This document summarizes a presentation on information literacy instruction at a university. It discusses academics, faculty, enrollment numbers, programs offered, and collaboration between librarians and a management professor to develop information literacy assessments and instruction sessions for undergraduate and graduate business courses. Pre and post-tests show that students' comfort with library resources and ability to find information improved after the instruction.
4. Academics
◦ More than 50 programs of study leading to
associate, bachelor, master, and specialist degrees,
as well as a paralegal certificate and cooperative
doctorate.
Faculty and Staff
◦ Over 200 full-time faculty,
◦ Full-time staff, approximately 300.
Total enrollment: Approximately 6,900
students
5. Enrollment
Full Time Enrollment, Undergraduate 1,081
Full Time Enrollment, Masters 77
Part Time Enrollment, Undergraduate 549
Part Time Enrollment, Masters 119
Field/Discipline Full-Time Part-Time Evenings and weekends
Accounting X X X
CIS / MIS X X X
Finance – incl X X X
banking
Management X X X
Marketing X X X
6. Working on improving writing and research
skills of their students
Upper division theory of management course
added a term paper to requirements
7. LouAnn met Dr. Slade at new faculty
breakfast (2010) and this led to discussions
and ideas for collaboration.
Spring 2011: 2 instruction sessions for Dr.
Slade’s MGMT 3500 section – one for group
article assignment and one for term paper,
plus consultation opportunities
Fall 2011: Course LibGuide launched
8. Fall 2011: Rod began working with graduate
students in MGMT6510 (Managerial
Leadership) and BUSA6950 (Healthcare Policy
and Ethics)
Fall 2011: Launched LibGuides for both
classes
Fall 2011: Instruction session for BUSA6950;
research assistance by appt for MGMT6510
Spring 2012: added MGMT 3540 to
instruction and testing
9. Summer 2011: Blocker, Bustos & Slade
collaborated on developing an information
literacy pre and post test
Conducted literature review of business
information literacy assessment projects
Adapted a test developed by Cooney and
Hiris and obtained permission to use their
work
10. Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Summer 2012 –
administered pre and post tests
Continued instruction and opportunities for
consultations.
11. 3 demographics questions
5 questions on using library resources
3 internet use questions
4 citation/plagiarism questions
2 general information skills questions
12. Comfort levels rose.
Number of students who have never used the
library for assignments fell to zero.
Number who used library databases for
assignments doubled.
Number asking for help in-person or by email
from the Reference department rose by 1/3.
Number who used library databases from
home rose by 1/3.
13. Students already familiar with style manuals
Little change in fair use/citing requirements
Library print resource use
Use of the internet to find resources
Asking for help from library staff to choose a
database
14.
15. LouAnn (undergraduate)
Finding Citation Topic Scholarly Totals
Resources Help Help vs
Popular
In- 8 4 4 0 16
Person
Email 54 3 14 3 74
Rod (graduate)
Finding Citation Topic Scholarly Totals
Resources Help Help vs
Popular
In- 7 0 8 0 15
Person
Email 14 1 5 0 20
16. Keep your eyes and ears open for
collaboration opportunities
Designing assessment activities is not
difficult
Enlist help from others to tabulate and
analyze data
What you do makes a difference!
18. Cooney, Martha. “Business Information
Literacy Instruction: a survey and progress
report.” Journal of Business and Finance
Librarianship 11(1) 2005: 3-25.
Cooney, Martha and Lorene Hiris. “Integrating
information literacy and its assessment into a
graduate business course: a collaborative
framework.” Research Strategies 19
(2008):213-232.
19. Detlor, Brian et al. “Learning outcomes of
information literacy instruction at business
schools.” Journal of the American Society for
Information Science and Technology March
2011: 572-585.
O’Connor, Lisa G. et al. “Assessing
Information Literacy skills: developing a
standardized instrument for institutional and
longitudinal measurement.” ACRL Tenth
National Conference, March 15-18, 2001.
20. LouAnn Blocker (lblocke1@aug.edu)
Rod Bustos (rbustos2@aug.edu)
Editor's Notes
This is mile 42 of an 8 hour ultramarathon
We analyzed the results for undergraduate and graduate student for two semesters: Fall 2011 and Spring 2012. The total number of students who took the tests were 111 undergraduate and 29 graduates.
Students already had a good idea of their obligations to cite sources and attribute them properly. The change in the number who use print resources was insignificant. In working with students personally, I was discouraged by the number who shy away from using print books, though that was encouraged in class. There was a small increase in the number who asked their instructor or another student what they would use, more prevalent among the undergraduate group.
There were two other sections of Management 3500 taught in Fall and Spring, the undergraduate students. They did not take the pre and post test, but they were free to ask questions and come for consultation. The total number of those students for both semesters was 142. So, about half of them asked for help of some kind from me. I don’t know how many took advantage of the general reference desk service.