SPEC Kit 318: Impact Measures in Research Libraries · 27
Please describe other process.
Librarians designed the survey in consultation with education assessment experts at the university.
Library participated in SAILS (Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills).
Library will design the survey in collaboration with campus faculty member. Survey will be based in part on some
established models for similar research.
Rubrics are modified versions of AAC&U VALUE rubrics. The CLA (Collegiate Learning Assessment) is a national
standardized test.
18. What conclusion about the correlation of library instruction and outreach activities and students’
information literacy skills was drawn from the results of the study? N=22
Correlation was positive 11 50%
Correlation was negative
Correlation was mixed or inconclusive 2 9%
Analysis is in progress 4 18%
No analysis has been done 5 23%
Comments
Correlation was positive
Following the completion of each year’s program, Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) surveyed the students in all
CUICI classes (the second year of data has not yet been analyzed). For each skill targeted by the institute, students
were asked to evaluate if their level of skill had changed. In the survey for the first year, the majority of respondents
rated themselves “Good” on all skills except one (distinguishing scholarly information from unreliable, which they
rated themselves “Very Good”) before their involvement in the institute classes, and “Very Good” on all research
skills after their involvement in the institute classes. However, they were also asked if their research practices, use of
library resources and overall attitude about researching had changed, and as a whole, they answered no. However,
in comments students did indicate a change in their behavior, particularly in terms of using library resources. CIT also
interviewed faculty members to find out how the institute affected their classes, and what they liked best and least
about the institute. See the matrix above for more information on the library’s involvement on impact assessment by
class type. In coming years, the Library hopes to be more fully involved in the assessments.
The study is still in process, but preliminary results indicate a positive correlation between students’ participation in the
instruction sessions and their subsequent learning. Unfortunately, the approach used in the study (individual sessions
taught by librarians) is not scalable with our current staffing. The next phase of the project will be assessing whether
an online tutorial would have the same results as in-class instruction. The preliminary and final results will influence the
areas noted below.
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