Presented by: Kerrie Fergen Wilkes Reference and Instruction Librarian SUNY College At Fredonia

1. Freshmen OrientationMeets Information Management Presented by: Kerrie Fergen Wilkes Reference and Instruction Librarian SUNY College At Fredonia SUNY General Education Conference

2. Information Literacy: A New York State initiative. • Provost’s Advisory Council for General Education Programs. • 10 different learning outcomes and 2 competencies • Information Management is now a competency requirement. • Students will: • 1. Perform basic operations of personal computer use • 2. Understand and use basic research techniques • 3. Locate, evaluate, and synthesize information from a variety of sources.

3. Heading the Committee • Fall 2001: I am naïve. • The original committee had dissolved. • The Information Management component was on our first-year cycle. Results were needed to report at the beginning of the Spring 2003 semester. • Spring 2002:The committee now had new leadership. • Other members had been involved with assessment previously. • I understood the importance of Information Literacy

4. Daniel A. Reed Library’s Philosophy of Library Instruction • Our philosophy is based on the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. • Our philosophy is employed to ensure that the students at SUNY Fredonia gain the skills necessary to create a sophisticated search strategy, determine if they have chosen the appropriate databases, and learn to retrieve scholarly articles published in peer-reviewed or refereed journals.

5. ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standards For Higher Education

6. Identify Sources Evaluate Sources Search Sources Refine the Search Organize and store information Format the Information Analyze the Information Disseminate the Information What is the most effective way to assess all of these components for all CCC courses? Outline for evaluating the content of Information Management for any given applicable CCC course:

7. Approaching the Assessment of Information Management • Assess outside of a particular discipline. • Skills are “across the curriculum” • What do we want to know and who do we assess? • What skills do students come to Fredonia with • How do Core courses affect their Information Management Skills • Pre/Post test • Freshmen at orientation v. Second Semester Sophomores

8. Creating the Assessment Tool • Searchedfor examples from other colleges. Most assessment tools came from Libraries. • Consulted: • Cal Poly Pomona University Library “Information Competency Assessment test” • Lesley University “Evaluating Web Sites” • Weber State University. Stewart Library “Information Literacy Competencies and sample exam questions” • ACRL “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education”

9. Composing the Assessment Tool • Individual work v. Multiple Choice • Who would score? What format? • Op-Scan, SPSS • The breakdown of the 8 components were used as a skeleton. • Each question correlated with one of the eight components, which are a sub-set of the 3 information management components.

10. Composing Continued… MADNESS I TELL YOU!

11. The Assessment Instrument is Born

12. General Idea of the Assessment Tool • 32 multiple-choice questions. • 12 questions do not require the use of the computer. • The remaining questions focused on: • Online Catalog • Wilson OmniFile (Online Database) • Evaluating two websites

13. Basic Computer Skills Question Example: Using the tools available through Wilson OmniFile, please e-mail this citation to the following address: reedref@fredonia.edu Please put your first name and last name in the subject area that is provided.

14. Basic Research Question Example Please use the following citation to answer questions 11 & 12. Weinoldt, Kirsten. “1968 For Ever”. Brazzil 10 (1998): 14. 11. What is the volume number in the above citation? A. 14 B. 1998 C. 10 D. 1968 12. What is the journal title in the above citation?   A. “1968 For Ever” B. Brazzil C. Weinoldt D. Unable to be determined

15. Online Navigation and Interpretation Question Example After viewing both pages relating to Mankato, Minnesota, which would you use when planning a trip to the city? • A. Mankato, Minnesota Home Page • http://lme.mankato.msus.edu/mankato/mankato.html • City of Mankato, Minnesota • http://www.ci.mankato.mn.us/

16. The Three Components • Basic Computer Skills • HTML v. PDF • Using Drop-Down menus • E-mail an article from a database • Basic Research Skills • Boolean Phrasing • Identify citation styles and content • Navigate an Online Catalog • Locating, Evaluating and Synthesizing Information • Navigate and interpret results from a database • Navigate two web sites and evaluate their content • Locate an online article and evaluate its content

