A practical guide to information literacy assessment for academic librarians

Information literacy assessment applies to a number of contexts in the higher education arena: institutional curricula, information literacy programs, information literacy courses, course-integrated information literacy instruction, and stand-alone information literacy workshops and online tutorials. This practical guide provides an overview of the assessment process: planning; selection and development of tools; and analysis and reporting of data. An assessment-decision chart helps readers match appropriate assessment tools and strategies with learning outcomes and instructional settings. Assessment tools, organized by type, are accompanied by case studies. Various information literacy standards are referenced, with emphasis given to ACRL's Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.

• Illustrations p. xi
• Acknowledgments p. xv
• Part I Getting Started p. 1
• 1 Introduction p. 3
• 2 A Brief Look at Assessment p. 7
• Where Does Information Literacy Fit In? p. 7
• Where Do Libraries Fit In? p. 8
• Levels of Assessment p. 11
• Classroom Assessment p. 11
• Programmatic Assessment p. 12
• Institutional Assessment p. 13
• Learning Objectives p. 14
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 18
• 3 How to Choose the Right Assessment Tool p. 19
• Chapter Organization p. 19
• Part II The Tools p. 23
• 4 Informal Assessment Techniques p. 25
• An Overview of Informal Assessment p. 26
• Informal Observations p. 26
• Informal Questions p. 27
• Self-Reflection p. 27
• Keys to Success with Informal Assessment p. 27
• Tips for Informal Observations p. 27
• Tips for Informal Questioning p. 28
• Tips for Instructor Self-Reflection p. 29
• Using the Data from Informal Assessment p. 31
• Is Informal Assessment Right for You? p. 31
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 32
• 5 Classroom Assessment Techniques p. 33
• An Overview of Classroom Assessment Techniques p. 34
• Preparation p. 34
• Examples of Classroom Assessment Techniques p. 36
• Minute Paper/Muddiest Point p. 37
• One Sentence Summary p. 38
• Defining Features Matrix p. 40
• Directed Paraphrasing p. 40
• Pre-Assessment Using CATs p. 40
• Classroom Response Systems p. 42
• Using the Results p. 43
• Are Classroom Assessment Techniques Right for You? p. 44
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 46
• 6 Surveys p. 47
• An Overview of Surveys p. 48
• Practical Considerations p. 48
• Who and When p. 49
• Survey Delivery p. 49
• Survey Questions p. 50
• Steps for Conducting a Survey p. 51
• Are Surveys Right for You? p. 57
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 59
• 7 Interviewing p. 60
• An Overview of Interviewing p. 61
• Types of Interviewing p. 61
• Informal Interviewing p. 61
• Guided Interviewing p. 61
• Open-Ended Interviewing p. 62
• Preparing for a Successful Interview p. 62
• Right After the Interview p. 65
• Transcribing the Data p. 65
• Analyzing the Data p. 69
• Is Interviewing Right for You? p. 69
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 71
• 8 Focus Groups p. 72
• An Overview of Focus Groups p. 73
• Preparing for a Successful Focus Group p. 73
• Conducting the Focus Group p. 79
• The Focus Group Session p. 80
• Right after the Session p. 81
• Transcribing the Data p. 82
• Analyzing the Data p. 82
• Example of a Focus Group Study p. 82
• Assessment Scenario p. 82
• The Focus Group Plan p. 83
• Are Focus Groups Right for You? p. 86
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 87
• 9 Knowledge Tests p. 89
• An Overview of Knowledge Tests p. 90
• Types of Knowledge Test Items p. 90
• Creating Knowledge Tests p. 92
• Objective Items p. 92
• Essay Items p. 98
• Standardized Tests p. 102
• Analyzing the Data p. 102
• Are Knowledge Tests Right for You? p. 103
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 105
• 10 Concept Maps p. 106
• An Overview of Concept Maps p. 107
• Types of Concept Maps p. 108
• Hierarchical Concept Maps p. 108
• Flat Concept Maps p. 108
• Creating and Using Concept Maps p. 109
• Evaluating Concept Maps p. 111
• Is Concept Mapping Right for You? p. 112
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 114
• 11 Performance Assessments p. 115
• An Overview of Performance Assessments p. 116
• Process p. 116
• Products p. 117
• Assignment Design p. 117
• Writing an Assignment Prompt p. 118
• One Last Check of Your Assignment p. 118
• Scoring Guides p. 119
• Analyzing Data from Performance Assessments p. 128
• Are Performance Assessments Right for You? p. 129
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 130
• 12 Portfolios p. 131
• An Overview of Portfolios p. 132
• What Goes Into a Portfolio? p. 132
• Creating the Portfolio Assignment p. 133
• Programmatic and Institutional Assessment p. 133
• Collecting the Material p. 139
• Electronic Portfolios p. 139
• Assessing Portfolios p. 139
• Are Portfolios Right for You? p. 140
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 141
• Part III What to Do With the Information p. 143
• 13 Analyzing the Data p. 145
• An Overview of Content Analysis p. 145
• Steps in Content Analysis p. 146
• Software to Assist with Analyzing Textual Data p. 151
• An Overview of Descriptive Statistics p. 152
• Steps in Descriptive Statistics p. 152
• Data Tools p. 160
• Spreadsheets p. 160
• Statistical Software p. 161
• Conclusion p. 161
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 162
• 14 Working with the Results p. 163
• Sharing Assessment Results p. 163
• Identifying Stakeholders p. 163
• Deciding What to Share p. 164
• Presenting Your Results p. 165
• Putting Assessment Results to Work p. 170
• Working with Positive Assessment Results p. 171
• Working with Negative Results p. 172
• Conclusion p. 172
• Works Cited and Further Reading p. 173
• Index p. 175