SPEC Kit 318: Impact Measures in Research Libraries · 21
towards being able to assess its instruction efforts more systematically. One example, described in this section, is
Cornell’s Undergraduate Information Competency Initiative (CUICI). In addition, CUL’s Instruction Committee is working
towards developing a preliminary framework to assess CUL’s instruction efforts at the program level. It will likely start
by targeting and assessing several learning outcomes in a certain percentage of classes. Accreditation is one driving
force. However, for many years, and through various methodologies, staff have been seeking feedback from students,
faculty and peers to improve their instruction efforts. The Cornell Undergraduate Information Competency Initiative
(CUICI) was started by the Library, but is a multi-unit program (funded by grants from the Library, the Office of the
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the Center for Teaching Excellence). First offered in 2008, the CUICI
encourages faculty (with funding, opportunity and assistance) to explore creative and effective ways to engage students
by integrating research skills into the classroom and the curriculum through the redesign and creation of assignments
for undergraduate courses. It serves as a strong advocate for learning outcome assessment through its emphasis on
and support for integrating practices such as articulating and sharing learning goals, systematically assessing student
progress toward each separate learning goal, and improving teaching based on this assessment. Faculty members
participate in a 5-day summer institute that launches long-term collaborations in redesigning assignments and teaching
the enhanced courses. Each faculty member is part of an implementation team, which consists of a librarian, an
instructional technologist and a pedagogical expert. In 2009/2010, six faculty members were selected to participate.
Ongoing study of pre-test and post-test scores for credit-bearing course.
There is no way to guesstimate as these “studies” happen at the individual library or unit level, or even at the individual
librarian level. An enterprise-wide study has not been conducted.
This is the First Year Writing project, which is an ongoing assessment project. We are analyzing the papers of students
who had library instruction and students who did not have library instruction and comparing the outcomes of the paper.
We also expect to continue to study this correlation in the next 12 months.
We are exploring correlations between library instruction activities and student information literacy (IL) skills in several
ways: 1. Working with the university’s Center for Teaching Excellence – we are studying the impact of library and
writing center participation in assignment design and targeted library instruction within specific courses. This includes
comparing student outcomes between control courses without these interventions and the modified courses. We are
using pre/post testing, rubric analysis of student work product and the CLA (Collegiate Learning Assessment). 2. We
are currently teaching several sessions of a 1-credit information literacy course at the honors and at the standard level.
One of the sessions is geared towards incoming student athletes. In the next 12 months, we hope to do follow up
studies with students who have taken the courses, evaluating their perception of impact, GPA and other factors. 3. We
are working with a course (PRE 101) designed to help student adjust to University academic life. Our role is to provide
an introduction to the libraries, designed to minimize library anxiety and increase student confidence in conducting
research.
Plan to study correlation
The instruction librarian serves on the Assessment Cross-functional team and would like to create a more formal
mechanism for determining impact of information literacy instruction.
The Library &Information Literacy Instruction Program has been a site of the libraries’ early efforts to look at our
impact on student learning outcomes. Information literacy is among the Essential Learning Outcomes that campus
has identified as an overarching framework for assessment of student learning. In 2009, librarians developed a Web
site (http://www.library.wisc.edu/inst-services/assessment.html) summarizing findings to date about the information
literacy of our students. The site points to a number of direct assessments of student learning conducted by the library in
collaboration with faculty and departments: in the current year, these include structured analyses of student responses
towards being able to assess its instruction efforts more systematically. One example, described in this section, is
Cornell’s Undergraduate Information Competency Initiative (CUICI). In addition, CUL’s Instruction Committee is working
towards developing a preliminary framework to assess CUL’s instruction efforts at the program level. It will likely start
by targeting and assessing several learning outcomes in a certain percentage of classes. Accreditation is one driving
force. However, for many years, and through various methodologies, staff have been seeking feedback from students,
faculty and peers to improve their instruction efforts. The Cornell Undergraduate Information Competency Initiative
(CUICI) was started by the Library, but is a multi-unit program (funded by grants from the Library, the Office of the
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, and the Center for Teaching Excellence). First offered in 2008, the CUICI
encourages faculty (with funding, opportunity and assistance) to explore creative and effective ways to engage students
by integrating research skills into the classroom and the curriculum through the redesign and creation of assignments
for undergraduate courses. It serves as a strong advocate for learning outcome assessment through its emphasis on
and support for integrating practices such as articulating and sharing learning goals, systematically assessing student
progress toward each separate learning goal, and improving teaching based on this assessment. Faculty members
participate in a 5-day summer institute that launches long-term collaborations in redesigning assignments and teaching
the enhanced courses. Each faculty member is part of an implementation team, which consists of a librarian, an
instructional technologist and a pedagogical expert. In 2009/2010, six faculty members were selected to participate.
Ongoing study of pre-test and post-test scores for credit-bearing course.
There is no way to guesstimate as these “studies” happen at the individual library or unit level, or even at the individual
librarian level. An enterprise-wide study has not been conducted.
This is the First Year Writing project, which is an ongoing assessment project. We are analyzing the papers of students
who had library instruction and students who did not have library instruction and comparing the outcomes of the paper.
We also expect to continue to study this correlation in the next 12 months.
We are exploring correlations between library instruction activities and student information literacy (IL) skills in several
ways: 1. Working with the university’s Center for Teaching Excellence – we are studying the impact of library and
writing center participation in assignment design and targeted library instruction within specific courses. This includes
comparing student outcomes between control courses without these interventions and the modified courses. We are
using pre/post testing, rubric analysis of student work product and the CLA (Collegiate Learning Assessment). 2. We
are currently teaching several sessions of a 1-credit information literacy course at the honors and at the standard level.
One of the sessions is geared towards incoming student athletes. In the next 12 months, we hope to do follow up
studies with students who have taken the courses, evaluating their perception of impact, GPA and other factors. 3. We
are working with a course (PRE 101) designed to help student adjust to University academic life. Our role is to provide
an introduction to the libraries, designed to minimize library anxiety and increase student confidence in conducting
research.
Plan to study correlation
The instruction librarian serves on the Assessment Cross-functional team and would like to create a more formal
mechanism for determining impact of information literacy instruction.
The Library &Information Literacy Instruction Program has been a site of the libraries’ early efforts to look at our
impact on student learning outcomes. Information literacy is among the Essential Learning Outcomes that campus
has identified as an overarching framework for assessment of student learning. In 2009, librarians developed a Web
site (http://www.library.wisc.edu/inst-services/assessment.html) summarizing findings to date about the information
literacy of our students. The site points to a number of direct assessments of student learning conducted by the library in
collaboration with faculty and departments: in the current year, these include structured analyses of student responses
