Information Literacy: Accessing Information Effectively and Efficiently

The main points of this assessment plan are contained in the above cycle graphic. As mentioned in previous blog posts, the information literacy course is based on the 5 standards of Information Literacy set by the Association of College and Research Libraries. (ACRL) This learning module is based on the 2^nd standard: “Accessing information effectively and efficiently.” (ACRL, 2016). The ACRL also developed learning objectives for each standard. I chose and paraphrased 4 out of the many learning objectives in the learning goal section below.

1. Explaining the learning goals for the accessing information learning module:

A. The information literate student selects the most appropriate investigative methods or information retrieval systems for accessing the needed information.

B. The information literate student constructs and implements effectively-designed search strategies.

C. The information literate student retrieves information online or in person using a variety of methods.

D. The information literate student refines the search strategy if necessary. (ACRL, 2016)

2. Develop Assessments and Rubrics in accordance with objectives.

There will be 2 Formative assessments. One will be a discussion board. The other will assignment will be explained below.

            The discussion board will not be labeled as an assessment, but it will serve as a formative assessment tool. For grading purposes, the only necessity for students to get full credit on this aspect of the module is to participate. It will be a formative assessment using informal peer review. If the course was a MOOC, it would be completely peer review, but because the class is intended to have a limited amount of students I will participate in the discussions. My plan is to guide the students to better understand the learning objectives.
            The second formative assessment will be a short assignment. The students will be asked to find 3 scholarly resources on a topic of their choice. I will suggest that they choose a topic that they are doing for an assignment for another college course.  In this manner, they will be doing research that will be useful. They will give the topic, information about the source (type of resource, author, and title), explain relevance to the topic and their method of research. I will clarify the directions within the rubric, which will be posted on the module as a guide for the students.
            The summative assessment for the module will be a short examination addressing the learning modules. There will be 4 questions to this test.

The rubrics for the discussion post will be simple. As stated before, the students will gain full credit by participating in their own post, and commenting on 2 of their peers posts.
Below is a rubrics chart. The first column lists the qualities specified in the directions. The first row shows the grading columns in the rubric. Inside the boxes will show specific qualities that will quantify the grade.

Rubric for 1st Assignment:

	A (90-100%)	B (80-89%)	C (70-79%)	D (65-69%)	F (Below 65)
Having a topic	The topic must be clear, specific and logical.	Unclear, but general and logical.	Unclear and general, but not logical	Neither clear, specific or logical.	No topic
Information about the source	Submits the type of resource, author, title of article and name of journal	Missing 1 of these qualities.	Missing 2 of these qualities.	Missing 3 of these qualities.	The student does not provide the type of resource, author title of article or name of the journal.
Relevance to the topic	All of the articles are related to the topic.	2 of the articles are related to the topic.	1 of the articles are related to the topic.	None of the articles are related to the topic.	Student does not attempt to show relevance to the topic
Explaining the method of research	Explains the database used, the search terms and reason for selecting the resources.	Missing 1 of these qualities.	Missing 2 of these qualities	Missing 3 of these qualities.	The student does not attempt to explain the method of research

The summative assessment will be a 4 question exam. Each question will be worth 25%.

3. Collect the data and assess the 2 assignments according to the rubrics.

After the students submit their assignments, I will collect the data and grade the submissions according to the rubrics above. The grade breakdown for the learning module will be:

10% for participation in the discussion.
20% for the 1st formative assessment.
60% for the summative assessment.
10% for completion of Exit Survey, explained in next phase.

4. Students fill out exit surveys for the module.

There will be an exit survey to be filled out by the students. I will ask the students about the quality of the learning module. There will be an open ended section where students can give suggestions for improvement. In the grading of the course, the students will get full 10% for grading purposes for completing this survey.

5. Review and discuss data with my peers.

In this phase, I will review the data from the exit survey. I will also review the submissions for grading from another point of view, not to make grades but to assess the information delivery of the course. Maybe many students did poorly on one assessment, maybe I have to make an adjustment for next semester with the content delivery. I will discuss this information with my peers.

6. Make adjustments for the next semester based in accordance with the data collected.

This is a preparation and action step. In preparation for the following semester, I will take the data and make the adjustments in the learning module to improve the content delivery.

References

Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Retrieved from American Library Association: http ://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency

Information Literacy

LIB100: RESEARCH METHODS

Fall 2015

Instructor: Albert Tablante MLS

Email: atablante@asa.edu

Office Location: Room 725, Arts & Sciences Office
Office Hours: by appointment

Course number: LIB100

Course title: Research Methods

Credits: 2 credit hours

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course provides an introduction to information and its sources. It follows the five standards of information literacy established by the ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries. Students learn how to determine the need, access, evaluate and incorporate information for a specific purpose, and to use it legally and ethically. The course covers academic library resources and their use for research projects. It uses a mixture of lecture and reading assignments, in-class discussions, examinations, and competency-based lab assessments. An integral part of the course is the application of the learned skills to complete a research project assigned in another college course.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The American Library Association’s Association of College and Research Libraries identifies five standards of Information Literacy which are used as the foundation for this course.

“Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning. An information literate individual is able to:

· Determine the extent of information needed

· Access the needed information effectively and efficiently

· Evaluate information and its sources critically and incorporate selected information into his knowledge base

· Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

· Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally”

ACRL.(2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.Washington, DC: American Library Association.

LIB 100 will include a general introduction to information and its sources and provide instruction in using them based on the competencies listed above. The Information Literacy course will enable ASA students to reach the following objectives, since our graduates should be able to:

· Appreciate the role of information technology in our society and be able to use personal computers in a variety of applications

· Access, evaluate, integrate, and apply information from a variety of sources, including library and electronic sources

· Understand the central role of information technology and be willing and able to adapt to new developments

· Reason critically and logically about a variety of ethical, personal, religious, and societal issues, and

· Be committed to lifelong learning

PREREQUISITES: None

PLEASE NOTE: Your instructor may bring you to a computer lab to teach certain concepts or ideas within this syllabus.

TEXTS REQUIRED:

Hollander, P., Palmer, C.Y., Tablante, A., &Ehrenpreis, M. (2010). 100% Information Literacy

Success. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.

METHOD OF INSTRUCTION:

The course uses a mixture of lecture and reading assignments, in-class discussions, examinations, a project, and a competency-based lab assessment. An integral part of the course is the application of the learned skills to complete a research project assigned in another college course. This approach challenges students to "learn to learn," working cooperatively in groups and individually to understand the methods of finding solutions to real world problems and to problems in college classes.

This course will emphasize learning information literacy skills and critical thinking. The skills emphasized can be transferred to other situations and will prepare students to think critically and analytically and to find and use appropriate resources.

GRADING SYSTEM:

ASA Standard Grade Chart

Letter Grade	Number Equivalent	Quality Index
A	90-100	4.0
B+	85-89	3.5
B	80-84	3.0
C+	75-79	2.5
C	70-74	2.0
D	65-69	1.0
F	Below 65	0.0

LIB100 Grade table:

Requirement	Percentage of final course grade
Midterm Exam	20%
Final Exam	20%
Quizzes	10%
Professionalism (including Homework/Participation)	5%
Project	20%
Competency-Based Lab Assessment	25%

READING ASSIGNMENTS:

Students are required to read the textbook. However, instructors will assign readings to suit the subject matter under discussion. All of the reading assignments will be found in thetextbook.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

Textbook, Books, e-Books, Databases, Internet sources, handouts, and library materials.

EXPECTATIONS:

Students are expected to:

· Prepare for all reading and writing projects on the due dates established by instructor.

Submit all written assignments in APA style in a manner that is appropriate to college level: typed, double-spaced in Times New Roman font at 12pts. Please put your name and class section number on anything you hand in and keep a copy for yourself.
Complete the competency-based lab assessment in a designated lab under the supervision of your instructor. Any late submission of the competency based lab assessment may result in a lower grade for the assignment.

ABSENCES:

The volume of material discussed in each class session is extensive. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that each student attend every class session. If attendance at a class session is not possible, it is the responsibility of each student to learn any material missed and to be prepared to actively participate in the next session. Only three unexcused absences are permitted. Absences exceeding the allotted limit will directly affect the final grade for the course.

MAKE UP POLICY:

Students are given exactly one week in which to make up assignments missed due to absences without a lateness penalty.

RULES AND REGULATIONS:

Class will always start on time
No cell phones, or other electronic devices
No food or drink
No interruptions of any kind will be tolerated except for asking questions about the topic(s) under discussion or for students sharing other insights about the topic. Doing work for other classes during class time will not be tolerated
No magazines, newspapers, or other unrelated texts may be read during class time
No children in class – any student who arrives with a child will be asked to leave the class.
No racist, sexist, homophobic language in the classroom.

PLAGIARISM:

Plagiarism is defined as stealing and passing off the ideas, words, or research of another as one’s own in any academic work by not appropriately documenting the original source. It is theft which will not be tolerated in this course. Plagiarized writing will be returned to the student and will not be considered as work done towards the completion of the course.

