Institutions collaborating on an information literacy assessment tool
| Published date | 10 November 2014 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-03-2014-0035 |
| Pages | 538-546 |
| Date | 10 November 2014 |
| Author | Sara Sharun,Michelle Edwards Thomson,Nancy Goebel,Jessica Knoch |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,HR in libraries |
Institutions collaborating
on an information literacy
assessment tool
Sara Sharun
Library, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada
Michelle Edwards Thomson
Library, Red Deer College, Red Deer, Canada
Nancy Goebel
Augustana Library, University of Alberta, Camrose, Canada, and
Jessica Knoch
Library, MacEwan University, Edmonton, Canada
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to create an information literacy (IL) instr uction assessment
tool that responds to the unique needs of individual institutions and provides a strategic and relevant
model for assessing IL skills among undergraduate students.
Design/methodology/approach – The research team designed a post-test questionnaire comprised
of two demographic questions, two open-ended questions and a pool of skill-based multiple-choice
questions mapped to Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy (ACRL IL)
Competency Standards for Higher Education. Participating librarians used a customized
questionnaire to assess student learning at the end of their one-shot instruction sessions.
Findings – In their responses to the multiple-choice questions, students demonstrated a clear
understanding of ethical use of information and a strong ability to select appropriate tools for
accessing information sources. Student responses to the open-ended questions revealed a wide range
of confidence and ability levels, and providedinsight into the frequency, depth and breadth with which
various ACRL Standards are being addressed in library sessions.
Research limitations/implications – This paper reports on student responses to questions that
have subsequently been identified as problematic; therefore, strong inferences cannot be made about
student learning from these responses. Questions have since been improved with further revision.
In addition, the sample sizes for individual questions were too small to be generalizable.
Practical implications – The intentional and strategic approach to the development of the
assessment tool and its implementation is that it be practical and easy to implement for partner
libraries. It is intended to make assessment of IL in the undergraduate context be assessable to all
academic librarians who desire to participate.
Originality/value – This paper describes a unique assessment tool that is designed to be responsive
to local needs and provide a cost-free assessment option for academic libraries.
Keywords Assessment, Information literacy, Instruction, ILAAP, One-shot sessions, Post-tests
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Academic librarians world-wide are experiencing an increased emphasis on
accountability and learning outcomes (Oakleaf and Kaske, 2009) and an increase in
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm
Received 1 March 2014
Accepted 1 May 2014
Library Management
Vol. 35 No. 8/9, 2014
pp. 538-546
rEmeraldGroup PublishingLimited
0143-5124
DOI 10.1108/LM-03-2014-0035
This research was funded in part by a grant from the Alberta Rural Development Network. The
authors wish to thank Leslie Beattie, Library Program and Service Assessment Specialist, Red
Deer College Library, for her helpwith the statistical analysis related to question validity.
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2013 QQML Conference in Rome,
Italy, June 4-7, www.isast.org/qqml2013.html
538
LM
35,8/9
To continue reading
Request your trial