Developing a collaborative faculty‐librarian information literacy assessment project

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the process of developing an information literacy assessment project, and to discuss key findings from the project.Design/methodology/approachA variety of assessment tools were used to gather information about student learning and information literacy instruction: pre‐ and post‐surveys, student feedback surveys, faculty feedback to librarians, librarian self‐reflection, library worksheets, student research journals, and citation analysis of students' final research paper bibliographies.FindingsIt was found that the authors' initial suite of assessment tools did not provide the information wanted about students' research processes, so the authors' “assessment toolkit” was modified. It was found that more meaningful information could be gathered about students' research processes when the authors worked closely with faculty to embed information literacy assessments into course assignments. From the authors' analysis of student work, it was discovered that, for many students, library instruction was most valuable in helping them refine and explore research topics.Originality/valueThis paper will be useful to librarians and faculty seeking to implement an information literacy assessment project. The authors provide ideas for ways for faculty and librarians to collaborate on information literacy assessment, as well as on assignment and course design.