SEMESTER PROJECT:

The student will take any research assignment which is assigned in another class and work on it for the assignments in this course. If the student is not assigned a research project from another class, the student will create one to use for the purposes of the exercises in this course. The student will have it approved by the instructor. The student will submit:

1. A cover page.

2. The topic, with a clearly defined thesis statement.

3. A written description of how the sources in the bibliography/ references were found and evaluated.

4. A three item bibliography/ reference list in APA format.

TURNITIN:

ASA has subscribed to TURNITIN, an internet based tool. TURNITIN is recognized worldwide as the standard in online plagiarism prevention. At intervals during the course, the Instructor is at liberty to submit student work to the TURNITIN plagiarism component. This tool identifies papers that contain unoriginal material in various forms. For more information, please visit, www.turnitin.com.

DISABILITY STATEMENT:

ASA College adheres to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a student with a documented disability who will require accommodations, contact Student Disability Services at 151 Lawrence Street, Room 215 to determine eligibility or 1293 Broadway, Room 723. Any student with a disability should contact SDS as soon as possible for assistance in developing a plan to address your academic needs in this course.

Contact: Mr. Bateman Harris, M.Ed., Director at 718 522-9073 Ext. 1429

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

WK	CONTENT	SUGGESTED CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES	HOMEWORK/ TEXTBOOKREADINGS To be done after class as reinforcement
Week 1	*Introduction to Course* Introduction to Information Literacy, Instructor, and Syllabus 5 ACRL Information Literacy Standards Library Literacy Technology Literacy	Professor and Student Introductions Information Literacy skills for everyday life and living Information Literacy First Week Questionnaire – provide link. Discuss rubrics Using Moodle Students receive library database access codes	Get notebook forclass notes and textbook Read Chapter 1 in textbook Do assigned homework
Week 2	*Determine the extent of information needed.* · Topics · Formulating Main Research Questions · Formulating Focused Research Questions · Thesis Statements	Students practice identifying topics, and formulating effective research questions. Students understand the purpose of a thesis statement.	Read Chapter 2 Do assigned homework
Week 3	*Access the needed information effectively and efficiently*. · Overview of information sources Introduction to printed information sources Primary and Secondary Sources Books: Reference, Circulating Serials/Periodicals Types of Libraries Library Classification Systems Reference and Circulating Introduction to ASA library’s website & ASA’s Online catalog	· *Quiz #1 Demonstrate ASA library’s website & ASA’s online library catalog. Identify ways to search the catalog Discuss Dewey Decimal System and the Library of Congress Classification system Demonstrate Public Library OPACs. Locate a book in a library from OPAC to call #/ title to shelf	Read Chapter 3 Do assigned homework
Week 4	*Access the needed information effectively and efficiently*… · Introduction to electronic information sources · The Internet · Google advanced searches Hidden Web Important Websites	Discuss students’ current internet use Students practice performing basic and advanced Internet searching techniques In class exercise on finding information from useful websites	Reread Chapter 3 Do assigned homework
Week 5	*Access the needed information effectively and efficiently*. Scholarly vs. Popular Sources ASA databases Keyword vs. Controlled Vocabulary Searching Exploration of Specific ASA Databases; Ebsco Academic Search Premier, Gale, etc. Boolean Searching	· Student learns to identify the purpose and characteristics of different types of periodicals · Students learn how to identify the database most appropriate for their informational needs · Students practice performing Boolean Searching in the ASA databases · *Quiz #2	Read Chapter 4 Do assigned homework
Week 6	*Evaluate information and its sources…* · Evaluation Criteria Evaluating Print Sources Evaluating websites .edu; .gov; .org; .com	Discuss Evaluation Criteria Currency Relevancy Authority Accuracy Purpose Exercise on identifying and evaluating websites Demonstrate the usage of guidelines to evaluate websites	Read Chapter 5 Do assigned homework
Week 7	*Evaluate information and its sources…* Biased vs. Unbiased Information Propaganda, Advertising	Midterm Exam Review · Discuss advertisements: point of view, reliability, bias, what it is trying to do, and what is missing · Exercise on evaluating Newspapers.
Week 8	Midterm Exam Use information effectively…* Types of Research Assignments Analyzing Term Paper Assignments – Reading, Focusing, and Planning The Assignment Topics Thesis Statements	Midterm Exam Discuss term paper assignments. Brainstorm on search terms for term paper assignments Steps in the Research Process Discuss Rubrics for the Semester Project*
Week 9	*Understand the economic, legal, and social issues …access and use information ethically and legally.* More on Semester Project Plagiarism APA Citation styles APA citations for websites	· Go over Semester Project Rubrics, Sample and Format! · Practice APA citations · Demonstration of citation tools · Demonstrate citation capability of Gale & Ebsco databases · Practice COMPETENCY BASED LAB ASSESSMENT	Read Chapter 6 Do assigned homework
Week 10	*Understand the economic, legal, and social issues …access and use information ethically and legally.* More on Semester Project APA Citation styles for databases APA citations for databases Citing eBooks, Databases, and the Internet	· COMPUTER LAB 2^nd Hour - Complete COMPETENCY BASED LAB ASSESSMENT	Do assigned homework COMPETENCY LAB ASSESSMENT Test 25% of grade
Week 11	*Understand the economic, legal, and social issues …access and use information ethically and legally.* Plagiarism revisited Bibliographies and In Text Parenthetical Citations Using Quotes, summarizing and paraphrasing	· Plagiarism tutorials · Practice APA citations	Review Chapters 2 & 3 Do assigned homework
Week 12	Revisit the Semester Project · Student’s presentation of evaluation of source · Review of key citation rules	· Students perform peer review of project rough drafts and consult with professor about needed revisions	Do assigned homework Work on Semester Project due WEEK 13
Week 13	Intellectual Property Copyright Computer Security Issues	· Copyright Tutorial · Last Week Questionnaire – give links	Semester Project Due – 20% of Grade Review Chapter 4 & 6* Do assigned homework
Week 14	· Review for Final Exam	Final Exam Review
Week 15	· *Final Exam Student Evaluation Course Evaluation	· *Final Exam · Learning Outcomes/ · Student Faculty Conferences · Results of Final Exam · Recommendations for improvement

