Assessing Information Literacy Comprehension in First-Year Students

Authors

  • Melissa Dennis University of Mississippi
  • Rebecca M. Murphey University of Central Florida
  • Kristin Rogers University of Mississippi

Keywords:

information literacy, library instruction, clickers, first-year students

Abstract

Instruction librarians focus on teaching information literacy skills to students in a variety of settings. However, most college professors only allow the librarian one 50 minute BI session per class to convey this in-depth amount of information each semester. During a library session, active learning technology can be utilized to encourage student participation and hands-on learning. Often, librarians seek other avenues to embed their knowledge to students beyond the BI session, e.g., Blackboard, wikis, tutorials, and subject guides. In this study, the authors use Interwrite Personal Response Systems (clickers) over two semesters to encourage student engagement during a BI session in a course originally designed for at-risk freshmen, then redesigned for any first-year student. The authors implement pre/posttests the second semester using the university’s course management system (Blackboard). The authors explain how this two-semester project integrated information literacy skills into a first-year curriculum, while serving as an instrumental assessment measure for student learning. 

Author Biographies

Melissa Dennis, University of Mississippi

Outreach Librarian and Assistant Professor.

Rebecca M. Murphey, University of Central Florida

Reference Librarian

Kristin Rogers, University of Mississippi

Library Specialist

Downloads

Published

2011-03-16

Issue

Section

Articles