17. CITI Collaborative IRB Training Initiative Early Challenges • Human Subjects: • Online Certification • IRB Proposal • NO MINORS: A Waiver is needed

18. Let the Collaboration Begin The Sample Test • The Head Of Circulation • 9 Work Study Students • 18 year old friend of the family

19. Intense Planning • Large pool at our disposal. • Test all incoming Freshmen • Transfer? Drop-outs? Not available for post-test? Collaboration

20. Four Sessions Each Session is two days First Day 8:00 a.m arrival All students are in the same sessions all day Second Day: 8:00 a.m, again Sessions are in rotation Where Will Assessment Fit Into this full schedule? Freshmen Orientation

21. Academic Advising • Contacted the Associate Dean, and Director of Academic Advising • A lot of negotiating • We are given times during the second day • 4:30-5:30…6:00 dinner…testing is 40 minutes…rule of thumb. This makes things more challenging…all of the students will be tested concurrently.

22. Really, It will be fun…. Help! Fredonia Needs You! What should college students know About Information Management? By Soliciting your opinion through computer and online database searching, you’ll help us develop a better College Core Curriculum. So get That mouse finger ready and thanks for teaching us about you.

23. Academic Information Technology • Director of Academic Information Technology • Jumping ahead of the game. • Identify rooms that will work…can’t interfere with Registrar. • All over campus….proctors are needed for each room (the Library needs two) • Available computers: 25, 30, 25, 38, 18, 21

24. Director of Campus Life • Organizes the training of Orientation • Removal of 18 year olds…colored dots • Training session for Assessment. • Assure students that this in no way impacts their status at Fredonia. • Make sure to take students to the correct areas. • No explanation of the test to the students • Stay with the group until the end.

25. Coordinator of Disability Services • Visually Impaired Student at the first session • Assessment test needs reformatting • Zoomtext Extra • Assists student with software • Test scored by hand, then transferred to Op-Scan

26. BEGGING • Summer • 9 month appointment • 2 faculty members • Librarians (we are 12 month) • Graduate students

27. Training Instructors • Materials are coming in boxes • Be early to organize rooms • Read the directions to students • Students must stay for length • No helping or further explanation • Watch for Instant Messaging. • Room Assignments

28. Room\Date July 2 Fenton 2162 25 Instructions -1 Envelope 25 Major Code List-1 Envelope 25 Tests-1 Envelope 25 Scantron –1 Envelope 25 Consent Forms -1 Envelope Organization Galore

29. More Challenges • No air conditioning • Orientation Groups are late…proctors leave • Make sure rooms are open • Reed Library closes at 4:00 • Too many students sent to one location • Computer breakdowns. • No cell phones/phones don’t work • Wilson Omnifile doesn’t cooperate.

30. Finale • E-mail downloaded and printed • Test scored in an SPSS file • Interpreted by Psychology Faculty • Wrote up pre-test results

31. Pre-test Data • On the average, student performed as follows (from Highest to Lowest): • Basic Research • Locating, Evaluating and Synthesizing Information • Basic Operations of a Computer

32. Next steps… • Only preliminary data…no recommendations at this time. • Post-test next semester • The committee has begun to discuss recruitment. • Looking for 20-25% post-test with incentives. • Looking forward to working with the same departments to create a successful post-test environment.

33. Questions? Kerrie Fergen Wilkes, MLS Senior Assistant Librarian Reference and Bibliographic Instruction SUNY College at Fredonia 716-673-3199 Kerrie.Wilkes@fredonia.edu

34. Bibliography • ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education: http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilstandardlo.html • Cal Poly Pomona University Library: http://www.csupomona.edu/~library/InfoComp/instrument.htm • Lesley University Evaluating Web Sites: http://www.lesley.edu/library/guides/research/evaluating_web.html • State University of New York Assessment Initiative Report of the Provost’s Advisory Task Force on the Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes: http://www.cortland.edu/gear/supportdocs.html • Weber State University, Stewart Library Information Literacy Competencies: http://library.weber.edu/il/infolit/infolitcomp/default.cfm