Rubric for Participation: LIB100
It is the responsibility of the student to be prepared to attend and actively participate in class.
STANDARDS	A	B	C	D	F
	2.5 points	2 points	1 point	.5 points	0 points
Attention	90% on time and attentive	80% on time and attentive	70% on time or attentive	60% on time or sometimes attentive	Talks to others during class or is rude and disruptive
Questioning	Asks serious and appropriate questions	Asks questions to clarify	Asks questions that have been answered	Asks questions to challenge	Never asks questions or often asks irrelevant questions
Answering	Answers correctly	Usually is correct	Sometimes is correct	Seldom is correct	Doesn’t answer
Teamwork	Leads team projects	Adds many suggestions to team projects	Contributes to team projects	Does little on teams	Doesn’t participate
Suggesting	Volunteers ideas and answers every class	Volunteers ideas and answers 75%	Volunteers ideas and answers 50%	Occasionally volunteers ideas and answers	Doesn’t volunteer ideas or answers

Rubrics for Homework: LIB100
STANDARDS	A	B	C	D
5-0 each	2.5 total	2 total	1.5 total	1 total
Assignment Completion	The entire assignment was completed	At least 3/4 of the assignment was completed	At least 1/2 of the assignment was completed	Less than 1/2 of the assignment was completed
Accuracy	The entire assignment was done correctly	At least 3/4 of the assignment was done correctly	At least 1/2 of the assignment was done correctly	Less than 1/2 of the assignment was done correctly
Legibility	Very neat and legible. Writing illustrates a lot of thought and preparation.	Mostly neat and legible. Writing illustrates some thought and preparation.	Slightly legible. Writing illustrates little thought or preparation.	Not legible. Ideas expressed are hard to understand.
Following Instructions	The assignment was done showing lots of work neatly and easily followed.	The assignment was done showing most of the work.	The assignment was done showing some of the work.	Instructions were followed perfectly.

Rubrics for LAB: LIB100 The LAB is worth 25% of your final grade. The LAB tests your ability to access, comprehend, and cite information Sources.
ANSWERS	2.5 points		0 points
First Question	Answered Correctly		Answered Incorrectly
Second Question	Answered Correctly		Answered Incorrectly
Third Question	Answered Correctly		Answered Incorrectly
Fourth Question	Answered Correctly		Answered Incorrectly
Fifth Question	Answered Correctly		Answered Incorrectly
POINTS	2.5 pts	2 pts	1.5 pts	1 pt	.5-0 pts
First Citation	Perfect	One or two errors in format	A missing element or more than two errors in format	Two missing element or more than three errors in format	Three missing elements or more than four errors in format
Second Citation	Perfect	One or two errors in format	A missing element or more than two errors in format	Two missing element or more than three errors in format	Three missing elements or more than four errors in format
Third Citation	Perfect	One or two errors in format	A missing element or more than two errors in format	Two missing element or more than three errors in format	Three missing elements or more than four errors in format
Fourth Citation	Perfect	One or two errors in format	A missing element or more than two errors in format	Two missing element or more than three errors in format	Three missing elements or more than four errors in format
Fifth Citation	Perfect	One or two errors in format	A missing element or more than two errors in format	Two missing element or more than three errors in format	Three missing elements or more than four errors in format

Information Literacy: Accessing Information Effectively and Efficiently

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Assessment Plan for Learning Module: Accessing Information effectively and efficiently

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Artifacts for MALET Program

Information Literacy Syllabus