, to using ten or more research-related activities to build on a project. We found that teachers who employed a variety of strategies for teaching information literacy competency were significantly more satisfied with their students’ abilities to successfully complete researched projects. In this session, we will report on the results of our study and engage our audience in a conversation about how these results might shape collaborations between librarians and first-year writing programs

Introducing Digital Instructional Tutorials

This paper was produced as a culminating project for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education, Learning Design and Technology program. The results from this study were presented at the 2020 Technology, Colleges, and Community Worldwide Online Conference.The Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa supports scholastic efforts of students from varied academic levels. Aligned with the Association of College & Research Libraries, “Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education”, Hamilton Library conducts instructional sessions partnered with the English department’s First Year Writing program. Twice a semester, English 100 classes visit the library first to be introduced to basic research strategies and database searching; and a second time to learn evaluating information techniques. Instruction librarians at Hamilton Library have long struggled to balance the limited time available in these sessions and the amount of information to be communicated, coupled with students’ lack of preparation. Taking into account the increase in distance learning programs the University offers, and the heavy reliance society has on online tools, can the library impact students’ learning outside of the traditional classroom? How would utilizing online tools and non-traditional pedagogical approaches affect learning occurring in library sessions? Results of this study found students’ innate knowledge of research concepts influences learning occurring through the tutorial. While the pedagogy can impact the application of learned concepts. The purpose of this action research is to explore the impact of a flipped learning pedagogy utilizing instructional tutorials in preparing students for library instruction sessions

Utilisation of library websites for information literacy delivery in five selected universities in South Africa

The purpose of this study was to investigate how library web sites are used in delivering information literacy to a diversity of users in five selected universities in South Africa. Drawing from the Association of College and Research Libraries’ information literacy framework for higher education, the study sought to establish how information literacy content is designed into curricula and delivered. It further established tools that are used to deliver information literacy via library websites, strategies that are adopted in managing the process as well as the assessment tools used to test students’ learning of information literacy. Ultimately the study established the challenges librarians encounter when developing information literacy curriculum/content and using technologies on their web sites. This was done to improve the current practice of information literacy programme delivery at the University of Namibia libraries. The study was guided by Constructivism paradigm and the framework for Information Literacy Competency for higher education. The study employed a qualitative approach in which research participants were purposely selected. While a checklist was used to collect data from the library websites, interviews were used to collect data from librarians who are information literacy coordinators in their institutions. The study found that information literacy content encompasses the ability to identify an information need, locate, evaluate, use and manage information legally and ethically. Academic libraries used various strategies to inculcate information literacy skills among others includes Libguides, YouTube, videos, presentations in PDF and Microsoft Words, blog, Ask a Librarian and live Chat with a Librarian. Technologies such as Camtasia, Articulate software for videos, games, audios, quizzes creation, and Libguides are often used to develop and deliver information literacy content through library web-pages. Challenges that were highlighted by the librarians include inability to identify appropriate technologies to use and in most cases, librarians depend on IT personnel for assistance. The study will be useful to libraries which are in the process of developing online tutorials; it has potential to help librarians to identify appropriate technologies and processes involved to effectively develop tutorials that will eventually transform library websites into educational and learning platforms