Information Literacy and Information Literacy and Assessment:Assessment:

The What, Why, Who, Where, The What, Why, Who, Where, When, and (most importantly) When, and (most importantly)

How How

What is information literacy?What is information literacy?

It is the ability to “recognize It is the ability to “recognize when information is needed and when information is needed and …to locate, evaluate, and use …to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed effectively the needed information”.information”.

American Library Association. (1989). Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report. Chicago: Author.

Why do we care?Why do we care? Information is needed to succeed in an Information is needed to succeed in an

increasingly dynamic and fluid worldincreasingly dynamic and fluid world Information is readily available from an Information is readily available from an

exponentially increasing number of exponentially increasing number of sourcessources

Information literacy forms the Information literacy forms the foundation for self-directed lifelong foundation for self-directed lifelong learninglearning

Information literacy is the core of a Information literacy is the core of a liberal arts educationliberal arts education

If it’s so important, what do we do If it’s so important, what do we do about it?about it?

AssessAssessAssessAssess

AssessAssess

What is Assessment?What is Assessment?Formative Formative

AssessmentAssessment

Conducted while the Conducted while the program, class, or program, class, or performance is in performance is in progressprogress

Provides feedback Provides feedback used to modify, used to modify, improve, or shape the improve, or shape the experienceexperience

Summative AssessmentSummative Assessment

Conducted at specific Conducted at specific points in time or at the points in time or at the conclusion of a program, conclusion of a program, class, or performanceclass, or performance

Provides a judgment Provides a judgment about the quality of the about the quality of the experience in relation to experience in relation to some defined set of some defined set of standardsstandards

Jones, E.A., & RiCharde, S. (2005). National Postsecondary Educational Cooperative sourcebook on assessment: Definitions and assessment methods for communication, leadership, information literacy, quantitative reasoning, and quantiative skills. Washington, D.C.: NPEC.

5 Steps to Assessment5 Steps to Assessment

Develop statements of intended Develop statements of intended learning outcomeslearning outcomes

Select appropriate measuresSelect appropriate measures Evaluate findings to identify key Evaluate findings to identify key

improvementsimprovements Implement targeted changesImplement targeted changes Begin againBegin again

Develop Statements of Intended Develop Statements of Intended Learning OutcomesLearning Outcomes

Cognitive Cognitive Outcomes*Outcomes*

KnowledgeKnowledge ComprehensionComprehension ApplicationApplication AnalysisAnalysis SynthesisSynthesis EvaluationEvaluation

Affective Affective OutcomesOutcomes++

ReceivingReceiving RespondingResponding ValuingValuing OrganizingOrganizing CharacterizingCharacterizing

*Bloom, B.S. (1959). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook 1:The cognitive domain. New York: McKay Publishing.

+Krathwohl, D.R., Bloom, B.S., & Masia, B.B. (1964). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook 2:The affective domain. New York: McKay Publishing.

Selecting Appropriate MeasuresSelecting Appropriate Measures

Direct AssessmentDirect Assessment Involves looking at Involves looking at

actual samples of actual samples of student workstudent work

Requires standards of Requires standards of performanceperformance

Advantage: Provides Advantage: Provides data directly data directly measuring student measuring student achievementachievement

Indirect AssessmentIndirect Assessment Involves obtaining Involves obtaining

opinions or thoughts opinions or thoughts about student workabout student work

Explicit standards are Explicit standards are not necessarynot necessary

Advantage: Easy to Advantage: Easy to administer and useful administer and useful for gathering for gathering information about information about values and beliefs values and beliefs

Examples of Direct Assessment Examples of Direct Assessment Activities*Activities*

Language CoursesLanguage Courses On the final for every On the final for every

language class, students language class, students translate novel passages.translate novel passages.

Each translation is reviewed Each translation is reviewed by at least two foreign by at least two foreign language faculty using the language faculty using the same scoring guide for each same scoring guide for each class. class.

As they accumulate student As they accumulate student translations from year to translations from year to year, the faculty are able to year, the faculty are able to measure the improvement measure the improvement in the translations that in the translations that individual students did in individual students did in their first and second year their first and second year language courses. language courses.

Math CoursesMath Courses The math program The math program

developed six outcomes developed six outcomes for intermediate algebra for intermediate algebra and eight outcomes for and eight outcomes for college algebra. college algebra.

A portion of the final exam A portion of the final exam in each class includes in each class includes common problems that common problems that directly measure the directly measure the students’ ability to perform students’ ability to perform the outcome. the outcome.

* All examples of direct assessment activities are adapted from the Community College of Aurora’s Assessment web site: www.ccaurora.edu/assessment

Examples of Direct Assessment Examples of Direct Assessment ActivitiesActivities

Disciplinary Capstone CourseDisciplinary Capstone Course Each year, 20% of the papers Each year, 20% of the papers

submitted by students in a submitted by students in a program capstone course are program capstone course are randomly selected for randomly selected for assessment and sent to a assessment and sent to a panel of outside evaluators. panel of outside evaluators.

Evaluators write comments Evaluators write comments about the overall quality of the about the overall quality of the sample, and then select 10 sample, and then select 10 papers to discuss in depth. papers to discuss in depth.

The evaluators determine the The evaluators determine the extent to which these 10 extent to which these 10 reflect the achievement of reflect the achievement of previously selected learning previously selected learning goals, and score them goals, and score them according to the program’s according to the program’s guidelines. guidelines.

Management/Marketing Management/Marketing CourseCourse

Students develop a Students develop a marketing plan for a marketing plan for a product and present it to product and present it to faculty while being faculty while being videotaped. videotaped.

Local marketing Local marketing professionals join faculty in professionals join faculty in developing guidelines by developing guidelines by which to assess the which to assess the presentations. presentations.

The assessors divide in The assessors divide in pairs, with each pair pairs, with each pair separately scoring a subset separately scoring a subset of the presentations. If the of the presentations. If the two scorers reach different two scorers reach different conclusions about a conclusions about a presentation, it is sent to a presentation, it is sent to a third reviewer. third reviewer.

Examples of Indirect Assessment Examples of Indirect Assessment ActivitiesActivities

Surveys of student perceptions of Surveys of student perceptions of learninglearning

Surveys of student satisfactionSurveys of student satisfaction Focus groupsFocus groups Exit interviewsExit interviews Examination of graduation ratesExamination of graduation rates Grade analysisGrade analysis

Specific Example from Information Specific Example from Information Literacy StandardsLiteracy Standards

Standard 1Standard 1: The information literate : The information literate student determines the nature and extent student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.of the information needed. Performance Indicator 2Performance Indicator 2: The : The

information literate student identifies a information literate student identifies a variety of types and formats of potential variety of types and formats of potential sources for information.sources for information.Outcome cOutcome c: The information : The information literate student identifies the literate student identifies the value and differences of potential value and differences of potential resources in a variety of formats.resources in a variety of formats.