Librarians Matter!* Librarian Impact on First-Year Information Literacy Skills at Five Liberal Arts Colleges

This poster reports results of an assessment of student writing from the first-year seminar/experience programs at five separate undergraduate colleges. Papers (n=520) were coded by level of librarian involvement in the class, and then scored using an Information Literacy rubric. Results indicate that students in courses with higher librarian involvement demonstrate better IL skills (that are statistically significant) than those in courses with low involvement

Degrees of Impact: Analyzing the Effects of Progressive Librarian Course Collaborations on Student Performance

The Claremont Colleges Library conducted direct rubric assessment of Pitzer College First-Year Seminar research papers to analyze the impact of diverse levels of librarian course collaborations on information literacy (IL) performance in student writing. Findings indicate that progressive degrees of librarian engagement in IL-related course instruction and/or syllabus and assignment design had an increasingly positive impact on student performance. A secondary indirect analysis of librarian teaching evaluations and self-perceived learning gains by students and faculty showed no correlation to rubric IL scores, suggesting the importance of “authentic” assessment in determining actual learning outcomes. This mixed-methods study presents findings in each area and examines their implications for effective IL course collaborations

Impacting Information Literacy Learning in First-Year Seminars: A Rubric-Based Evaluation

The authors conducted a rubric assessment of information literacy (IL) skills in research papers across five undergraduate first-year seminar programs to explore the question “What impact does librarian intervention in first-year courses have on IL performance in student work?” Statistical results indicate that students in courses with greater levels of strategic faculty-librarian collaboration performed significantly better in IL outcomes than those in courses with low collaboration. Intensive librarian course support was not necessary to achieve significant learning gains; these tended to occur when librarians provided initial input into syllabus and assignment design, followed by one or two assignment-focused IL workshops

Impact of Assignment Prompt on Information Literacy Performance in First-Year Student Writing

This study attempts to quantify the impact of assignment prompts and phased assignment sequencing on first-year student work. Specifically, whether more fully developed and “scaffolded” assignment prompts produced better Information Literacy (IL) in student papers (n=520). The examination of assignment prompts in relation to student IL rubric scores would seem to indicate the conventional wisdom on developing assignment prompts might not have an impact on IL performance

Visual Curriculum Mapping Template

This template map contains areas for degree requirements, courses, faculty information, clubs & organizations, and Library resources. It is free and open for reuse and modification. This project was completed as part of an IMLS Sparks! Ignition grant in 2013-14

Using consensus analysis to assess mental models about water use and management in the Crocodile River catchment, South Africa

The content, structure, and distribution of mental models can be elicited and measured using a variety of methods. In this article we explore a method for eliciting mental models within the context of water use and management in South Africa. This method is consensus analysis, a technique developed in cognitive anthropology. We used it to analyze qualitative data from semistructured interviews, pilesorts, and questionnaires to test quantitatively the degree of sharing and diversity of mental models within and across social groups. The consensus analysis method focused on comparing the mental models of two key stakeholder groups in the Crocodile River catchment in South Africa, i.e., conservationists and irrigators, to better understand the level of consensus between these groups. We specifically investigated the level of agreement regarding: (1) major water users of the Crocodile River, (2) causes of the current problems with flows in the river, (3) consequences of the river not flowing, and 4) priorities for future use. We discuss the results and examine the strengths and challenges of consensus analysis for eliciting and measuring mental models. We also evaluated the usefulness of this method in assisting natural resource managers to identify strategies for improving integrated management of water resources

Legal Studies Curriculum Map 2013-2014

This map displays degree requirements, courses, faculty information, clubs & organizations, and Library resources associated with legal studies across the seven Claremont Colleges (7Cs) for the 2013-14 academic year. It was compiled using public information drawn from Colleges websites, course schedules and catalogs, and the Claremont Colleges Library website. This project was completed as part of an IMLS Sparks! Ignition grant in 2013-14

Italian Curriculum Map 2013-2014

This map displays degree requirements, courses, faculty information, clubs & organizations, and Library resources associated with Italian across the seven Claremont Colleges (7Cs) for the 2013-14 academic year. It was compiled using public information drawn from Colleges websites, course schedules and catalogs, and the Claremont Colleges Library website. This project was completed as part of an IMLS Sparks! Ignition grant in 2013-14

Geology Curriculum Map 2013-2014

This map displays degree requirements, courses, faculty information, clubs & organizations, and Library resources associated with geology across the seven Claremont Colleges (7Cs) for the 2013-14 academic year. It was compiled using public information drawn from Colleges websites, course schedules and catalogs, and the Claremont Colleges Library website. This project was completed as part of an IMLS Sparks! Ignition grant in 2013-14

Chemistry Curriculum Map 2013-2014

This map displays degree requirements, courses, faculty information, clubs & organizations, and Library resources associated with chemistry across the seven Claremont Colleges (7Cs) for the 2013-14 academic year. It was compiled using public information drawn from Colleges websites, course schedules and catalogs, and the Claremont Colleges Library website. This project was completed as part of an IMLS Sparks! Ignition grant in 2013-14