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CofC Libraries Instruction Assessment: FYE Synthesis

CofC Libraries are committed to ongoing assessment of our instruction services.

FYE Synthesis Seminar Assessment 2016 - 2017

As part of a larger program assessment, the library worked with the head of First Year Experience to determine whether or not students were meeting the following information literacy learning outcome: Students who participate in the FYE Library Session will be able to develop a search strategy and use search databases for appropriate sources of information.
 

Using artifacts from a concept mapping activity completed during a librarian led synthesis seminar visit to the library, reviewers used a four tiered rubric to score random samples geared to measure:
 

  1. Student’s ability to generate keywords related to a research topic in order to search library databases for supporting evidence.
  2. Student’s ability to identify and summarize appropriate sources

Despite efforts to improve, including enhanced librarian training and preparation, scores for measures one and two were average to below average. [See 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 for details]. Due in part to the low scores as well as other programmatic changes and the release of the ACRL Information Literacy Framework, the Research and Information Department revised the FYE IL instruction programming such that individual librarians, teaching faculty, and peer facilitators had more freedom to customize lessons, activities, and learning objectives. Following meetings with the Director of FYE as well as the First-Year Writing Coordinator resulted, it was determined that FYE interactions should make efforts to highlight the ACRL Information Literacy Frame, “Scholarship as Conversation” while ENGL 110 highlight the frame "Authority is Constructed and Contextual" as much as is possible.

FYE Synthesis-Library Session Assessment